Two urologists have been appointed to new positions at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington. Stephen Strup, MD, has been appointed as chief of the division of urology, and Randall Rowland, MD, as CEO and president of the The Markey Cancer Foundation.
LocumTenens.com, a full-service physician/certified registered nurse anesthetists recruiting firm, has added urology to the list of surgical subspecialties staffed by the firm's surgery division.
Postoperative bleeding is a troublesome complication that can occur following virtually any type of urologic procedure. Prevention is the ideal treatment whenever possible. However, given the complexity and learning curve of many procedures, bleeding complications can and do occur.
Results of a retrospective, inter-institutional study comparing outcomes of patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder highly favor the use of an extended template for bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) when performing radical cystectomy.
The primary message from a study evaluating long-term urothelial recurrence and disease-specific survival after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract transitional cell carcinoma is that there remains a critical need for better methods to enable early diagnosis.
Patients with a relatively small volume of low-grade upper tract transitional cell carcinoma can be managed by purely endoscopic means over a long period of time.
A two-step transurethral resection (TURB) procedure in patients with superficial transitional bladder cancer, already part of practice guidelines in Germany, appears to improve patient outcomes by identifying positive tumor beds that may require a second TURB.
It may be time to update treatment guidelines for transitional cell carcinoma.
Unless Congress steps in again, physicians participating in the Medicare program will see their fees reduced by an average of 9.9% for 2008, a move that already has prompted a call for action from the American Medical Association.
Mountain View, CA-Percutaneous Systems' telescopic PercSys Accordion stone management device is a microcatheter equipped with a multi-fold film occlusion at the distal end. Once deployed, the occlusion conforms to and fills the ureter, preventing retrograde stone fragment migration into the kidney.
Many challenges face the group urology practice, but one issue that doesn't get much attention is the cultural challenge of mixing physicians from different generations.
The shift of surgical procedures from the hospital to physician-owned outpatient facilities has been the prevailing trend over the past 2 decades and will continue into the foreseeable future.
Increasing evidence has recently pointed toward a relationship between LUTS secondary to BPH and the presence of metabolic syndrome. This relationship has been supported by recent epidemiologic findings.
Adjuvant bacillus Calmette-Guerin appears to provide no benefit for improving the oncologic outcome of patients with upper tract transitional cell carcinoma undergoing nephroureterectomy.
A multi-institutional retrospective analysis has identified five variables that independently predict cancer-specific survival in patients with nonmetastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.
As new AUA president, Paul Schellhammer, MD, has listed three primary priorities for the association in 2007-08: innovation (research), education, and application (health policy).
Recently released FDA regulations requiring current good manufacturing practices for dietary supplements take an important first step in ensuring the quality of supplements, but fall short of making manufacturers accountable for the products' safety and efficacy, according to urologists familiar with the regulations.
The real dilemma with supplements is shifting to how companies decide what ingredients they put into their products.
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Practitioners who specialize in urology, who are male, who seldom order PSA tests, and who are affiliated with specific hospitals are more likely than are other medical practitioners to inappropriately order a PSA test for asymptomatic patients over age 75 years or under age 40, according to a study from the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center.
An Akron, OH, jury recently found Donna Moonda, the widow of Gulam Moonda, MD, a urologist formerly with Sharon Regional Health Systems, Hermitage, PA, guilty of orchestrating the murder of her husband in 2005. Prosecutors said the slaying was a botched attempt by Mrs. Moonda to gain a $6 million inheritance. She was sentenced to life in prison.
John McConnell, MD, professor of urology and executive vice president for health system affairs at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, has received the AUA 2007 Eugene Fuller Triennial Prostate Award, which recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the study of the prostate gland and its associated diseases.
Transurethral ultrasonography-guided injections of autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts appear to be effective in treating women with stress urinary incontinence, according to a study published in The Lancet (2007; 369:2179-86).
Patients treated with intravenous bisphosphonates appear to have an increased risk of jaw or facial bone deterioration or infection, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2007; 99:1016-24).
Only 12% of cancer survivors are aware of prostate cancer clinical trials at the time of their diagnosis, according to a survey conducted by the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups and Northwestern University, Chicago.
Practitioners who specialize in urology, who are male, who seldom order PSA tests, and who are affiliated with specific hospitals are more likely than are other medical practitioners to inappropriately order a PSA test for asymptomatic patients over age 75 years or under age 40, according to a study from the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center.
The use of prophylactic antibiotics after an initial urinary tract infection is not associated with reduced risk of recurrent UTIs, but is associated with an increased risk of resistant infections, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Philadelphia.
Two new studies have provided evidence that the connection between dietary lycopene and reduction of cancer risk is weak, at best. Earlier studies had reported that lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, has been associated with a decreased risk of some cancers, particularly prostate cancer.
Uropath LLC of Arlington, TX, a management service company for urology practice-owned anatomic pathology laboratories, has opened its newest laboratory location in Philadelphia. Uropath now services more than 400 urologists, including more than 45 practices across 15 states.
David F. Penson, MD, MPH, has been named AUA's first G. James Gallagher Health Policy Scholar. The program was designed to honor Gallagher, AUA's former executive director, by preparing the next generation of urologists to fill vital leadership roles in health policy.
