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The COVID-19 ‘frontlines’: a foundation doctor’s perspective

Staring through the fragmented stained glass of the Virgin Mary and her assorted angels, I reflected on the strangeness of the workplace I now found myself in and the irony of a workforce now working together more enthusiastically than ever...

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...

Establishing the Southwest Catheter Skills Course – a closed loop quality improvement project

The General Medical Council states that foundation year doctors should be able to carry out male and female urethral catheterisation safely under direct supervision [1]. A 2014 survey of medical students demonstrated that 40% and 64% had never performed male...

History of prostate biopsy – part 1

Part 2 of this topic is available here. Prostate biopsy (PBx) to exclude cancer has been part of clinical practice since the beginning of the 20th Century. PBx techniques have evolved over time to optimally address some of the unique...

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,...

The role of transperineal template biopsies in the diagnosis of prostate cancer

The case In 2002, Mr A, a 64-year-old software engineer, was referred by his GP for further investigation of a raised prostate specific antigen (PSA) of 6.2. His prostate felt benign. He underwent transrectal ultrasound guided (TRUS) prostate biopsies. This...

Frailty in urology – part 2

The first article in this series defined frailty and introduced the concept and importance of identifying patients living with frailty who undergo surgery, including those undergoing urological procedures. In the second part of this series we outline how to identify...

Inpatient care of patients with established spinal cord injury - what a general urologist needs to know

Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating, life-changing condition, which is currently irreversible. Depending on the level of the spinal cord affected (and whether the lesion is complete or incomplete), patients may subsequently develop reduced voluntary motor function, sensory...

Endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare disease accounting for 5-10% of all urothelial carcinomas and has an annual incidence in Western countries of 1-2 per 100,000 [1,2]. It occurs more commonly in the pelvicalyceal system as opposed to...

Intravesical GAG replacement therapies for bladder pain syndrome / interstitial cystitis – an update

The barrier function of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer of the urothelium was identified by Parsons in 1975, and intravesical therapies to treat chronic inflammatory conditions of the bladder were developed soon after. However, the active role of the urothelium in...