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| Ross McMurdo of Nixa and pediatric nephrologist Ted Groshong, M.D. |
Urology is a surgical specialty concerned with normal and abnormal problems of the kidney, renal, pelvis, ureter, bladder, urethra, penis, and vagina in both genders.
Urogenital or genitourinary (GU) are words that refer to the urinary and genital organs. Nephrology is the medical specialty concerned with the kidneys.
According to the American Urological Association:
- 1 percent to 2 percent of children develop urinary tract infections.
- younger children have a greater risk of kidney damage linked to urinary tract infections than older children or adults.
Many diseases of the genitourinary system in children are present when a child is born. This poses unique challenges that are vastly different from adults with kidney disease.
Because the genitourinary system is so complex, involving many systems in the body, a child with a genitourinary disorder may require a number of specialists to participate in his/her care. The following is a list of specialists that may be involved in your child's care.
- pediatric nephrologist
- pediatric urologist
- pediatrician
- pediatric surgeons
- transplant surgeons
- perinatologist
- geneticists
- pediatric radiologist
- neurodevelopmental specialists
- nutritionists
- social workers
- psychologists
- pediatric nurses
Ted Groshong, M.D., from University of Missouri
Health Care sees kidney disease, hypertension and transplant patients two to
three days a month at St. John's Children's Specialty Clinic. Please call
417-820-2229 for more information.
One Patient's Story
Shortly after 5-year-old Ross McMurdo of Nixa was
born with one kidney missing and the remaining kidney scarred, his parents,
Sheranne and Shannon, began making once- and sometimes twice-monthly trips to
St. Louis so Ross could see a pediatric nephrologist (kidney specialist) there.
"The drive back and forth to St. Louis to see the doctor got pretty grueling
after awhile and we had the expenses of a hotel and eating out every time we
went up there," Sheranne says. "Finally, when Ross was about a year old, our
insurance switched to the St. John's network. Our new pediatrician, John Burson,
M.D., told us about a pediatric nephrologist who comes to Springfield twice a
month to see patients at St. John's. It was a real lifesaver for us to be able
to get the care Ross needs here."
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