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Imaging of varicoceles

A varicocele is a collection of dilated, tortuous spermatic veins of the pampiniform venous plexus. It is seen in 10-15% of the general population and is associated with both primary and secondary infertility. A varicocele is the most common cause...

A guide to local anaesthetic transperineal prostate biopsy

In the UK, nearly 100,000 men undergo a prostate biopsy annually, a figure projected to double in the next decade [1]. In recent years, we have observed a paradigm shift in urological practice in numerous UK hospitals. The conventional transrectal,...

Biomarkers in prostate cancer detection

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men with an estimated prevalence of 1.1 million worldwide in 2012. This heterogeneous disease resulted in approximately 307,000 deaths, making it the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in men...

Priapism

Priapism is defined as an abnormally persistent erection lasting greater than four hours, not associated with sexual desire [1]. Although relatively uncommon with an incidence of 1.5 per 100,000 [2], priapism has a risk of complications which can have a...

An inconvenient truth: reflections on the NHS

“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” The above is a quote attributed to Mark Twain from the 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which follows Al...

The multidisciplinary team meeting: London calling!

The multidisciplinary team meeting, or MDT, is the foundation of cancer management in the UK. The MDT consists of a group of experts in different fields of medicine and surgery coming together at regular intervals to discuss the diagnosis and...

Optimising weight loss advice in obese women with urinary incontinence: a review

Background The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) guidance specifies that women with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30, combined with urinary incontinence or overactive bladder, should be advised to lose weight [1]. A BMI over...

What is the role of evidence-based medicine in urology?

The concept of ‘evidence-based medicine’ (EBM) was first developed in the early 1990s and was described as “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” by the recently...

Clear cell urothelial carcinoma: a highly aggressive morphological variant in the bladder and upper urinary tract

Clear cell urothelial carcinoma (CCUC) is a rare morphological variant of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). It can occur anywhere along the urothelial tract and is characterised histologically by high grade carcinoma with an abundance of clear, glycogen-rich cytoplasm [1]. Alternative...