Journal Reviews
Intermittent self-catheterisation
Intermittent self-catheterisation (ISC) is used in everyday practice for bladder dysfunction. This study from Southampton, UK presents a Cochrane review of different catheter designs, user satisfaction and incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI), etc. The following factors were looked at:...
MDT meetings in urogynaecology
This study aimed to assess the outcome of case discussion at a single unit’s urogynaecology multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings. This was a retrospective study of the MDT proformas of 106 patients who were discussed over a 14-month period. Various outcomes...
Nocturia: the debate goes on
This study is from Ghent, Belgium. Nocturia is one of the most bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms affecting both men and women. Key factors to consider in evaluating are nocturnal polyuria (NP) and reduced bladder capacity. NP with low osmolality...
Solifenacin and mirabegron are safe and effective in combination
Antimuscarinic agents remain the mainstay of medical management of bladder overactivity. Limited somewhat by their tolerability, the new agent mirabegron, a β3-adrenoreceptor agonist, has been approved as an alternative. There is little known however about the possible synergistic effects of...
What is the significance of prostatic calcification?
This prospective study on men undergoing transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) biopsies was performed to evaluate the prevalence and to classify prostatic calcification (PCalc) on TRUS and correlate the findings with histology. Images of the prostate were saved at three defined regions:...
BPH therapy: how to find one’s way through the maze?
This communication is from the Young Academic Urologists (YAU) group of the European Association of Urologists (EAU). A purpose-built questionnaire of current practice was sent to 2000 members, of which 637 responded (68% were aged 50 or younger). Alpha blockers...
Screening tool for incontinence: Michigan index
The Michigan incontinence symptom index (MISI) is a validated measure. This study further evaluated its relevance. MISI is a 10-item measure; MISI domain 1-8 and bother domain 9-10. Two hundred and fourteen women were included in the study, with a...
BPS – a diagnostic enigma
This article from a London teaching hospital presents the results of a Medline search about challenges in bladder pain syndrome. All the known definitions from the American Urological Association (AUA), European Association of Urology (EAU), etc. are given while the...
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...
RARP – novel uroflow stop test
More and more centres are doing robotic assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) surgery for cancer of the prostate .This study from Montreal, Canada describes a simple and novel test to predict recovery of urinary continence after RARP. The uroflow stop test...
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...
Near-infrared fluorescence in robotic surgery
This is a systematic review and critical analysis of the current evidence on the applications of near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) in robotic urologic surgery. It uses indocyanine green (ICG), a sterile water-soluble dye which has been tested in various fields. In...
