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MRI screening for prostate cancer: a step towards a ‘prostagram’

The UK National Screening Committee has been calling for further research into alternative screening tests for prostate cancer. The committee decided against prostate cancer screening using prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing on the basis that “PSA is still a poor...

Emphysematous pyelonephritis: a review

Introduction Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is an acute, severe, necrotising, bacterial infection of the renal parenchyma and surrounding tissues, with gas in the renal parenchyma, collecting system or perinephric tissue. Although it is rare, it is potentially life threatening and early...

Renal calculi: the role of imaging in pregnancy

Nephrolithiasis is the most common cause of non-obstetric abdominal pain in pregnancy. Accurate diagnosis is imperative as stone related complications can lead to pre-eclampsia, urosepsis, and premature labour [1,2]. In the general population, non-contrast cross sectional imaging is recommended by...

Can dogs smell prostate cancer?

For centuries we have known that man’s best friend has an exceptional sense of smell. ‘Sniffer’ dogs are found in a wide range of roles, including drug and explosive detection as part of airport security, helping emergency services locate survivors...

Understanding Stauffer’s syndrome

Who was Stauffer and what is Stauffer’s syndrome? Maurice Stauffer (1915-1994) was a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, United States, and in 1961 first characterised the non-metastatic, paraneoplastic effects of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) on liver size and...

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...

(Not very) clean intermittent self catheterisation

In a small room near the operating theatre of the London Hospital sometime in the 1880’s, a surgeon slips off his outdoor frock coat. From his pocket he pulls a silver curved catheter, spits on it and nonchalantly passes it...

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...