Urology

Welcome to the web site of the Division of Urology in the Department of Surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

Our mission is to support the overall mission of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to assist the citizens of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care service and research. In support of that mission, we provide specialized urologic care to adults and children in central and southern Illinois and surrounding areas. We aim to improve the urologic health of the population we serve by educating medical providers on the latest principles and practices in urologic care, conducting research to identify new treatment methods, and providing treatment for patients in a convenient, caring environment utilizing the highest quality medical practices.

Our faculty are surgeons who are credentialed as sub-specialists, with fellowship training and other advanced training. They are board certified by the American Urologic Association and are nationally recognized authorities in Urologic surgery, Pediatric Urology, Minimally-invasive and laparoscopic surgery, Female Incontinence, and Oncologic urology. In addition, our surgeons practice their specialty in an environment of research and teaching, which provides them access to and involvement in the latest technological advancements in their field.

Our residents experience a five-year residency program that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and upon completion are eligible for certification by the American Board of Urology. Our medical students are integrated into our clinical and didactic experiences which provide them with knowledge of genitourinary diseases and conditions encountered in urologic practice.

Patrick McKenna, M.D.
Professor and Chairman
Division of Urology

SIU Med School Announces Members for Honor Society

Nine new members have been inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.  All nine were inducted at the spring banquet for SIU’s Eta chapter.

Newly elected student members from the Class of 2011 are Blake Cohen, son of Brian and Pam Cohen of Dunlap; Minh-Bao Le, daughter of Thong and Minh-Tam Le of Waterloo; Adam Rodos, son of Jerry and Joyce Rodos of Western Springs; and Mary Sterrett, daughter of Paul and Marguerite Sterrett of New Baden.

Resident physicians from SIU training programs selected were Dr. Brooke French, a plastic surgery resident from Springfield; Dr. Masaya Higuchi, a family medicine resident from Japan; and Dr. Abiy Kelil, an internal medicine resident from Ethiopia.

Dr. Thomas Tarter, SIU associate professor of urology, was elected an honorary faculty member.  Dr. Roxanne Guy, a plastic surgeon in Melbourne, Fla., and 1977 graduate of SIU, was elected an alumni member. 

The AOA volunteer clinical faculty award was presented to Dr. Lynne Barkmeier, a vascular surgeon in Springfield and a volunteer faculty member with SIU since 1989.  Her nominators said Dr. Barkmeier “went above and beyond in teaching medical students.  She took time to explain each step of what she was doing and was happy to talk students through the procedures.”

Election to AOA is based on integrity, leadership, compassion and fairness and scholastic excellence.  The only national honor medical society in the world, AOA recognizes and works to perpetuate excellence in the medical professions.  

Medtronic Starts Study of Interventional Erectile Dysfunction Therapy

Novel Approach Addressing Significant Unmet Medical Need for Men with Suboptimal Response to Traditional Drug Therapies to Be Studied at Ten U.S. Sites

MINNEAPOLIS – Oct. 13, 2009 – Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced today the initiation of a feasibility study of an interventional treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) that uses a specially-designed drug-eluting stent system. The study, called ZEN (Zotarolimus-Eluting Peripheral Stent System for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction in Males with Sub-Optimal Response to PDE5 Inhibitors), is being performed under an investigational device exemption (IDE‎) issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is expected to enroll a total of 50 subjects at up to ten medical centers in the United States over the next year.

“The link between erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease has been well established; based on this evidence, we are investigating the use of stents in pelvic arteries to determine whether it may provide a new treatment approach and enable better response to drug therapies,” said Dr. Jason Rogers, director of interventional cardiology at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and one of the ZEN primary investigators. “Understanding that in a large number of cases ED is caused by vascular disease due to the deterioration of the endothelium, and that Medtronic’s drug-eluting stent (DES) preserves endothelial function of the native vessels, Medtronic’s DES technology is uniquely suited to be studied for this condition.”

Medtronic is collaborating with urologists and interventionalists at each of the  participating sites to design and execute the study in subjects who have had suboptimal response to PDE5 inhibitors, which include Viagra®, Cialis® and Levitra®. The study will evaluate the safety and improved erectile function of pelvic artery stenting, with results expected in 2011.

The first implant in the ZEN study was performed recently by a team at Prairie Vascular Institute in Springfield, Ill., consisting of urologist Dr. Tobias Kohler, and two interventionalists, Drs. Nilesh Goswami and Krishna Rocha-Singh.

“It’s exciting to see the field of interventional medicine advancing in new areas,” said Dr. Rocha-Singh, medical director of Prairie Vascular Institute, and one of the ZEN primary investigators. “However, it’s vitally important that we study promising new approaches in the clinic as historical data have shown the importance of properly identifying subjects so that we are targeting those who will benefit most from this novel therapy.”

“Despite breakthroughs in drug therapy, ED remains a problem for a significant number of men who have failed drug therapy and do not wish to proceed with highly-invasive second or third line therapies,” said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine and one of the ZEN primary investigators. “We look forward to seeing the outcome of the ZEN study and evaluating the therapy’s potential benefit to a patient population with limited options.”

“Erectile dysfunction represents an unmet medical need for physicians and patients,” said Sean Salmon, vice president and general manager of Medtronic's Coronary and Peripheral business. “The ZEN study represents Medtronic’s interest in addressing this need, while also serving as a potential opportunity to broaden our pipeline of interventional therapies. Importantly, Medtronic has the support of both the urology and the interventional communities as we embark on a path to pioneer a new treatment for ED.”

Medtronic CardioVascular is committed to advancing the treatment of coronary, peripheral, aortic and structural heart disease through collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers and scientists worldwide.

About Medtronic
Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology – alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 24, 2009. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.