Journal Reviews archive for 2015
PFMT in males
Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has been described since ancient times in Rome but Kegel popularised it to improve sexual and urinary health after childbirth. In the paediatric population, there is a paradigm shift towards biofeedback-based PFMT for lower urinary...
Near-infrared fluorescence in robotic surgery
This is a systematic review and critical analysis of the current evidence on the applications of near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) in robotic urologic surgery. It uses indocyanine green (ICG), a sterile water-soluble dye which has been tested in various fields. In...
Rectal swab guided antibiotics for TRUS biopsy
This is a single centre retrospective study to examine the effect of rectal swab culture-directed prophylaxis on the incidence of prostate biopsy associated infections. Secondary objectives were to determine the rate of fluoroquinolone resistance and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production in local...
Tackling stones in children: is it difficult to crack on?
The incidence of stone disease in the paediatric population has been increasing worldwide, particularly for the adolescent age group (12–17 years of age). In this article the authors discussed the evolutions of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and ureteroscopy (URS) in children....
Multidisciplinary consensus on the classification of prenatal and postnatal UT dilation classification system
There is a lack of evidence in the literature correlating prenatal and postnatal urinary tract (UT) dilation pathology because classification systems vary, differing descriptive terms are used, and because dilation is a dynamic process and uropathies present a spectrum of...
UTI and VUR in children with mild antenatal hydronephrosis
This paper describes a retrospective analysis of 760 (608 males, 162 females) patients identified with mild antenatal hydronephrosis (defined by an anteroposterior (AP) pelvic diameter of 7-10mm in the third trimester and persistent postnatal dilation) looking at the incidence of...
Performance status may alter outcomes in those treated with abiraterone
The drug therapies available for those with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer have increased over the past few years. Abiraterone, a CYP17 inhibitor, has been proven effective in phase three trials, however those with poor performance status were largely under-represented in...
Impact of case volume on outcomes of ureteroscopy for ureteral stones
With the ever-increasing focus on patient safety, centralisation of services for major procedures is becoming more common. Using data from the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) Ureteroscopy Global Study database, a prospective observational multicentre study created to...
CRP to predict the need for surgical intervention in acute renal colic
A previous paper has suggested that C-reactive protein (CRP) is a useful serum marker for determining the likelihood of a patient with renal colic requiring surgical intervention, the cut-off level being >28mg/l (specificity 88.9%, sensitivity 75.8%). This prospective observational study...
Efficacy of flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy for lower pole renal calculi
The management of lower pole renal stones (LPS) is often difficult. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), flexible ureterorenoscopy (fURS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) are all potential options with potential benefits and disadvantages. In order to assess the success of fURS...
Urology MDTs: what members think
This study aimed to examine the functionality of urology cancer multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs). Evidence has suggested that urology MDTs are not as well structured as other surgical disciplines. MDT members were asked their views on if there were any...
Paediatric chronic orchalgia
Testicular or scrotal / groin pain is common in children and often there is no apparent cause. This paper describes the authors’ experience over 10 years of boys >10 years seeking medical attention with testicular pain without anatomical abnormality or...
