Journal Reviews archive for 2017
What are the long-term outcomes of TOT and TVT procedures?
This is a systematic review between 2000 and 2016 evaluating the efficacy and safety of midurethral sling (MUS) procedures in women. Studies were included if the follow-up data was five years or more. Objective cure rates showed no significant difference...
Prostate biopsy and survival
Talk to many urologists and the axiom is “you are more likely to die with prostate cancer than from it”. This study was conducted on Danish men between 1995 and 2011. The observations are: 1) Cumulative prostate cancer – specific...
Electrical injury – all you need to know
The modern operating theatre presents a highly complex and busy environment with a huge variety of machines, devices and gadgets. This article from France will be of interest to urologists, nurses, anaesthetists and theatre managers alike. We all use electrical...
Clean catch urine from babies – the ‘quick wee method’
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in children and babies and can lead to urosepsis, renal scarring and chronic kidney disease. As per American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, urine samples are a must in febrile / unwell infants even if...
Reliability of grading of VUR and other findings on VCUG
The gold standard for diagnosing VUR is still the voiding cycstogram (VCUG). These authors looked at the inter observer variability of grading of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) using a VCUG and highlight the implications for treatment and prognosis as a results....
Active surveillance for intermediate-risk prostate cancer
In this review, Klotz and Dall’Era summarise available data from the Toronto, UCSF, ERSPC, PASS and Royal Marsden active surveillance cohorts, looking specifically at outcomes of patients classed as intermediate risk. Cancer specific survival in men managed initially with active...
Abiraterone acetate in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer
With emerging results from the Stampede and Latitude studies, abiraterone has taken the forefront in the management of metastatic prostate cancer while researchers try to identify the ideal timing for administration. It is a potent inhibitor of CYP17 which results...
Transfer to tertiary paediatric hospitals for patients with testicular torsion
Although this articles comes from a tertiary centre in Columbus, USA, there are similarities with the current controversies in the UK. The authors carried out a five-year retrospective review looking at the surgical transfer of 125 patients (mean age 13.4,...
Morbidity and mortality after surgery for LUTS
The market for bladder outflow obstruction surgery is currently wide open with new technologies such as Urolift® emerging. One of the key selling points of new technologies is the comparative safety and efficacy compared to traditional techniques such as transurethral...
Performance of non-invasive tests in diagnosing BOO in men with LUTS
A large proportion of urology involves the treatment of bladder outflow obstruction (BOO) in men. Yet BOO in men is very difficult to accurately quantify with the only regular non-invasive test being uroflowmetry. Pressure flow urodynamics may be considered the...
Which is better – laparoscopic or open paediatric pyeloplasty?
In an attempt to answer the above question, Gatti et al. undertook a randomised controlled trial between 2005 and 2014. All children aged 1 to 18 years of age requiring surgery for pelviureteric junction (PUJ) obstruction were enrolled. A total...
Is AS in SRM more convincing than in prostate cancer?
This article reviews active surveillance (AS) in the management of small renal masses (SRM), the role of renal tumour biopsy (RTB), patient selection, tumour growth kinetics, and outcomes. SRMs which are defined as masses ≤4 cm in diameter and enhance...