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AllMeds (Oak Ridge, TN) has introduced a new addition to its line of electronic medical records systems specifically created for urology practices. The EMR for Urology contains clinical content to allow urologists to increase revenue through more accurate E&M coding and reimbursement levels, efficiency gains through workflow management and decision support tools, and greater audit protection due to improved encounter documentation, the company says.

A once-daily, 5-day course of levofloxacin (Levaquin) is equally effective as standard 10-day, twice-daily treatment with ciprofloxacin (Cipro) in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and acute pyelonephritis, according to study data reported at the AUA annual meeting.

Superimposing PET and CT images acquired using [11C] choline in patients with rising PSA following therapy for prostate cancer can identify and anatomically locate cancer recurrence, according to a study from Germany.

Fewer than 5% of laparoscopic urologic surgical procedures ever convert to open procedures. A new study confirms that as surgeons gain experience, the conversion rate falls even lower.

The authors of a study from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, suggest that physicians treating middle-aged hypogonadal men with extrinsic testosterone should be more vigilant in monitoring these patients' PSA levels than they would be in monitoring non-hypogonadal men of the same age.

After nearly 7 years of follow-up, cryoablation appears to be as effective as external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in the treatment of localized prostate cancer, according to the results of a prospective, randomized trial by researchers at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

A study emanating from Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, indicates that urinary symptoms alone are insufficient to diagnose urinary retention.

Voiding symptoms are common in women who are planning incontinence surgery, even if they have no prior history of incontinence procedures. That is just one of the surprises from the Stress Incontinence Surgical Treatment Efficacy Trial (SISTEr), the largest randomized study of female incontinence surgery ever performed.

B-K Medical (Wilmington, MA) has launched at this week's AUA annual meeting two new transducers with applications for prostate examination, brachytherapy, and pelvic floor scanning in women.

Researchers at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany, are exploring the potential of oncofetal fibronectin (fFN) as a potential new marker for bladder cancer. If successful, the test would be a simple urine dipstick test involving a monitor that measures the concentration of the protein in a sample. It would produce results in about 20 minutes.

Initiating androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in men with prostate cancer significantly increases the risk of incident diabetes, and that effect occurs within a relatively short time frame, according to research presented here yesterday.

A search for reasons behind the decline in prostate cancer mortality since the mid-1990s revealed two of the usual suspects-PSA screening and access to health insurance-but also uncovered an unlikely and totally unexpected lipid factor.

When performed by the hands of experienced prostate cancer surgeons at a center of excellence, laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and open retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP) are associated with comparable outcomes in the treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer, according to findings reported by urologists from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

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, surgeons from Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, reported here.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) delivered in conjunction with surgery, radiation therapy, or cryotherapy for localized prostate cancer appears to significantly increase the risk of fatal cardiovascular (CVD) events among men 65 years and older. The increased risk is maintained after adjusting for most known coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors and increases with increasing duration of therapy, but is present in men receiving as little as 3 months of ADT, according to the findings of a retrospective study reported yesterday at the AUA annual meeting.

Adding new data to the controversy involving urology and orthopedics, a review of trauma-associated posterior urethral distraction injury revealed a post-treatment infection rate of 8.8% in men who received suprapubic catheters with orthopedic intervention for pelvic fractures.

Listen to the Urology Times Radio podcast from Day One of the 2007 AUA Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California. This podcast includes interviews with highly regarded experts in urological medicine including: J. Quentin Clemens, MD, discusses primary care practice patterns of chronic prostatitis Neal Shore, MD, reports on research comparing two devices for treating BPHDean Tripp, PhD, and J. Curtis Nickel, MD, discuss a biopsychosocial model for quality of life in CP/CPPS

AUA paid tribute to outstanding health journalism by presenting the first Excellence in Urology Health Reporting Awards at a press reception yesterday. Eric T. Rosenthal received the Trade Press award for his Oncology Times article, "Prostate Cancer: Pros and Cons of the Integration of Urology and IMRT Services in the Community Practice." MSNBC reporter Michael Stuckey took the Consumer Broadcast award for his series, "Low Blow: One Man's Battle with Prostate Cancer."

The oncoFISH Bladder robotic digital microscopy system from Ikonisys (New Haven, CT) identifies and measures aneuploidy on chromosomes 3, 7, 9, and 17 in urine sediment specimens for diagnosis of initial and recurrent bladder cancer. Up to 170 prepared slides can be loaded, scanned, and the images captured in this walkaway system, which generates a gallery of images for review and interpretation. Select slide images and the analytical report can be transmitted to the urologist within 24 hours for diagnosis.

The deaths of two internationally known urologists who helped lay the foundations of pediatric and reconstructive urology were announced recently.

Some patients may be especially susceptible to urinary tract infections, and some uropathogens may be particularly virulent. But that's not the whole story. Virulent bacteria, in fact, may actually change their hosts' immune systems to break through their defenses.

Americans spend almost $11 billion annually in medical care related to urologic diseases, and Medicare's share of the bill was $5.4 billion, according to a 5-year project issued by the National Institutes of Health that is now available in print and on CD.

Preliminary results from the REDUCE (REduction by DUtasteride of prostate Cancer Events) trial suggest a relationship between the degree of chronic inflammation and LUTS, but not clinical prostatitis-like symptoms in the REDUCE population. Also, men with more severe LUTS are more likely to experience pelvic pain as part of their symptom complex, according to the study findings presented here yesterday.

Highlights of the prostate cancer research presented at the 2007 AUA meeting will include maturing data on minimally invasive surgery, information on novel markers, and reports on diagnostic imaging techniques.

It appears that ureteroscopy and other minimally invasive techniques, such as laser lithotripsy, are safe and effective in managing pediatric nephrolithiasis, including ureteric calculi, renal pelvic stones, and lower-pole stones.

Stone disease studies being presented at the upcoming AUA annual meeting are progressing deliberately along several fronts.

A new generation of devices and medical therapies is simplifying the treatment of kidney stone disease and allowing urologists to be more effective at treating stone disease.

Simple dietary modifications may help reduce men's risk for prostate cancer.