Dr Gopinathi is a Consultant Anaethetist practicing for nearly 22 years. Dr Gopinathi’s NHS base is Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex. Within the private medical sector Dr Gopinathi has practice privileges at various hospitals in the Essex and Hertford areas.
Bladder Clinic
Some of the information provided contains graphic, medical images which individuals may find upsetting.
We are not normally aware of our bladder until it is full. The bladder muscle and the nerve supply work together and accommodate increasing volume of urine without any rise in the pressure, until the bladder reaches its capacity.
Bladder dysfunction can have a serious impact on individual’s quality of life and can affect their ability to carry out their job and interact with people.
Bladder conditions may present with any of the following:
- Overactive Bladder
Having to urinate frequently & Urinary urgency – Needing to rush to get to the toilet to urinate. It may be related to excessive coffee/ Tea, fizzy drinks etc and can be controlled by cutting back on these and undertaking bladder training. You may also require medication to relax bladder muscle. - Incontinence
Leakage of urine without any control. Usually it is small amounts but can be flooding causing embarrassing situation. The type of leakage can be either urge leak due to overactive bladder or stress leak due to weak pelvic floor/sphincter. Significant improvement can be obtained by losing weight in obese patients, and carrying out pelvic floor exercises. Wearing pads is a temporary measure and may require surgical procedures. - Urinary infection
Cystitis: More common in women due to closeness of urethra to other passages (Vagina & rectum). Preventive measures include maintaining good fluid intake, hygienic measures and emptying bladder after intercourse. Recurrent infections may require prophylactic antibiotic therapy. Conservative measures include use of Cranberry extract, D’Mannose etc. - Bladder pain
Can be due to a condition called Interstitial Cystitis. Patient get symptoms of cystitis associated with bladder pain and urine tests do not show bacteria. There may be blood in the urine and cystoscopy and biopsies may be needed for diagnosis. - Blood in the urine (haematuria)
Bladder cancer can sometimes present with this symptom and should not be ignored. Usual investigations include scans- ultrasound, CT, Urine cytology and Cystoscopy (inspection of the bladder with a telescopic instrument).
Most bladder symptoms can be treated with simple measures and medication.
Further bladder related information
Please find below links to information leaflets and questionnaires from British association of urological surgeons explaining the tests/ procedures on your bladder.
- Bladder stone crushing (endoscopic litholapaxy) | Video
- Bladder tumour resection | Video
- Bladder washout for blood clots
- Botulinum toxin-A (Botox®) injections into the bladder wall
- Cystoscopy & retrograde studies
- Hydrodistension (stretching) of the bladder
- Stretching of the bladder neck (dilatation) in women
- Autologous sling procedure for stress urinary incontinence in women
- Colposuspension for stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
- Enlargement of the bladder with a piece of bowel (enterocystoplasty)
- Insertion of an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) in men
- Insertion of an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) in women
- Pelvic floor exercises (in men)
- Synthetic mesh tape insertion (in men)
- Synthetic mesh tape insertion (in women)
- Synthetic sling procedure safety advice (external MHRA website)
- Treatment options for overactive bladder (OAB)
- Treatment options for stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
- Urethral bulking
- Vaginal fistula repair (abdominal)
- Vaginal fistula repair (vaginal)
- Living with a urostomy
- Radical bladder removal with bladder replacement (in men)
- Radical bladder removal with bladder replacement (in women)
- Radical bladder removal with urinary diversion (in men)
- Radical bladder removal with urinary diversion (in women)
- Simple removal of the bladder (with urinary diversion)
- Urostomy Association (external website)
- Bladder training
- Incontinence questionnaire (ICIQ-UI)
- Input/output chart (bladder diary)
- Nocturnal polyuria (passing too much urine at night)
- Overactive bladder questionnaire (ICIQ-OAB)
- Painful bladder syndrome (interstitial cystitis)
- Painful bladder syndrome questionnaire
- Self-help information for recurrent cystitis in women
- Treatment options for overactive bladder (OAB)
- Treatment options for stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
- Urinary & sexual problems following pelvic trauma
Your Award-Wimming Healthcare Team
Providing state of the art surgical and medical treatment of diseases of the genito-urinary system affecting men, women and children.
Dr. Venkat Shenoy
Anaesthetist
The profile for Dr. Venkat Shenoy is currently being updated. We thank you for being patient in this time.
Mr. Bernard Potluri
Our Surgeon
All your services will be personally provided by Mr Potluri and his dedicated team.
Mr Bernard Potluri qualified with a MB BS in 1977. He then obtained masters in general surgery in 1981 and was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1989. Mr Potluri gained a diploma in urology from the Institute of Urology and University College, London in 1991.