Journal Reviews
SUSPEND suspended MET
This review is on the recent groundbreaking evidence on medical expulsive therapy (MET). MET using alpha adrenergic blockers (like tamsulosin) are in regular clinical practice. Even though it is an off label prescription, it is well accepted and practised world...
Tackling stones in children: is it difficult to crack on?
The incidence of stone disease in the paediatric population has been increasing worldwide, particularly for the adolescent age group (12–17 years of age). In this article the authors discussed the evolutions of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and ureteroscopy (URS) in children....
Impact of case volume on outcomes of ureteroscopy for ureteral stones
With the ever-increasing focus on patient safety, centralisation of services for major procedures is becoming more common. Using data from the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) Ureteroscopy Global Study database, a prospective observational multicentre study created to...
CRP to predict the need for surgical intervention in acute renal colic
A previous paper has suggested that C-reactive protein (CRP) is a useful serum marker for determining the likelihood of a patient with renal colic requiring surgical intervention, the cut-off level being >28mg/l (specificity 88.9%, sensitivity 75.8%). This prospective observational study...
Efficacy of flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy for lower pole renal calculi
The management of lower pole renal stones (LPS) is often difficult. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), flexible ureterorenoscopy (fURS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) are all potential options with potential benefits and disadvantages. In order to assess the success of fURS...
Tamsulosin and spontaneous passage of ureteral stones in children
This was a retrospective analysis of data for five years from four institutions comparing stone passage rates in children with ureteric stones ≤10mm, aged 2-18, treated with tamsulosin vs. analgesia alone. The study identified 449 children, of whom 334 were...
Thiazide diuretic prophylaxis for kidney stones and the risk of diabetes mellitus
Thiazide diuretics have been used to reduce calcium nephrolithiasis recurrence as it is tolerated well, inexpensive and reduces calcium excretion in urine. It has been linked with increased risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the presence of hypertension (ALLHAT study),...
Durability and complications of photoselective vaporisation of the prostate with GreenLightTM
Alternatives to the standard transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in the management of bladder outflow obstruction due to prostatic hypertrophy are becoming more common. In this retrospective case series, the outcomes of 117 patients undergoing GreenLightTM lithium triborate photoselective...
RCC recurrence rates post laparascopic partial nephrectomy
In recent years laparascopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) has emerged as an oncologically safe alternative to its radical nephrectomy counterpart. There is however a lack of consensus amongst the urology community regarding surveillance after LPN for patients with stage I tumours....
Robot assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy versus open retropubic prostatectomy – complication and readmission rates
Readmission rates in postoperative patients are an important health economic and clinical challenge faced in the modern NHS, with financial levies attached. In America since 2013, hospitals have been faced with ‘readmission penalties’ deducted from Medicare reimbursements. This was the...
Prostatic artery embolisation – an option for select BPO patients
Few proponents of prostatic artery embolisation (PAE) regard it as a potential standard in future for benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) / benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment. Present guidelines from the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) and the...
Results of HoLEP in patients with prostate cancer and LUTS
Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) is recommended for the management of benign prostatic obstruction. With similar functional outcomes and less morbidity compared to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), it has become a useful tool in the armament...
