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Robotic assisted perineal prostatectomy: descriptive technique of the inaugural case in the UK

Robotic surgery has taken full flight in the USA since its start in 2000 [1] and is replacing procedures where open surgical techniques were solely employed. While this technology is met with criticism over the costs, the superiority of robotic...

The bulbocavernosus reflex

Despite its first discovery predating the early-1940s, clinical application of the bulbocavernosus reflex (BCR) has been limited to date. The BCR traditionally involves contraction of the bulbo- and ischiocavernosus pelvic floor muscles, often referred to as the ‘bulbocavernosus muscle’, in...

Black men are more at risk from prostate cancer, but we won’t let it stay that way – an update from Prostate Cancer Research

- CHARITY FOCUS - Focusing on all of disease characteristics, societal factors, and better communication gives us real potential to fix a disparity that has persisted for too long. When it comes to health inequity, the numbers are stark. Black...

Using cryopreserved prepubertal testis tissues – are we getting warmer?

The rising incidence of childhood cancer coupled with increasing survivorship means there is a growing population of childhood cancer survivors with unmet health needs. In the UK around 1 in 500 children and young people are survivors of childhood cancer....

Assessment and management of percutaneous nephrostomies

Nephrostomies are a valuable uroradiological intervention which enables drainage of the obstructed kidney, amongst other indications. Complications associated with nephrostomies following placement are not uncommon, with re-presentation to the emergency department or surgical emergency unit. In this review we will...

Penile Mondor’s disease

Mondor’s disease is a rare, self-limiting entity characterised by subcutaneous chord like bands throughout the body. These bands arise due to phlebitis of the subcutaneous vessels. Penile Mondor’s disease (PMD) is an isolated superficial thrombophlebitis of the superficial dorsal vein...

Balanitis xerotica obliterans

Balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) / lichen sclerosus of the male genitalia is a common cause of acquired phimosis, and was first described by Stuhmer in 1928 [1]. It is described in medical literature as a chronic inflammatory condition of unknown...

Molecular biology – bladder cancer

Background Bladder cancer is the most common cancer of the urinary tract and approximately 90% of bladder cancers diagnosed in North America and Europe are transitional cell carcinomas (TCC). For the purposes of diagnosis and treatment, bladder cancer is often...

A guide to local anaesthetic transperineal prostate biopsy

In the UK, nearly 100,000 men undergo a prostate biopsy annually, a figure projected to double in the next decade [1]. In recent years, we have observed a paradigm shift in urological practice in numerous UK hospitals. The conventional transrectal,...

Erectile Dysfunction Part I: pathophysiology and risk factors

Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to achieve and maintain a penile erection, which is adequate for satisfactory sexual intercourse. The Massachusetts Male Ageing Study (MMAS) reported the results of a regional survey of men aged 40–69...