Journal Reviews
Prostate biopsies without antibiotic cover – are we there yet?
Transperineal (TP) prostate biopsies are widely replacing the traditional transrectal route due to definite evidence of reduced infective complications. TP biopsies are usually performed with a single dose of antibiotic pre-procedure in most centres. In this article the authors attempt...
Fear and frustration among women with recurrent UTIs
The risk of a women developing a urinary tract infection in her lifetime is over 50%, approximately 25% of which become recurrent (rUTIs). This study examined the viewpoints of women with rUTIs through six focus groups at a tertiary centre...
Standard versus expanded cultures to diagnose UTIs in women
Clinicians are well aware of the limitations of the so-called Kass criteria applied to standard urine culture (SUC) techniques as well as the limitations of empiric antibiotic prescribing for symptoms that are known to overlap with chronic conditions such as...
Urinary frequency and COVID-19: is there a missing link?
The current COVID pandemic has been a worldwide challenge for over a year. It can affect an individual in various ways. According to the World Health Organization, the classical signs are dry cough, fever and shortness of breath. In addition,...
Delayed decompression of the infected obstructed kidney increases fatality
Well, we know this, I hear you all say. It is standard practice that the obstructed kidney with associated infection requires prompt decompression, and this is drilled into all UK trainees. It is surprising therefore that although we frequently deal...
Comparing treatment modalities for transplant kidney VUR in the paediatric population
The management of Transplant kidney vesicoureteral reflux in the paediatric population is a heavily debated issue and Deflux® injection to manage VUR is both widely described in the literature and commonly practised. In this paper, these authors have put forth...
Bladder debris on ultrasound as a predictor for positive urine culture
One of the common ultrasound findings in children who undergo renal tract evaluation is ‘debris in the bladder’. The aetiology of bladder debris is varied and the likelihood that urinary debris represents positive urine culture is debatable. The authors of...
Is surgical antibiotic prophylaxis necessary for paediatric orchiopexy?
With the rise of resistant organisms to most commonly used antibiotics, there is a plea for judicious use of antibiotics, especially for clean surgical procedures. Potential adverse events associated with antibiotic use include allergic reaction (including anaphylaxis), clostridium difficile infection,...
Reliability of grading of VUR and other findings on VCUG
The gold standard for diagnosing VUR is still the voiding cycstogram (VCUG). These authors looked at the inter observer variability of grading of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) using a VCUG and highlight the implications for treatment and prognosis as a results....
Intermittent self-catheterisation
Intermittent self-catheterisation (ISC) is used in everyday practice for bladder dysfunction. This study from Southampton, UK presents a Cochrane review of different catheter designs, user satisfaction and incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI), etc. The following factors were looked at:...
Fluoroquinolone resistant rectal colonisation predicts risk of infectious complications after TRPB
Transrectal prostate biopsy (TRPB) has been associated with increased risk of infection between 3.6-5% and sepsis rates of 0.3-3.1% mainly due to fluoroquinolone resistance (FQR). At present, FQ antibiotic prophylaxis is utilised commonly across North America and Europe but due...
