Urological conditions have been an area of interest in Anatolia since the 14th century. Some recommendations for the treatment of urinary retention, urolithiasis, erectile dysfunction, nocturnal enuresis, and hematuria have been discussed in medical books.¹ The modern era of urology was initiated during the late 19th century, also regarded as the period of the Ottoman Empire’s collapse. As a result of close collaboration with the French Urology Association, some famous surgeons focused on urology practice. In 1908, the Ottoman Urology Association was established with 9 members, and 4 members delegated it to the first international urology committee under the name of “Turqie Urologie.”^2,3 The first urology clinic was founded in Haydarpasha Military Hospital in Istanbul with 4 beds. Since establishing the Republic of Türkiye, Turkish Urology has gained popularity and organization. Nowadays, there are more than 3500 urologists and 100 university clinics, including training and research hospitals in Türkiye.

Currently, 2 main urological associations continue their activities in Türkiye. As the Society of Urological Surgery in Türkiye (SUST), we constantly contribute to developing and updating our colleagues by coordinating with branch associations, including uro-oncology, functional urology, pediatric urology, minimally invasive urology, and andrology. In addition, pediatric urology has been accepted as an official fellowship in Türkiye, and more than 10 clinics in Türkiye accept scholars in this field.

There are some particular advantages of Türkiye for the urology practice. The first one is the large population of the country: more than 80 billion citizens, including more than 20% of the population under age 15. That gives a big practice area for pediatric urology. Second is the geographic localization of the country; because it is between Europe and the Middle East, the incidence of urolithiasis is exceptionally high, which gives a chance for surgical treatment and scientific productivity in this field. The subspecialty associations of urology in Türkiye provide an area for education and multicenter scientific publications. More than 100 papers in the literature are coming from those collaborations.

Moreover, the close collaborations with international urology associations, including the AUA, European Association of Urology, International Continence Society, European Society of Pediatrics Urology, European Society of Sexual Medicine, Endourological Society, etc, give a chance for networking, scientific meetings, academic productivity, and education. Best of AUA meetings, organized in collaboration with the AUA and SUST, are among the important examples of those opportunities. In addition, the partnership between AUA and SUST is actively being carried out. Also, the urodynamic certification courses organized by the Turkish Continence Society in collaboration with the International Continence Society are some examples of opportunities. Interestingly, there is considerable know-how in some dark areas of urology in Türkiye, including transgender health, urethral surgery, and neuro-urology. This know-how was brought from international experts by the voluntary fellows from Türkiye and shared with colleagues in our country. Nowadays, we can see the impact of this sharing not only in surgical practice but also in academic articles. The Journal of Urological Surgery is an independent scientific medical journal that aims to reach all relevant national and international medical institutions and persons. It has been the official organ of the SUST since 2014.

As a result of improvements in surgical technology, our daily urology practice has significantly changed in the last 2 decades. Open surgery was almost the only method to treat urolithiasis 20 years ago; however, now, thanks to miniaturized instruments and laser technology, we can manage these conditions completely using endoscopic procedures. For example, open simple prostatectomy has almost completely been replaced by endoscopic enucleation or vaporization techniques. Minimally invasive ablative methods, including cryosurgery and high-intensity focused ultrasound for the treatment of kidney cancer and prostate cancer, are also available in our daily practice. Laparoscopic surgery is the preferred approach for many urological surgeries. Indeed, robotic surgeries are the most exciting parts of current surgical technologies. The number of centers performing robotic surgeries is increasing daily, with more than 20 centers in Türkiye. Uro-oncological surgeries are the most common type of robotic surgery.

One of the main interests of the SUST is the standardization of education of urology residents in Türkiye. There are some face-to-face structured learning programs and certifications for laparoscopy training and endourology. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, an online e-learning platform has been created.⁴ The e-learning residency training program is being performed, and encouraging feedback is coming from the residents. Similarly, routine hands-on education programs for retrograde intrarenal surgeries, pelvic organ prolapse surgeries, and pediatric surgeries are also available in the program of the SUST. Uropedia, a digital urology platform designed by the SUST, is also a valuable tool for urologists. The platform includes webcasts of local meetings and national congresses, surgical videos, and discussions of current papers. Also, Uropedia provides live broadcast meetings in which the attendees have a chance to contact experts.

Being in close contact with international urology associations is crucial for the future of urology in Türkiye. Being a part of a multicenter, multinational working group provides academic productivity and a podium to present ourselves. That collaboration also facilitates clinical visits and fellowship programs for our young urologists. According to a questionnaire, our residents feel they have enough endourology experience but not in the other subspecialties.⁵ It can be assumed that focusing on subspecialties other than endourology may be distinguishable for young urologists in the future. The international collaborations facilitate those improvements.

Unfortunately, as a urological community, we have some challenges in Türkiye. Higher inflation and currency rates are the main problems of the Turkish economy.⁶ The economic conditions make it challenging to gain current technology in the field of urology.

In conclusion, although constraints caused by economic conditions are challenging, Türkiye is competent and visionary in urology. When our professional experience from the past is combined with the importance given to the education of young urologists, we foresee that Türkiye will be a country that maintains its academic and surgical strength and competence in the field of urology in the coming years.