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With continuing advances in endoscopic equipment combined with the increasing dissemination of ureteroscopic skills, upper tract TCC is increasingly being evaluated and treated endoscopically.

Since the initial description of laparoscopic nephrectomy by Clayman and associates in 1991, the technique and the principles of the procedure have evolved logically.

Although erectile dysfunction in young men is most frequently attributed to psychogenic causes, hypogonadism may be the underlying etiology in an appreciable proportion of these patients.

Researchers have identified the two most important factors that affect kidney function following surgery: increasing warm ischemia time and the amount of parenchyma excised.

Although much of the argument supporting phytotherapy for lower urinary tract symptoms and BPH is flawed, this therapy appears to work well enough to make it a viable choice for patients with moderate symptoms and low bother scores.

Intermediate-term oncologic results after laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for locally advanced renal cell carcinoma are similar to those of open nephrectomy.

Researchers now have evidence that the risk of arteriovenous fistula formation is low in patients who undergo en bloc ligation.

Postoperative ileus is a common result after major abdominal surgery, and frequently resolves within days after surgery. However, prolonged ileus can result in increased pain and morbidity and increased time to hospital discharge. A multimodal approach using preventive and therapeutic strategies can definitively mange postoperative ileus.

In potent, young patients diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer, sparing of the neurovascular bundles during radical prostatectomy is crucial for preservation of erectile function. Intraoperative ultrasound monitoring, combined with preoperative oncologic data, can greatly improve outcomes. Novel, emerging techniques and ultrasound-driven imaging technologies may further advance the practice of nerve preservation.

Products and services from manufacturers who are exhibiting at the American Urological Association meeting in Orlando.

The FDA announced the appointment of Frank M. Torti, MD, as its principal deputy commissioner and first chief scientist.

John P. Stein, MD, a professor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and an internationally known specialist in urologic cancers and bladder reconstruction, died April 11 in Naples, FL. He was 45.

The use of MRI without endorectal coil can detect prostate cancer and provide undistorted images with diagnostic image quality and accurate tumor localization, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University, Columbus.

Patients with pelvic recurrence after radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma have a poor prognosis, even with subsequent therapy, emphasizing the need for optimum local control at the time of initial treatment, according to a study published in The British Journal of Urology International (2008; 101:969–72).

Two injectable drugs for the treatment of BPH are approaching critical milestones: one, a phase II trial of the investigational drug NX-1207; the other, enrollment in the first of three multicenter phase III trials of cetrorelix.

Urigen Pharmaceuticals has announced the early closure of its study of a drug known as URG101 due to positive, statistically significant interim analysis results in both the primary and all secondary endpoints. Top-line results of the interim analysis, which was planned at 50% enrollment, were previously released March 12.

The efficacy of the CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system in delivering complex, high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy to the prostate noninvasively without the need for hospitalization or anesthesia has been reported in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (2008; 70:1588-97).

A combination of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib (Celebrex) and the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin (Lipitor) appears to stop early-stage prostate cancer from transitioning into its more aggressive stage, according to an animal study conducted by researchers at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

Bostwick Laboratories has opened a new medical laboratory in Nashville, TN. This is the company’s sixth addition to locations in the United States and the United Kingdom.

State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, has appointed Firouz Daneshgari, MD, as chair of the department of urology.

In midlife women, worsening of incontinence symptoms does not appear to be attributable to the menopausal transition, according to a multicenter study. The study’s authors say that modifiable factors such as weight gain may be to blame (Obstet Gynecol 2008; 111:667-77).

Cryotherapy provides long-term disease control equivalent to that of more conventional therapies for patients with localized prostate cancer, according to a study published in Urology (2008; 71:515-8).

Oral dapoxetine demonstrates benefits in both men with premature ejaculation and their partners, report the authors of a multinational phase III clinical trial.

Scientists have identified six new genes that play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes, and among the group is the second gene known to also play a role in prostate cancer (Nat Genet 2008; 40:310-5).

Children with bilateral Wilms’ tumors can retain normal function in both kidneys by undergoing bilateral nephron-sparing surgery, even when preoperative scans suggest that the tumors are inoperable, report researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in prostate cancer patients about to undergo radiation therapy can help predict the likelihood that the cancer will return and spread post-treatment, according to a new study published in Radiology (2008; 247:141-6).