
Journal Reviews
Comparison of PCNL under spinal versus general anaesthesia
There are several advantages of performing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) under spinal anaesthesia including lower cost, reduced adverse effects and less tracheal tube displacement. Another advantage is that the patient remains awake throughout making positioning easier and reducing the risk of...
Is the safety wire during ureteroscopy mandatory?
Traditional principles of ureteroscopic training involve the almost religious passage of a safety guide wire (SGW) into the ureter prior to ureteroscopy (URS). The authors compare the clinical outcomes of URS for ureteral stones in two university hospitals with opposite...
Managing staghorn calculi – a return to the dark ages of stone surgery with the aid of the robot
Khurshid Ghani and colleagues present a novel, yet all too familiar, approach to the management of patients with staghorn calculi, in the form of anatrophic nephrolithotomy - however with the aid of a robot. The aim of this study is...
The role of continuous prophylactic antibiotics following JJ stent insertion
Urinary tract infections (UTI) and stent-related symptoms (SRS) are frequently recognised complications of ureteric stent placement. Antibiotic administration at induction prior to ureteric stent insertion is recommended by the European Association of Urology (EAU). Commencing prophylactic antibiotics for the ‘entire...
Prilocaine irrigation for pain relief after TURP
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is one of the commonest procedures undertaken by urologists. There are well known complications following the procedure which commonly include haematuria but also TUR syndrome, failure to pass urine and infections, amongst others. The...
A new haemostatic agent in tubeless PCNL
Tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is increasingly being used in carefully selected patients to reduce hospital stay and analgesia requirements, especially in those with little bleeding who become stone free or have insignificant residual fragments (usually <4mm). Various agents have been...

