General Practitioners

• Medical Weight Loss
  Many kidney tumors do not produce symptoms, but may be detected incidentally during the evaluation of an unrelated problem or during routine screening for people who are in high-risk categories (e.g. Von Hippel Lindau disease, tuberous sclerosis). Compression, stretching and invasion of structures near the kidney may cause pain (in the flank, abdomen or back), palpable mass, and blood in the urine (microscopic or grossly visible). If cancer spreads (metastasizes) beyond the kidney, symptoms depend upon the involved organ. Shortness of breath or coughing up blood may occur when cancer is in the lung, bone pain or fracture may occur when cancer is in the bone and neurologic symptoms may occur when cancer is in the brain. In some cases, the cancer causes associated clinical or laboratory abnormalities called paraneoplastic syndromes. These syndromes are observed in approximately 20 percent of patients with kidney cancer and can occur in any stage (including cancers confined to the kidney). Symptoms from paraneoplastic syndromes include weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, sweats and high blood pressure. Laboratory findings include elevated red blood cell sedimentation rate, low blood count (anemia), high calcium level in the blood, abnormal liver function tests, elevated alkaline phosphatase in the blood, and high blood count. In many cases, the paraneoplastic syndrome resolves after the cancer is removed.
• Primary Care
  Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are responsible for more than seven million visits to physicians' offices per year and about 5 five percent of all visits to primary care physicians.
• Male Infertility
  Male infertility is any condition in which the man adversely affects the chances of initiating a pregnancy with his female partner. Most commonly, those problems arise when the man is unable to produce or deliver fully-functioning sperm.
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Urinary Incontinence
  His practice involves all aspects of urology but he specializes in urinary incontinence in both males and females, overactive bladder syndrome and minimally invasive procedures for the treatment of incontinence and prostatic enlargement.

Gynecologists

• Female Infertility
• Pelvic Pain
  Nonbacterial prostatitis and prostatodynia, now properly referred to as chronic pelvic pain syndrome, are the most common types of prostatitis. The exact cause of these non-bacterial prostatitis conditions is not known, but they may be due to persistent infection, inflammation and/or pelvic muscle spasm. Inflammation in the prostate can also occur without symptoms.

