Journal Reviews
CROWN initiative – what is it about?
The editors of around 50 journals related to women’s health have joined forces to support the CROWN initiative (core outcomes in women’s health). The aim is to standardise the collection of outcomes for all trials in a specific dataset in...
PFMT in males
Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has been described since ancient times in Rome but Kegel popularised it to improve sexual and urinary health after childbirth. In the paediatric population, there is a paradigm shift towards biofeedback-based PFMT for lower urinary...
Prostate alpha-1 receptors: what is new?
This article from the west of Germany will be of interest to many of us who use alpha-blockers for bladder outflow symptoms. The classic model of understanding of alpha receptors has been challenged recently. Further models have been identified, including...
IC and risk of CHD
Bladder pain syndrome / interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is a chronic, multifactorial and relapsing condition. Aetiology includes: inflammation, allergic, neuropathic, auto immune, vascular factors, etc. This study from Taiwan aimed to investigate the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) among IC...
TPTNS: evaluation of a therapeutic option in the management of anticholinergic refractory overactive bladder
This is a prospective study evaluating the tolerability and efficacy of transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation (TPTNS) in patients with urodynamically proven overactive bladder (OAB), who have failed anticholinergic treatment. Forty-three patients were studied and followed up over a period...
Oestrogens and OAB
This is a multicentre study from Europe. The female genitals and lower urinary tract have a common embryological origin arising from urogenital sinus. Therefore, both could be sensitive to female sex steroid hormones. Oestrogens and progesterone receptors have been demonstrated...
Low dose PDE5I in IC
This is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of daily low-dose sildenafil (25mg) for the treatment of non-ulcer interstitial cystitis (IC) in women. Forty-eight women with clinical diagnosis of IC, from three centres, were equally randomised to...
Retropubic versus transobturator mid-urethral slings for stress incontinence
Mid-urethral slings are commonly used in the surgical management of stress urinary incontinence. This multicentre, randomised trial aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of the retropubic tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) with the transobturator tension-free vaginal tape (TVT-O) in a...
Percutaneous ultrasound guided endoscopic lavage of perinephric abscess – different, but not necessarily better
Perinephric abscess is an uncommon but serious form of urosepsis. It develops as a consequence of the extension of an infection outside of the parenchyma of the kidney in acute pyelonephritis, or more rarely from haematogeneous spread of an infection...
Prevention of urethral stricture recurrence
Urethral stricture recurrence after urethral reconstruction is one of the most challenging problems in urology. With the increase in endoscopic surgery over the last three decades the incidence of urethral strictures has increased, with iatrogenic manipulation the leading aetiology in...
Urethral pain syndrome – is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
Urethral pain syndrome (UPS) is defined in the 2014 EAU Guidelines as the occurrence of chronic or recurrent episodic pain perceived in the urethra, in the absence of proven infection or other obvious local pathology. UPS is often associated with...
Simple cystectomy for benign disease
In the UK, due to cancer reorientation programmes by the NHS, radical cystectomies happen only in regional cancer centres. But there is no reason why simple cystectomies cannot take place in district general hospitals, often much closer to patients and...
