Journal Reviews
Smoking and urological health
European Urology Focus is a new sister journal to European Urology. It is peer-reviewed and will be published six times per year in electronic format. The first issue deals with smoking and urological diseases. It makes for very interesting reading...
The importance of second-look transurethral resection for superficial bladder cancer
This was a prospective study of 100 consecutive patients with a newly diagnosed superficial bladder tumour who underwent a second look transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) two to six weeks post initial resection. This essentially included pTa multiple and...
Urinary NGAL, KIM-1 and L-FABP concentrations in antenatal hydronephrosis
he elusive search for being able to diagnose pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO) continues and this group of researchers investigated the possible clinical application of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL), urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (uKIM-1) and urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding proteins...
Vitamin B12 deficiency in patients after enterocystoplasty
It is well known that enterocystoplasty within terminal ileum leads to vitamin B12 deficiency and regular monitoring of this post-surgery is essential. Often supplements need to be given because of deficiency in up to 40% of patients. These authors looked...
RN or PN for small RCCs – the debate continues
This is a retrospective study to evaluate kidney function and overall survival (OS) in patients who underwent partial nephrectomy (PN) and radical nephrectomy (RN) for RCCs <4cm. They looked at 2110 patients who underwent RN/PN for T1a renal cell carcinomas...
LUTS among Caucasian-European men who have sex with men: findings from a real-life survey
This study is the first of its kind to report an association between men who have sex with men (MSM) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Nine hundred and forty-nine consecutive individuals who presented to a uro-andrology clinic for complaints...
Retention after Botox therapy in OAB
Treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) has a wide spectrum. The first step is lifestyle modifications, the second step is pharmacotherapy and the third line is intradetrusor injections with Botox®. This retrospective study is from Tennessee, USA in non-neurogenic and refractory...
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:...
Outcomes of renal cancer surgery on renal function and mortality on those with and without CKD
In urology we are encountering an ageing and more comorbid population, including a group of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this retrospective study, a group from the Cleveland Clinic present the extended follow-up of patients with and without...
HIV-related stone disease – a potential new paradigm?
This paper discusses the management of patients with stone disease and HIV. The chronic nature of HIV infection is due in large part to the effectiveness of anti-retroviral therapies (ART). However, the role of protease inhibitors has been widely discussed...
Risk factors for CKD following treatment for RCC
This paper concerns the prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD) following treatment for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Over the last 10 years, partial nephrectomy has played an increasing role in the management of RCC, especially T1a disease. It has been...
How often are instruments changed in RALP & RAPN?
This study investigates how often the robotic instruments are exchanged during robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). They presently come with a life span of 10 uses but whether all instruments are used fully on 10 different...