In November 2014, approaching my final year of training (ST7) in the West of Scotland (WoS) and just recently armed with my FRCS (Urol), I was at a crossroad in my clinical career. I was keen to pursue a consultant...
Robotic fellowship training in the UK – overview Robotic surgery has increased in popularity since its introduction in 2003. Its validation in a growing number of operative procedures has increased its acceptance nationwide and its usage is becoming widespread. Initial...
As many trainees will know, and I count myself among them, there are a plethora of organisations involved in our training. Most of us will be familiar with our deaneries, the haven we return to once a month for our...
I’m a pelvic physiotherapist and, in a fit of temper, I wrote a comedy show about pelvic floors after having yet another woman say to me: “I’ve been leaking since my baby was born.” “How old is your baby?” “He’s...
Introduction Despite the considerable increase in the incidence of stone disease in the UK and elsewhere in recent years, urologists have engaged with preventative strategies to only a limited degree. With mounting evidence of the strong correlation between obesity and...
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....
Bladder cancer has often been overshadowed by the limelight of prostate cancer. However, of all the urological cancers, bladder cancer is the only one which has shown a slight decline in age-standardised five-year survival rates over the last couple of...
“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 rising incidence of childhood cancer coupled with increasing survivorship means there is a growing population of childhood cancer survivors with unmet health needs. In the UK around 1 in 500 children and young people are survivors of childhood cancer....
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most frequently diagnosed bacterial infections in both primary and secondary care. While acute, uncomplicated cases may be managed effectively, recurrent and chronic UTIs often present a more complex challenge. For many people, these...
Although this articles comes from a tertiary centre in Columbus, USA, there are similarities with the current controversies in the UK. The authors carried out a five-year retrospective review looking at the surgical transfer of 125 patients (mean age 13.4,...
From time to time (as paediatric surgeons), we receive referrals from regional hospitals to explore the testis in older boys. Given the time-critical nature of the condition, patients should benefit from assessment and surgery performed locally (when possible). Inter-hospital transfer...