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Use of MRI in the evaluation of prostate cancer: part 2

Diffusion weighted imaging and contrast enhanced imaging Introduction Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used in localisation, staging and post-treatment follow-up of prostate cancer. In the previous issue, we discussed the usefulness of MRI in depicting prostate anatomy and pairing...

Radiology quiz

We are delighted to introduce something new for the Uroradiology Focus – our very own Jane Belfield has put together a urology imaging quiz with 10 cases designed to grab your interest and test your knowledge. Good luck and let...

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...

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...

Urinary retention in women: what a general urologist should know

Urinary retention (UR) is classified by the International Continence Society (ICS) into acute (AUR) and chronic (CUR). AUR is defined as the “inability to pass any urine despite having a full bladder which is painfully distended and readily palpable or...

Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents 2-3% of all cancers [1]. It is an adenocarcinoma making up 85% of all renal malignancies. Sarcomatoid transformation is a microscopically identified feature of RCC accounting for 5% of all RCCs [2]. Known as sarcomatoid...

The microbial syndicate: dysbiosis and origins of recurrent UTIs

Traditional dogma held that urine was sterile. However, recent molecular studies have revealed an underground microbial community, known as the urinary microbiome or ‘urobiome’ [1]. Far from being harmful, this community of microorganisms helps modulate immune responses, regulate inflammation, and...

All you need to know about percutaneous nephrolithotomy: supine versus prone and mini versus traditional

Introduction Since the first percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), the technique has undergone many innovations, including modifications in positioning, miniaturisation of instruments and combination with retrograde intra-renal surgery (see Table 1 for an outline of the history of the technique). Controversy has...

Challenges of catheter associated urinary tract infection: is prevention better than cure?

Catheterisation is a common medical procedure in which a catheter (a hollow flexible tube) is inserted into the bladder in order to facilitate the drainage of urine. Catheters are usually passed into the bladder via the urethra, either to be...

ICS updates in continence care: a personal perspective on the role of basic science in urology

At a urology research meeting in Sheffield a few years ago, a former post doctorate researcher in urology, Mathieu Boudes, said: “Stop calling it basic research, there is nothing basic about it. It is fundamental research to everything urologists do.”...

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....