Most urologists manage a broad range of conditions — kidney stones, prostate cancer, infections, general urinary problems. A reconstructive urologist has completed additional fellowship training focused specifically on rebuilding the urinary tract and genitalia after scarring, injury, radiation, or prior surgery.

In practice, that means the problems that arrive here are usually ones that have already been treated at least once. Scar tissue that keeps coming back. A stent that was supposed to be temporary two years ago. Leakage that never resolved after prostate surgery. These conditions are uncommon enough that a general urology practice may see only a handful a year.

The core of the practice is:

• Urethral strictures — scar tissue narrowing the urethra

• Bladder neck and vesicourethral anastomotic stenosis — scarring at the bladder outlet, usually after prostate surgery or radiation

• Ureteral strictures and UPJ obstruction — narrowing between the kidney and bladder, often with long-term stent dependence

• Stress urinary incontinence — leakage with coughing, lifting, or activity, treated with slings or an artificial urinary sphincter

• Erectile dysfunction — surgical options, including penile implants, when medications and injections have stopped working

• Genital reconstruction — buried penis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and other conditions affecting the genital skin and soft tissue

• Urinary fistulas

Each of these has a dedicated page under Patient Education with a much fuller explanation.

Frequently, yes. A meaningful share of the patients I operate on were told elsewhere that their problem was untreatable, or that they should simply live with a catheter, a stent, or a pad.

Sometimes that first opinion was correct and I will tell you so directly. But often the issue is that the necessary operation is one that isn't performed outside of a reconstructive practice. It is worth having the anatomy looked at by someone who does these repairs regularly before accepting that nothing more can be offered.

Many patients are referred by another urologist, but you are welcome to reach out directly. Some insurance plans do require a referral for the visit to be covered. Rather than leaving you to sort that out with your plan, our office will run an insurance check and tell you whether a referral is needed and what it should say.

Yes. Reconstructive urology is a small field, and patients travel from across Illinois and from neighboring states to be seen.

Because the referral area is large, I hold clinic and operate at multiple locations rather than asking everyone to come to one address. This is deliberate — it usually means a shorter drive and faster access to an appointment. Current locations are listed on the Contact page.

If you are traveling a distance, we will try to consolidate your evaluation — office visit, imaging, and cystoscopy — into a single trip where possible.

Yes. If travel is difficult, or you want an assessment before committing to a trip, a remote second opinion is available.

The single most important thing you can do is send your records ahead of time — ideally one to two weeks before your appointment. A second opinion is only as good as the information behind it, and reconstructive decisions are made on the details in your operative reports and imaging, not on symptoms alone. Sending records a day or two in advance means I am reading them for the first time while we are talking, which is not the visit you deserve.

Please send:

• Operative reports from any prior urologic surgery

• Imaging — retrograde urethrograms, CT scans, renal ultrasounds

• Cystoscopy reports or findings from prior scope procedures

• A timeline of prior dilations, urethrotomies, stent exchanges, or catheter placements

With that in hand ahead of the visit, we can spend the time discussing what to do rather than assembling your history.

Yes. A significant portion of this practice is women — most often those who have developed urologic complications after other surgery or after cancer treatment.

Injury or scarring of the ureter after gynecologic, colorectal, or other pelvic surgery, obstruction and fistulas following radiation, and reconstruction after cancer treatment are all common reasons women are referred here. These problems are frequently missed or considered unfixable elsewhere, for the same reason complex male reconstruction is: the repairs required are not performed in most general urology practices.

I hold clinic and operate at several locations across the region to keep travel manageable and appointment access quick. Current clinic and surgical sites are listed on the Contact page.