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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,...

Training to be a urologist: how risky is it?

The NHS and urology face challenging times in trying to provide quality patient care efficiently and economically. Urology trainees are experiencing conflicting pressures with a new contract, a challenging on-call system and changing training requirements in an overstretched, centralised service...

Physiotherapy first for pelvic floor dysfunction

Physiotherapy should be included in first-line management options for pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence in women [1,2]. Additionally, referral to physiotherapy is widely practised for the management of urinary incontinence in men, faecal incontinence, defecation disorders and various pelvic...

Post-prostatectomy incontinence

Urinary incontinence following prostate surgery (post-prostatectomy incontinence or PPI) is a significant complication that can have a profoundly negative impact on the quality of life of patients suffering with it. It may become a barrier to physical activity and social...

Delivering a laparoscopic urology workshop in West Africa: our initial experience in Senegal

Despite universal adoption and significant technological innovation since its inception around 30 years ago, access to laparoscopic surgery remains lacking in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Whilst some progress has been made in recent years to bridge the gap with the developed...

Prostate abscess

Prostate abscess (PA) is a relatively uncommon clinical condition which is often difficult to diagnose because clinical symptoms are non-specific. It may be associated with a significant fatality rate, estimated to be between 3% and 30%, which may reflect its...

25 Years of Prostate Cancer UK

As leading men’s health charity, Prostate Cancer UK, celebrates its 25th anniversary, top researchers reflect on the huge progress in testing, treatment and support for men over the past 25 years. 25 years of beating prostate cancer together Matthew Hobbs,...

Use of MRI in the evaluation of prostate cancer: part 1

Introduction Prostate cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in UK men, after lung cancer [1]. The incidence of prostate cancer in the UK has shown a rapid increase...

Practising surgery in a war zone: an interview with Dr Volodymyr Melnyk

It is now nine months since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine commenced in late February 2022, with Putin announcing a “special military operation” to “denazify and demilitarise” Ukraine. The rest of the world, however, saw it for what it...

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...

New techniques in UTI diagnosis

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common reason for seeking medical care in both primary and secondary settings. Half of women will have at least one episode of cystitis in their lifetime, and a third of them will have experienced...

Stuttering (recurrent ischaemic) priapism

Stuttering (recurrent ischaemic) priapism (SP) is a rare urological condition. Affected men will often experience almost daily prolonged and painful sleep related erections (SRE). Interestingly, these men report normal erections during the day and whilst awake. These episodes are usually...