Rolling admission · Istanbul · Delivered in English
Stone disease as a university urology department in Istanbul manages it: imaging in the stone clinic, the choice between ureteroscopy, retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), theatre where scheduled and recurrence prevention, observed from outside the sterile field.
What you see depends on the department's clinical calendar during your placement; the list below describes the department's usual scope, not a guaranteed programme.
Stone decisions start with imaging. Non-contrast CT defines size, position, density and the anatomy of the collecting system, while ultrasound and plain films are used to follow known stones. A small ureteric stone may be allowed to pass with analgesia and medical expulsive therapy when pain is controlled and renal function is preserved. Obstruction with infection is different: it is an emergency in which the kidney is drained by stent or nephrostomy and the stone is treated later, once the infection has settled.
For renal stones, burden and location guide the choice. Larger burdens generally favour percutaneous nephrolithotomy, while smaller stones may be treated by retrograde intrarenal surgery or shock wave lithotripsy; lower-pole anatomy, stone density, body habitus, antithrombotic treatment and patient preference shift the balance. Ureteric stones are usually managed by ureteroscopy or shock wave lithotripsy. The team weighs the likelihood of being stone-free against the morbidity of each option, and an observer hears that reasoning in clinic before seeing its result in theatre.
In theatre the urologist works with the anaesthetist, nurses who prepare scopes, laser fibres and baskets, and staff who run intraoperative fluoroscopy; radiation-protection rules apply to observers as well. After surgery the questions change: whether a stent is needed and for how long, how stone clearance is confirmed, and what the stone analysis and metabolic work-up mean for prevention. Recurrent stone formers return to the stone clinic, so the pathway ends where it began.
This page narrows the urology department to one pathway — stone disease from imaging to recurrence prevention. Robotic cancer surgery has its own Robotic Urology page, and laser enucleation of the prostate is a separate benign-prostate focus, not part of this one.
Useful before urology specialty training for clinical-year students and graduate physicians who want to see a stone decision made in clinic and carried through theatre to follow-up.
For urologists with a specialist qualification who name stone disease as their interest; the urology department sets the allocation, and a longer attachment gives more opportunity to see recurrent stone formers return to the stone clinic.
Both routes are strictly observational: observers attend theatre and clinic without patient contact, do not scrub or assist, and are not assessed on any procedure.
| Clinical Observership | Clinical Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 1, 2 or 4 weeks (extension possible on request) | 12 to 24 months, agreed with the host department |
| Who it is for | Medical students in clinical years and graduate physicians from outside Turkey | Recognised specialists and family physicians seeking advanced exposure beyond standard specialty training |
| Format | Full-time, strictly observational — outpatient clinics, operating theatre, ward rounds, case discussions | Extended observational attachment to one department: daily practice, service structure and specific techniques |
| Certificate | Certificate of attendance issued by the host hospital and signed by its Medical Director | Certificate on completion issued under the accreditation of the affiliated university school of medicine |
| Start | Rotations typically begin on a Monday; dates are agreed individually | Start date planned around the date you request and the department's capacity |
One online application for both routes. State Endourology & Stone Surgery as your focus in your objectives; ATDERA reviews the file and prepares it for the Urology department, then replies with next steps, typically within two working days.
Already started? The application page picks up where you left off.
ATDERA Global Limited (Companies House No. 17173428, registered in England and Wales) coordinates this programme for a university teaching hospital in Istanbul. ATDERA is not a hospital and does not provide clinical care; admission decisions and certificates are the host hospital's.
One online application covers both routes and all twenty-one specialties — details, programme choice and documents in five short steps. ATDERA reviews the file and replies with next steps, typically within two working days.
