In the hands of high-volume surgeons, there is no evidence to suggest that robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) results in worse oncologic outcomes than open radical prostatectomy, even for patients with high-risk cancer, according to a retrospective study of patients operated on at a large tertiary care center.
Despite its well-established advantages over radical surgery, partial nephrectomy is not as likely to be used for older, sicker, and poorer patients who are uninsured or rely on Medicare or Medicaid for their health care, researchers from Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit reported here yesterday.
A study investigating trends in ambulatory surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) shows a significant, fourfold increase in the annual rate of sling procedures performed over a contemporary 9-year period.
Over time, surgery and external beam radiation therapy led to similar long-term quality of life outcomes for patients with localized prostate cancer, according to 15-year follow-up data in more than 1,600 men.
Juan A. Reyna, MD, who has served as president and CEO of Urology San Antonio for 16 years, has stepped down as the leader of the 29-physician group. He will continue to work as a urologist at the medical practice.
Microscopic hematuria demonstrated no predictive value for identification of urinary tract cancers, results of a 30-month prospective investigation showed.
Treatment of small kidney tumors by partial nephrectomy leads to better outcomes, including a significantly lower mortality risk, compared with radical surgery, data on more than 7,000 procedures showed.
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the gold standard for treating BPH, a review of Medicare claims data showed.
MDxHealth SA (Irvine, CA) has announced the launch of ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer, an epigenetic assay that helps urologists distinguish patients who have a true-negative prostate biopsy from those who may have occult cancer.
In patients undergoing single-stage bulbar urethroplasty with buccal mucosa for urethral strictures, neither dorsal nor ventral onlay of the graft is inherently superior, data from a retrospective review suggest.
In a study identifying the risk of major birth defects associated with different types of assisted reproductive technology, Australian researchers have reported a significantly higher risk of birth defects involving intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) compared to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Dean G. Assimos, MD, has been named the inaugural chair of the department of urology in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.
ProUroCare Medical Inc. (Minneapolis), has received FDA clearance to market its ProUroScan prostate mechanical imaging system.
About one-third of computed tomography scans performed following an inconclusive abdominal ultrasound examination have positive findings, according to a recent study. Follow-up scans appear to be most useful in the diagnosis of renal lesions.
Urodynamic studies conducted in women prior to stress urinary incontinence surgery may not be necessary, according to a multicenter study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Patients with localized renal cell carcinoma treated with either partial nephrectomy or simple tumor enucleation have equivalent results in terms of local recurrence and cancer-specific survival after an estimated 10 years' follow-up.
As has happened throughout the field of medicine over the past decade, a growing number of urologists are merging to create larger, more expansive urology practices. Here's how one newly merged practice stayed on track during the merger process.
This list of U.S.-based National Institutes of Health trials is derived from the NIH's database and includes phase I-III overactive bladder trials and phase IV BPH trials that are currently recruiting participants. This list is current as of April 19, 2012. For more information, view the complete database at http://ClinicalTrials.gov.
Urologists have just been hit with a solid left-right combination in a new round of the fight over self-referral. Within a month, they have had to counter two separate studies questioning their use of in-house pathology and radiology services.
Signs of the sea change to come in the treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) will be part of the 2012 AUA annual meeting. Next year should bring even more, as the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and pharma research get readied for meeting debuts.
Attendees of the 2012 AUA annual meeting can anticipate learning about studies of sexual dysfunction that may have a significant impact on treatment paradigms.
Holding property in joint tenancy with rights of survivorship (JTWROS) generally provides no asset protection. In fact, JTWROS ownership exposes the property to the creditors of each of the joint tenants.
The program on advanced prostate cancer at the 2012 AUA annual meeting will include maturing data from clinical trials investigating targeted and vaccine therapies, as well as some preliminary information suggesting that folate may have a chemopreventive effect.
While cost remains a concern, incorporating robotics into urologic laparoscopy appears to improve the experience for patients and physicians alike.
Outcomes for men with prostate cancer are strongly related to risk category according to clinical stage, Gleason score, and serum PSA, and there is a continuous risk of death from the disease up to 15 years after diagnosis.
The newest urology products and services from Olympus, Teleflex, Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., and Wiley-Blackwell.
Minimally invasive radical prostatectomy (MIRP), which encompasses laparoscopic and robot-assisted procedures, holds no advantage over open radical prostatectomy in terms of complication rates.
Observational data fail to support a role of 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) for secondary prevention of clinically significant prostate cancer in men with very low-risk disease.
There will always be a place for laboratory research in andrology, but the past year has been one of surgical advancements for those who diagnose and treat male infertility.