All News

Kidney stones may damage the kidneys and lead to chronic kidney disease, according to researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. In extreme cases, individuals with chronic kidney disease caused by kidney stones may even need dialysis or kidney transplants.

Statin drugs, used for the treatment of elevated cholesterol, appear to lower PSA values, according to researchers at the Duke University Prostate Center and the Durham, NC, Veterans Affairs Medical Center. But whether the drugs prevent prostate cancer growth or just mask it is still unknown.

An algorithm based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is able to correctly identify more than 85% of men classified as obstructed using catheter urodynamics, according to study findings published in the Canadian Journal of Urology (2008; 1515:4241-8).

A gene that has been discovered activated in a majority of breast cancer cases has been found activated in 70% of prostate cancer tumors, report scientists at the George Washington University Medical Center, Washington.

Urology and most other medical and surgical specialties saw modest increases in compensation in 2007, but many provider organizations continue to operate at a significant loss, according to findings from the American Medical Group Association?s 2008 Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey.

Dr. Tanagho, professor emeritus of urology at the University of California, San Francisco, discusses the history of neurostimulation in urology, its current applications, and possible future directions.

New Products & Services

Corpus Christi, TX-CSMG Technologies has received approval from FDA to market the LTC VAD system, a .400 bipolar electrosurgical generator and two disposable sealing instruments. The tissue binding/welding system is intended for use in open general surgical and gynecologic procedures for ligation of vessels and ducts as an alternative to mechanical clamping or suturing. This third-generation bipolar system can be used on vessels up to 7 mm in diameter, ducts up to 2 mm in diameter, and tissue bundles that fit within the jaws' electrodes.