Internists

• Internal Medicine
  Dr. Richard Shapiro was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, were he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with highest honors. He earned his medical degree from Rush University in Chicago, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the National Medical Honor Society. After an internal medicine internship at Rush Presbyterian-St. Lukes in Chicago, he completed his internship and residency in general surgery at UCLA. His urology residency was at UCLA with further training at USC, where he specialized in urologic cancer surgery, urinary reconstruction and pediatric urology.
• Bladder Cancer
  Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the United States. About 65,000 Americans are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year and 12-14,000 die annually of the disease. In recent decades there has been a steady increase in the incidence of bladder cancer. However, doctors are making progress in treatment and survival rates are improving.
• Urology
  Patti Barton is our practice administrator with extensive experience which provides stability and continuity to the daily running of our offices. She was previously the practice administrator for Tower Urology at Cedars Sinai.
• Kidney Cancer
  It is important to realize that with timely diagnosis and treatment, kidney cancer can be cured. If found early, the survival rate for patients with kidney cancer ranges from 79 to 100 percent. More than 100,000 survivors of kidney cancer are alive in the United States today.
• Kidney Stones
  Stones form inside the kidney due to minerals crystallizing and precipitating into tiny particles in the urine while in the kidney. Once formed, the tiny particles enlarge to form stones. Stones can range in size and get up to several centimeters in size or can fill the entire kidney with a stone called a staghorn calculus, although this is rare. Stones are usually made of calcium, oxalate and/or phosphate but can be made of other substances such as uric acid. The number of people in the United States with kidney stones has been increasing over the past 20 years. Caucasians are more prone to develop kidney stones than African Americans. Although stones occur more frequently in men, the number of women who get them has been increasing. Kidney stones strike most typically between the ages of 20 and 40. If a person forms a stone, there is a 50 percent chance they will develop another stone. Having a first degree relative with a stone may increase the risk of stone formation. Certain foods may promote stones in susceptible people. Climate and water intake may also play a role in stone formation.
• Testicular Cancer
  Until proven otherwise, any lump or firm area within the testicle should be considered a potential tumor. Of the many men who eventually hear a diagnosis of testicular cancer, 50 percent have complained of painless swelling or enlargement of the testicle. Another 25 percent to 50 percent may have pain or tenderness. Patients may also report a dull ache in association with the lump.
• Interstitial Cystitis
  Interstitial Cystitis is a disease that is believed to be caused by chronic inflammation of the inner lining of the bladder, which can lead to scarring, ulcerations, and bleeding. Patients suffer frequent and painful urination, urinary urgency, difficulty urinating, pain with intercourse and resultant pelvic pain. Interstitial cystitis can also affect men but women are most commonly affected. Treatment includes medications that help restore the damaged lining of the bladder. Some are instilled directly into the bladder. Other medications work on decreasing nerve stimulation. Some have claimed success with sacral nerve stimulation, which can be performed by several ways either surgically or non-surgically, both of which are available at San Fernando Valley Urological Associates. Some patients may benefit from pelvic floor muscle relaxation training through biofeedback. Diet can have a role in IC as well, and our Registered Dietician is available for personalized consultation.
• Urinary Tract Infection
  Acute bacterial prostatitis is the least common type of prostatitis and is always caused by bacterial infection. It is usually easy to diagnose because of the typical symptoms and signs. It is a severe urinary tract infection often associated with fevers and chills, requiring a visit to a doctor or hospital. Acute bacterial prostatitis can affect any age group, but most commonly occurs in older and middle-aged men. Another type that is caused by bacterial infection is chronic bacterial prostatitis, which is characterized by recurrent urinary tract infections in men. When symptoms do appear, they are generally less severe than acute bacterial prostatitis and rarely cause fevers, but often recur. This condition can also affect any age group but is most common in young and middle-aged men.
• Prostate Cancer
  Prostate cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States. Yet, when detected in its early stages, prostate cancer can be effectively treated and cured.

Psychiatrists

• Anxiety

Radiologist

• Ultrasound
  The urologist may call for an ultrasound, a simple non-invasive radiologic procedure, to confirm any suspicious lump. In addition, he/she will probably ask for a blood sample to check for tumor markers, proteins produced by most testicular malignancies that show up if cancer is present.
• Radiation Therapy

Surgeons

• General Surgery
  Dr. Mehdizadeh then performed her residency in general surgery and urology also at UCSF Medical Center. During her residency she participated in a post-graduate program through the department of epidemiology at UCSF, obtaining advanced training in clinical and outcomes research. She then returned to Southern California to pursue fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in urinary incontinence, complex pelvic prolapse, and voiding dysfunction. She has authored several peer reviewed articles and has presented her clinical research at regional and national meetings.
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
  Dr. Mehdizadeh is a member of the American Urologic Association, the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Women in Urology and the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology. She is well trained in minimally invasive surgery (i.e. robotics, laparoscopy and endourology), urologic oncology, reconstructive surgery, erectile dysfunction, and all areas of general urology but have a special interest in voiding dysfunction in men and women and acquired female pelvic conditions. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her 20 month-old daughter and husband.
• Vasectomy
  The doctors of San Fernando Urological Assoc have performed over 8000 vasectomies.We use the no-scalpel technique and have been using it since it was first introduced over 30 years ago.No-scalpel means its better than the old-fashioned vasectomy because...
• Robotic Surgery
  Dr. Ali Afshar became interested in urology while doing oncology research at Vanderbilt University Department of Urologic Surgery. He finished urology residency at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in 2016 and a fellowship in advanced endourology and robotic surgery at USC in 2017. He has trained under internationally well renowned surgeons.
• Laparoscopy
• Reconstructive Surgery

Physical Therapists

• Back Pain