Journal Reviews
Hypospadias – can urologists achieve the unachievable?
US News & World Report (USNWR) provide rankings on a wide range of topics (education, health, money, travel, cars and law firms). In terms of healthcare, they suggest that their rankings (based on metrics) are a tool that can help...
Onabotulinum toxin A (BTX) not helpful for chronic scrotal pain
It is refreshing to read a report on negative outcomes as it reinforces the honesty that is often lacking with the well-known publication bias in medical publications. It is also not common to come across surgical randomised controlled trials (RCTs)...
Would some boys undergoing orchidopexy benefit from adjuvant hormonal therapy?
Orchidopexy is generally recommended between six months and one year of age given that many studies have shown that there is a progressive histological deterioration and poorer growth of the undescended testis that is not brought down to the scrotum...
COVID-19: cancer and corticosteroids
Under the prevailing COVID-19 crisis, this article is well worth reading. The current World Health Organization (WHO) guidance is not to start steroids in cancer cases, but there is no clear evidence of risks with steroids in cancer patients having...
Ulcerative colitis has a positive association with prostate cancer risk
This large-scale meta-analysis, incorporating studies from several population-based studies, evaluated the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBC) and prostate cancer (Pca). Emerging evidence has suggested that IBD is a risk factor for extra-intestinal malignancies which may be due to an...
Prostatic artery embolisation versus sham
Randomised trials with use of sham is uncommon in the surgical literature, which makes this paper more interesting. Many different treatments are available for treating lower urinary tract symptoms / benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS / BPH). Prostatic artery embolisation (PAE)...
COVID-19 and acute kidney injury
Newspapers and online media are full of the effects of the coronavirus on airways and olfactory functions and the importance of respiratory physicians (pulmonologists in the USA), ventilators and intensive care teams. However, as per the Intensive Care National Audit...
Chronic retention – all you need to know
Chronic retention – all you need to know Chronic urinary retention is a common presentation in elderly and frail patients. Two types should be recognised - low pressure chronic retention (LPCR) and high pressure chronic retention (HPCR). Acute-on-chronic retention occurs...
Can continence and volitional voiding be achieved in bladder exstrophy?
Bladder exstrophy is a challenge to the paediatric urologist; here in the UK, repairs are now undertaken at two centres in order to concentrate experience. The ultimate aim is to achieve urinary continence and volitional voiding. In this study, John...
Relax and take note of this!
Children with neurogenic bladders are at risk of renal compromise through high detrusor pressures. Management aims to provide continence and preserve the upper tracts by increasing capacity and compliance though early clean intermittent catheterisation and anticholinergics. Intradetrusor botulinum toxin has...
Evaluation of the learning curve for learning MRI-US fusion prostate biopsies
With the advent of one-stop prostate cancer diagnostic clinics, the findings of this study are of interest to readers who may be implementing MRI-US transrectal or transperineal fusion biopsies to their clinical practice. This prospective cohort study evaluated 779 consecutive...
Transurethral enucleation is superior to resection for the management of LUTS secondary to BPH
This meta-analysis (Level 1b evidence) examined the efficacy and safety of two primary transurethral therapies used in the management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), enucleation (HoLEP – holmium laser enucleation of prostate, ThuLEP,...
