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ICS updates in continence care: the role of the nurse continence specialist in continence services

The nurse who specialises in continence care is recognised as a key member of interdisciplinary teams seeking to deliver high quality integrated continence services. The recently published international service specifications for continence care [1] supports the use of specialist continence...

Medical statistics for urologists: part 2 – probability and hypothesis testing

Following on from Part 1 of this series (Part 3 available here), this article aims to build on other analytical techniques commonly used within medical research, focusing on simple examples. Probability and testing Before exploring hypothesis testing, it is vital...

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...

Shared decision-making – minimising the mismatch

In Western countries, we are spoilt for choice in almost every aspect of our lives, but does that reflect also in healthcare? While we have taken some big strides towards shared decision-making with our patients, the age-old physician dominance remains...

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...

Prostate cancer in men of African heritage: understanding the risk and prognostic factors

Prostate cancer (PCa) represents a major public health concern and is recognised as one of the most common cancers worldwide, accounting for a significant proportion of cancer-related deaths. It is the second most common malignancy among men globally after lung...

The NICE Guideline on Urinary Incontinence: the management of urinary incontinence in women

Background Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common symptom that can affect women of all ages. It is difficult to estimate the prevalence of UI since it is often under-reported, although the Norwegian EPINCONT study looking at women over 20 reported...

Klinefelter’s syndrome

Klinefelter’s syndrome (KF) is the most frequent sex chromosome abnormality with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 500 to 1 in 700 newborn males and 1 in 10 in men with azoospermia. While the majority of cases are an XXY...

An update on antibiotic prophylaxis in TRUS-guided prostate biopsy

Since its inception in the 1980s, transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy has remained the standard tool for the histological diagnosis of prostate cancer. There are several advantages to this technique which have led to the widespread use of TRUS in...

Meeting in the middle: a review of the rendezvous technique to treat impassable ureteric strictures and transected ureters

Introduction Complex ureteric strictures present a significant challenge with some patients undergoing multiple separate urological and radiological procedures to try to cross a stricture without success. Cross-departmental collaboration with uroradiology may allow a decrease in the number of separate interventions....

Male infertility

Definitions Infertility is the inability of a sexually active, non-contracepting couple to achieve spontaneous pregnancy in one year [1]. About 15% of couples do not achieve pregnancy within one year and seek medical treatment for infertility. Semen parameters are standardised...

Complications of CISC

Introduction Clean intermittent self catheterisation (CISC) was first introduced and popularised by Lapides in 1972. Since then its utilisation has become widespread and it is now commonly used throughout the world as the preferred means of facilitating complete and effective...