Search

The pioneer women in British urology

In this series of articles I am going to show you some of the exhibits contained in the Museum of Urology, hosted on the BAUS website (www.baus.org.uk). This month, I am joined by Kassie Ball, a urology trainee, who approached...

Ketamine uropathy – an update

The first two case series that documented the association between urinary tract damage and recreational ketamine use were published 12 years ago [1,2]. Since then ketamine has maintained a controversial profile as an essential medication of expanding utility but with...

Urological etymology

In this series of articles I am going to show you some of the exhibits contained in the Museum of Urology, hosted on the BAUS website (www.baus.org.uk). I’ve always found the derivation of names fascinating. Anatomy lessons were made so...

The PROMIS trial – time for multi-parametric MRI before a first prostate biopsy

Whilst the relatively random process of 12 core transrectal ultrasound guided (TRUS) prostate biopsy remains by far the most widely employed approach to prostate cancer diagnosis in the UK, its flaws as a standalone diagnostic strategy are increasingly apparent. TRUS-biopsy...

The role of transperineal template biopsies in the diagnosis of prostate cancer

The case In 2002, Mr A, a 64-year-old software engineer, was referred by his GP for further investigation of a raised prostate specific antigen (PSA) of 6.2. His prostate felt benign. He underwent transrectal ultrasound guided (TRUS) prostate biopsies. This...

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligometastatic disease secondary to urological cancer

The concept of oligometastatic disease is controversial. The traditional model of cancer, which most of us learnt at medical school, is of a disease which starts confined to an organ, for example the prostate, where it can be cured with...

Bladder cancer – an overshadowed ‘volcano’

Bladder cancer has often been overshadowed by the limelight of prostate cancer. However, of all the urological cancers, bladder cancer is the only one which has shown a slight decline in age-standardised five-year survival rates over the last couple of...

Catheters and incontinence after radical prostatectomy: Preparing (but not scaring) men

Every year about 6000 men in the UK undergo radical prostatectomy (RP) for treatment of prostate cancer [1]. Despite surgical advances, RP continues to be associated with significant side-effects including urinary incontinence (UI) [2]. Immediately following removal of the urinary...

(Not very) clean intermittent self catheterisation

In a small room near the operating theatre of the London Hospital sometime in the 1880’s, a surgeon slips off his outdoor frock coat. From his pocket he pulls a silver curved catheter, spits on it and nonchalantly passes it...

Reflections on 20 years as an Army Reserve doctor: live a life less ordinary

It seems a very short time ago that my predecessor recruited me into my regiment as a surgical senior house officer during a varicose vein operation in a cottage hospital in Stroud, informing me that I would be only the...