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A report from the second laparoscopic urology workshop in Dakar, Senegal

Hôpital Général Idrissa Pouye (HOGIP), formerly Hôpital Général de Grand Yoff – HOGGY), in Dakar, Senegal, is one of the most well-regarded teaching hospitals in West Africa. It has over 300 beds, a urology team of six consultants and attracts...

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...

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis – a stepwise approach

As per Cochrane definition (2013), a systematic literature review (SR) attempts “to identify, appraise and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a given research question” [1]. A meta-analysis (MA) is a statistical assessment of...

An inconvenient truth: reflections on the NHS

“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” The above is a quote attributed to Mark Twain from the 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which follows Al...

Management of lower urinary tract foreign bodies

Of all the urological emergencies presenting to the emergency department, perhaps one of the most technically challenging cases is the patient with a foreign body in the genitourinary (GU) tract. A wide variety of GU foreign bodies have been reported...

Introduction to prostate cryotherapy

Introduction Cryotherapy was first described by Dr James Arnott in 1850 where he used crushed ice and salt to get temperatures as low as -24oC, in the treatment of cervical and breast tumours [1]. The literature on prostatic cryotherapy dates...

Pyonephrosis: is the kidney always doomed?

Pyonephrosis (Greek pyon ‘pus’ + nephros ‘kidney’) is defined in Campbell-Walsh Urology [1] as an infected hydro-nephrosis associated with suppurative destruction of the renal parenchyma which results in total or near total loss of renal function. The true incidence of...

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 –...

Fournier’s gangrene

Introduction Fournier’s gangrene (FG) is a rare but fulminant form of infective necrotising fasciitis affecting the perineum and external genitalia, which can rapidly progress along fascial planes. It most commonly affects men, but can occur in women and children, with...