Feb. 19, 2019

Urology at Mayo Clinic is proud to have introduced Boyd R. Viers, M.D., a specialist in reconstructive genitourinary surgeries, to its growing faculty in summer 2017.

Dr. Viers is originally from Omaha, Nebraska. He received a full athletic scholarship to play football at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he was named to the First Team Academic All-Big 12 First Team, completed a degree in psychology and graduated summa cum laude.

Dr. Viers returned to his hometown to attend medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. During medical school, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and won several academic distinction awards and research essay contests.

Near the conclusion of medical school, Dr. Viers and Lyndsay D. Viers, M.D., a radiologist in Mayo Clinic Health System — Southwest Minnesota region, were married. They each completed residency at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota. They are now the proud parents of four children.

As a resident, Dr. Viers was a talented and productive researcher and author. He was identified early on for his compassionate patient care and technical fastidiousness. In acknowledgment of his research acumen, he was awarded several distinctions from Mayo Clinic, the North Central Section of the American Urological Association and the Minnesota Urological Society. Notably, he won first place in consecutive years in both the Kelalis and Segura Essay contests.

Dr. Viers was offered a position in a Mayo Clinic Scholars Program. He pursued his subspecialty training in trauma and genitourinary reconstruction at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas under the mentorship of world-renowned urologic reconstructionist Allen F. Morey, M.D.

Clinical and surgical interest

Dr. Viers has a great breadth and depth of clinical and surgical interest, including open and advanced robotic reconstruction of both the upper and lower urinary tract. His focus includes the management of urinary obstructions including male urethral stricture disease, ureteral stricture and ureteropelvic junction obstruction, as well as urinary fistula. He has a particular interest in advanced urinary reconstruction for radiation, trauma and iatrogenic urinary tract injury. Furthermore, he is contributing to the practice of male stress incontinence and reconstruction of male genitalia.

Dr. Viers is also part of a multidisciplinary team involved in the treatment of pelvic malignancies that require complex and innovative urinary diversion solutions.

In response to increasing reports of the high recurrence rates of urethral strictures after endoscopic repair, Dr. Viers says that he hopes to make patients and other health care providers aware of the evolution of the surgical practice. "At Mayo Clinic, the majority of our urethral reconstruction practice has transitioned to an outpatient same-day surgery with a high level of patient satisfaction," says Dr. Viers. "We now emphasize early and aggressive formal urethroplasty, even in elderly men and those with radiation-induced stricture disease. The treatment affords the opportunity for improved quality of life, restoration of urinary function and durable treatment success ― 85 to 95 percent at five years."

Regarding the robotic reconstruction practice, Dr. Viers comments: "Even among patients with complex abdominal pathology and prior surgical history, calculated adoption of minimally invasive robotic techniques has improved postoperative convalescence, hospital stay and functional outcomes relative to traditional laparotomy techniques. Enhanced magnified visualization and adjunctive measures to evaluate tissue integrity have vastly expanded robotic reconstructive treatment solutions beyond what has been possible with open reconstruction. With experience we are now able to safely and effectively perform complex robotic urinary tract reconstruction that may require bowel interposition, bladder reconfiguration, or buccal mucosal grafting for urinary fistula and lengthy strictures of the ureter and posterior urethra."

Dr. Viers is endeavoring to answer some of the most pressing questions in genitourinary reconstruction. In collaboration with experts in rheumatology and regenerative medicine, he is working to develop forward-thinking approaches to ureteral obstruction and urethral stricture disease. He has already published over 60 peer-reviewed original articles and authored two book chapters. Dr. Viers speaks nationally on topics of genitourinary reconstruction.

"There is a tremendous demand for urologists specializing in genitourinary reconstruction. Given this demand and owing to his unique and special skill set, Mayo Clinic Urology is delighted that Dr. Viers joined the department," says Bradley C. Leibovich, M.D., chair of Urology.