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With the New Year being associated with resolutions of improved health and fitness and reducing the number on the scale, it seems a particularly appropriate time to share some information about how obesity impacts urologic care and treatment, and the impact of obesity on malpractice litigation.

Sanofi Pasteur recently announced that it is discontinuing its BCG products TheraCys and ImmuCyst, prompting fears of a shortage of BCG for bladder cancer patients. In this interview, Dr. Benjamin J. Davies, associate professor of urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, discusses the implications of the announcement and what’s next for patients and clinicians.

Patients undergoing ureteroscopy while remaining on anticoagulant therapy may be at increased risk for bleeding complications, including significant bleeding events and unplanned returns to the operating room, according to a retrospective study

Results from bench studies favor a new open-faced stone retrieval device (Dakota, Boston Scientific) for having greater versatility, efficacy, and durability compared with a competing product, and the in vitro performance of the new instrument is consistent with early clinical experience, says Roger L. Sur, MD.

A large new study provides more evidence that cholesterol drugs may lower kidney stone formation.

"Increasingly, urologists are faced with patients who cannot safely discontinue anticoagulation or antiplatelet medications, even in the face of an impending surgical procedure. This is a trend that is likely to continue into the foreseeable future," writes Brian R. Matlaga, MD, MPH.

As the federal government moves toward more bundled payments, radical prostatectomy may prove to be an early target because of the potential for overall savings.

A recent review of medical literature adds to the debate surrounding medical expulsive therapy for stone disease.

“I am concerned about decreased federal support impacting urologic clinical practices and research progress,” Arthur L. Burnett, II, MD, MBA, told Urology Times.

Discussion of cases involving alleged delay in testis cancer diagnosis, bowel perforation during robotic radical prostatectomy, and arterial injury during nephrectomy were among the most read “Malpractice Consult” articles from 2016.

"I don’t know what to expect from any aspect of the President Trump camp. There is so much vagueness in what he says," one urologist said.

From AUA guidelines to a prostate cancer risk calculator, here are some useful apps recommended by urologists.

Organized urology makes its case for USPSTF reform during a recent hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee.

These are Urology Times' most-read prostate cancer articles of 2016.

Researchers at UCLA have discovered a previously unrecognized type of progenitor cell in inflamed areas of the prostate that have the ability to initiate cancer in response to genetic changes.

“We need to identify those patients with high-grade T1 bladder cancer that are likely to recur or progress… and find additional options to prevent recurrence and progression in these patients,” said Joaquim Bellmunt, MD, PhD, in a presentation at the SUO annual meeting.

Read highlights from a presentation by Toni K. Choueiri, MD, at the Society of Urologic Oncology annual meeting.

The era of value-based health care has arrived. And while the idea of basing reimbursement on quality and efficiency rather than volume of care is good in theory, the majority of urologists say it will be difficult to carry out, according to Urology Times' 2016 State of the Specialty survey.

Other products discussed include a stent system for treating ureteral obstructions, a male infertility test, and more.

These four videos depict expert techniques for buried penis repair.

Henry Rosevear, MD, discusses the ten things he’d like to see happen in 2017 for the field of urology.

Overweight and obese men who participated in 12 weeks of aerobic exercise saw significantly increased testosterone levels, a recent study found.

Researchers evaluated mean hematocrit before and after pellet implantation in a cohort of 97 patients.

The novel tool could result in earlier prostate cancer diagnoses and less invasive testing, although a prostate cancer expert cautioned that the model makes multiple assumptions and has not been validated.

Use of the nomogram, along with factors such as PSA level and family history, is a reliable, useful tool for helping urologists and their patients make better treatment decisions, says the author of a recent study.