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Cutting-edge or over-hyped? Evaluating the role of robotic surgery in the management of renal cell carcinoma

The quest for a minimally-invasive approach to major abdominal surgery finds its roots at the start of the previous century, when Georg Kelling first described the technique of ‘ceolioscopy’ to inspect intraabdominal organs in 1901 [1]. Since those early days,...

The burning issue of urinary tract infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur when bacteria colonise and proliferate in the urinary tract. These are characterised by specific clinical symptoms (dysuria, suprapubic tenderness, urgency and urinary frequency) which commonly occur alongside the finding of bacteriuria. UTIs are common –...

Mechanisms and prevention of catheterisation associated urethral injury (CAUI)

Urethral catheterisation is a common procedure performed by health professionals across different grades and specialties in a variety of clinical settings. An estimated 15-25% of hospitalised patients have a urinary catheter inserted during their inpatient stay and up to 13%...

Priapism

Priapism is defined as an abnormally persistent erection lasting greater than four hours, not associated with sexual desire [1]. Although relatively uncommon with an incidence of 1.5 per 100,000 [2], priapism has a risk of complications which can have a...

Urinary biomarkers for surveillance of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is the ninth most common cancer worldwide with a yearly incidence of approximately 430,000 cases. There is a male predominance and it is the seventh most common cancer in men worldwide [1]. Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC)...

Radiological appearances of non-vascular renal anatomical variants

Anatomical variants of the renal tract are common and, although often asymptomatic, may present with complications. It is essential to identify anatomical variants, as this may have an impact upon surgical planning and management. This article aims to demonstrate radiological...

Inpatient care of patients with established spinal cord injury - what a general urologist needs to know

Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating, life-changing condition, which is currently irreversible. Depending on the level of the spinal cord affected (and whether the lesion is complete or incomplete), patients may subsequently develop reduced voluntary motor function, sensory...

Frailty in urology – part 1

Part 2 of this topic can be found here Statement of the problem Clinical frailty carries an increased risk of poor health outcomes. The pathological process resulting in frailty is often overlooked and elucidating its aetiology and natural history are...

Erectile dysfunction part II: treatment

Introduction The identification of specific risk factors associated with erectile dysfunction (ED) allows patients with mild or moderate ED to undergo a series of lifestyle changes, which may provide enough improvement in the erectile function to avoid pharmacotherapies. Cessation of...

An overview of non-surgical treatment options for Peyronie’s disease

Peyronie’s disease (PD) is a therapeutic challenge despite the availability of several non-surgical and surgical options. Very few of these options are supported by good quality evidence according to the current American and European guidelines [1-3]. The period of plaque...