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Nocturia – the Cinderella of lower urinary tract symptoms

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...

Metabolic screening and stone-prevention in urolithiasis patients

The incidence and prevalence of kidney stones is increasing [1,2]. Significant recurrence rates are noted with 14% of patients experiencing a further episode at one year, 35% at five years, and 52% at 10 years [3]. Over 10% of stone...

What’s new in post prostatectomy incontinence?

With an ageing population, the number of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer each year is steadily rising. With more specific investigations, such as multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MpMRI) and transperineal biopsies, the number of cases diagnosed at an earlier...

The role of PET-CT imaging in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in the UK, with 43,000 cases in 2017-18 [1,2]. Accurate primary staging and the detection of suspected recurrence following treatment is vital for directing management and predicting prognosis. This has conventionally...

Testing radical prostatectomy in men with prostate cancer and oligometastases to the bone: a randomised controlled feasibility study

Prostate cancer is the commonest cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer death in Western men [1]. The recent STAMPEDE data suggests a median survival of just 42.1 months in the control arm of metastatic men [2]. Current...

The scent of Ethiopia: a personal story – part 1

Background The year was 2004; I had just moved to the UK as a young house officer and finished my observership programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. I was inspired by greats like Patrick Duffy and Phillip Ransley,...

Benign prostatic hyperplasia: what are the benefits and harms of various surgical management options?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is characterised by stromal and epithelial prostatic cell hyperplasia. The enlarged prostate may be associated with voiding and storage lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). These have been predominantly attributed to bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), assumed to...

Botulinum toxin – from the sausage poison to urology

Botulinum toxin is the first biological toxin to be licensed for use in treating human disease and since its first therapeutic use in the early 1980s for strabismus has become widely used in the fields of ophthalmology, cosmetic surgery, migraine...

The impact of menopause on bladder symptoms

The menopause is a natural process of ageing when the ovaries completely stop producing reproductive hormones (oestrogen and other sex steroids), and there are no monthly periods for 12 consecutive months. It normally occurs between the ages of 45-55 years...

Can we make LATE-presenting posterior urethral valves an EARLIER-treated condition?

What are posterior urethral valves? Posterior urethral valve (PUV) is the most common cause of congenital bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) and renal failure in male children. They were first described by the Italian anatomist Giovanni Battista Morgagni back in the...

Hard flaccid syndrome

Chronic pelvic pain is defined as pain present below the level of the umbilicus with a duration of more than six months [1,2]. Chronic pelvic pain syndromes (CPPS) are highly prevalent in Western society, affecting both males and females. Studies...