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Adult Continence Center

Clinical Academic Building
125 Paterson Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: (732) 235-7777

Program Description

Dr. Hari Tunuguntla is Chief of Female Urology, Neurourology and Urodynamics. He was fellowship trained at the MillerSchool of Medicine located in Miami, Florida.

This Program is targeted at diagnosing and treating all types of adult voiding problems. The focus of the Program includes:

* Female stress incontinence
* Post-surgical incontinence problems
* Biofeedback and electrical stimulation
* Incontinence in the elderly
* Comprehensive team approach to all types of voiding problems in adults
* Urodynamic evaluation

Treatment for Stress Incontinence:

Surgical therapy for urinary incontinence has made tremendous advances over the last decade. A relatively new minimally invasive technique to treat stress urinary incontinence is gaining popularity among urologists, the self fixating mid-urethral slings. These slings can be placed using a variety of approaches, tailored to meet the needs of the patient, and have a high success rate. The technique can be performed in 30 minutes and requires small vaginal and suprapubic or thigh crease incisions. Patients can return to full activity within two weeks. Another approach to managing stress incontinence is with bulking agents which are injected near the urethral sphincter to increase coaptation. This procedure is very low risk and can be performed in the office with local anesthesia.

Treatment for Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Condition and Refractory Overactive Bladder:

In the past, urge incontinence could only be treated with medications or complex urinary diversions. Recently, urologists have realized the potential applications of Botulinium A toxin in the lower urinary tract. This minimally invasive therapy is performed in the office and has been shown to be effective in the management of idiopathic and neuropathic bladder overactivity, detrusor sphincter dysynergia, and urinary retention.

Sacral neuromodulation has been another new breakthrough therapy for patients with refractory conditions of the lower urinary tract. This therapy uses an implantable neurostimulator and lead to generate electrical pulses to stimulate the sacral nerves which influence behavior of the bladder, sphincter, and pelvic floor. It has proven to provide safe and effective relief of urinary urge incontinence, non-obstructive urinary retention, and urgency-frequency syndrome. The procedure is performed in 2 stages. In the first stage, a lead is placed near the sacral nerve root and connected to a temporary stimulator. If the stimulator provides successful relief of symptoms, the permanent neurostimulator is placed in a subcutaneous pocket in the upper buttock.

Surgery for Pelvic Organ Prolapse:

The goal of repair of pelvic organ prolapse is to restore normal function and anatomy of the pelvic floor and its organs. Repair of the defects that allow the pelvic organs to herniate can be accomplished using several different surgical techniques and approaches including laparoscopy and robotics. When compared to open, laparoscopic abdominosacrocolpexy has shown excellent results, with decreased lengths of hospital stay and postoperative pain and a quicker return to preoperative levels of activity.

Traditional repairs, either through a vaginal or abdominal approach, involve reapproximation of the patient's own tissue. More repairs are now being accomplished with synthetic mesh and other biologic materials to augment and increase the durability of the repair. The newest minimally invasive approach, which has been used in Europe for the past 2 years and is now available in the U.S, is the tension free vaginal mesh. Soft prolene mesh is placed between arcus tendineus and sacrospinal ligaments using needle introducers through the obturator foramen. Short term data indicate high success rates and low complication rates.

Male Stress Incontinence:

Male stress incontinence is caused by weakened urethral sphincter muscles. Pelvic trauma and pelvic surgery such as prostate surgery are the principal causes of male stress incontinence. For the past 2 decades, the artificial urinary sphincter has been the gold standard of treatment. It provides an excellent cure rate, even for severe incontinence, but can also be complicated by infection and erosion. The male sling is a new minimally invasive alternative to the artificial urinary sphincter. It is used to treat mild to moderate stress incontinence. It is performed with a two-inch incision. A sling is formed by taking a piece of synthetic material and using it to compress the urethral sphincter, thus preventing leakage of urine during stress maneuvers. The operation commonly takes less than an hour and can be performed in the outpatient setting.

Patients may participate in research protocols to avail themselves of the most current therapeutic and diagnostic modalities. Newsletters are published regularly and mailed to participants in the Center. Educational seminars on such topics as stress incontinence are also available.

Participating RWJUMG Physicians

Hari S Tunuguntla MD

Department of Surgery

Participating Physicians and Professionals

Programs

Adult Cardiac Surgery Program

Adult Continence Center

Aneurysm Program

Ano Rectal Physiology Lab

Breast Reconstruction and Plastic Surgery Program

Cerebrovascular Disease Program

Cerebrovascular Disorders Program

Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery Program

Cleft Palate - Craniofacial Program

Colo-Rectal Surgery

Complex Spinal Disorders Program

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft / Cardiac Valve Repair and Replacement / General Cardiac Surgery Program

Cosmetic Surgery Center

Endocrine Surgery Program

Endovascular Program

Epilepsy Neurosurgery Program

Esophageal Function Laboratory

Frameless Stereotactic Surgery Program

Functional Neurosurgery Program

General Pediatric Surgery Program

General Surgery Program

General Thoracic Surgery Program

Hand Surgery Center

Heart Transplantation and Assist Device Program

Hydrocephalus Program

Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center

Kidney Stones Treatment Program

Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Program

Minimally Invasive Colo-rectal Surgery

Minimally Invasive Esophageal Surgery

Minimally Invasive General Surgery

Minimally Invasive Solid Organ Surgery

Minimally Invasive Surgery for Children and Adolescents Program

Minimally Invasive Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery

Neonatal Surgery Program

Neuro-Oncology and Skull Base Tumor Program

Pediatric Continence Center

Pediatric Neurosurgery Program

Pediatric Surgical Oncology Program

Pediatric Trauma Program

Pediatric Urology Program

Pelvic Floor Program-Surgery

Peripheral Arterial Disease Program

Pituitary Surgery Program

Same-Day Surgery Program

Skin Laser Center - Plastic Surgery Program

Surgical Care of End-Stage Lung Disease Program

Surgical Critical Care Service

Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Program

Trauma Center

University Vein Center

Urologic Oncology

Videoscopic Thoracic Surgery Program

Wound Center - Plastic Surgery Program