Journal Reviews
Do adult men with untreated ventral penile curvature have adverse outcomes?
The history of ventral penile curvature if untreated in childhood is not known. The authors tried to assess this by performing an online survey of adults who had untreated ventral penile curvature using a Facebook advertised survey. Their outcome measures...
NICE backs laser for BPH
Benign prostatic hyperplasia affects 60% of men aged 60 or over. The medical technology division of the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) has supported the GreenLight XPS laser system as a surgical tool. The specific indications are:...
Non-urologist non-physician assessment of scrotal pain using the TWIST score
Testicular torsion is a urological emergency that requires prompt diagnosis and intervention. Some providers are becoming increasingly dependent on ultrasound (US) to make the diagnosis. This NIH clinical trial evaluated the use of the TWIST (Testicular Workup for Ischaemia and...
Comparing intravesical chemohyperthermia with Mitomycin C versus BCG in treating bladder cancer
In the advent of the recent Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) crisis, the importance of alternative adjuvant treatments for intermediate- and high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has been highlighted. Chemohyperthermia (CHT) has emerged as an option, however there remains a lack of...
Thulium laser: the new kid ‘en bloc’
Transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) is considered the gold standard for management of bladder cancer. Residual rates of 15-53% at second TURB and upstaging rates of 4-29% with muscle invasion have been reported. The quality and result of the...
Barriers to use of semen analysis in the adolescent with a varicocele
This paper tries to address the question of identifying the cause of the difficulty in obtaining a semen analysis (SA) in adolescents with a varicocele in order to try to find improved strategies in giving patient advice, treatment and care....
TIP hypospadias repair
This paper by one of the current international leaders in hypospadias surgery looks at the outcome of over 1800 consecutive hypospadias repairs using the tubularised incised plate (TIP) repair, beginning from the first original operation through to sequential modifications over...
NICE - what we need to know?
The National institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) reached 17 years old in April 2016. As clinicians, we are reading and discussing NICE guidelines on a daily basis in multidisciplinary team meetings. NICE is always in the news, whether...
Junior doctors’ strike: is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Most urology departments will be affected one way or another by the ongoing industrial action by our junior colleagues. This article gives an interview between the BMJ team and Jeremy Hunt, UK Secretary of State for Health. We may or...
ASAP: is a repeat biopsy necessary?
This study examined the validity of current US and European guidelines on the management of patients diagnosed with atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP). Current guidance states that these patients should undergo repeat biopsy within three to six months due to...
Active surveillance for renal neoplasms
Renal oncocytomas are the second most common benign renal tumours and they originate from the collecting tubules. They appear genotypically very similar to chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (chRCC), which also contain eosinophilic cells. Oncocytomas are often found incidentally on routine...
Preventive pharmacological therapy for kidney stones
Kidney stones are common, painful and are a chronic disease with a high lifetime risk of recurrence. Without treatment 35-50% of patients experience a second stone within five years of their first experience. Thiazide diuretics, alkali citrate treatment and allopurinol...
