Infertility is the inability to achieve pregnancy following one year of regular, unprotected intercourse (in the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle). Infertility is a common problem that affects between 7 and 15% of couples worldwide, with male factor infertility...
Case 1 A 28-year-old female, 19 weeks pregnant, presents with severe left loin pain. There is no past medical history of note. Blood tests show a white cell count of 14.1x109/L and creatinine of 56umol/L. An ultrasound scan (USS) reports...
Nocturia is defined as waking during the night (at least once) to urinate. The important part of the definition relates to the necessity of sleep to precede the episode (although whether sleep must follow the episode is less clear). The...
This paper discusses the management of patients with stone disease and HIV. The chronic nature of HIV infection is due in large part to the effectiveness of anti-retroviral therapies (ART). However, the role of protease inhibitors has been widely discussed...
Thiazide diuretics have been used to reduce calcium nephrolithiasis recurrence as it is tolerated well, inexpensive and reduces calcium excretion in urine. It has been linked with increased risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the presence of hypertension (ALLHAT study),...
There are standard guidelines for first transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) guided biopsy in a patient presenting with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or suspicious digital rectal examination (DRE) findings. Patients are generally warned before a TRUS biopsy in respect of a false...
Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors used in erectile dysfunction (ED) have been shown to improve lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) as well. The mechanism is not well understood. One of the hypotheses for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) – LUTS is...
Mitomycin C (MMC) is often used as an intravesical therapy for low / intermediate risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. This randomised controlled trial (RCT) was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of MMC + cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C). Ara-C was...
The optimal duration of follow-up following childhood hypospadias repair (to detect complications) is ill-defined. Several surgeons recommend it to include assessment during puberty. Some may worry that ‘rapid penile growth’, ‘erectile forces’ and ‘sexual activity’ could potentially stress previously successful...
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) become increasingly common in men as they age, with over 70–90% of men aged over 80 experiencing these issues. Detrusor underactivity (DUA) is characterised by a weakened bladder contraction, leading to prolonged or incomplete bladder...
To paraphrase Shakespeare, to do, or not to do a fellowship, that is the question. That may be your question; whether or not to pursue a fellowship, even more so due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are...
Mixed urinary incontinence Urinary incontinence (UI) is considered to be a highly prevalent condition; however, depending upon the definitions used, actual reported prevalence rates can vary significantly. The International Consultation on Incontinence (ICI) review [1], reported unadjusted prevalence estimates for...