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Pregnancy rates after varicocelectomy negatively correlate to the lengthof time the patient was infertile, according to long-term research fromthe University of Istanbul, Turkey.

Contrary to previous retrospective studies, the use of ureteroscopy maynot be the best option for larger lower-pole stones, according to findingsfrom a prospective, randomized study presented here yesterday. Results fromthe multicenter study suggest that other treatment modalities, such as percutaneousnephrolithotomy, may offer greater efficacy in stones >10 mm.

It appears to make little difference whether freshor frozen sperm is used for in vitro fertilization, as both have equivalentoutcomes in terms of fertilization rates, embryo quality, and the chanceof having at least one live birth event, according to a Mayo Clinic study.

Lithotripsy optical fibers in Trimedyne's Flex MAX family are said tobe more flexible than those of competitive fibers, reusable, and competitivelypriced.

Urologix Inc., offers the Targis System for the treatment of BPH witha new treatment catheter-the Cooled ThermoCath-that generates focused heatingand tissue necrosis in 28.5 minutes.

Lab-quality PSA test results are available in 15 minutes with the FastPackSystem from Qualigen, Inc.

Llidocaine hydrochloride jelly, 2% (Anestacon), from Polymedica, is alocal anesthetic used to decrease pain and discomfort resulting from urinarytract procedures.

The Pelvitex polypropylene mesh from Bard Urological is comprised ofa monofilament polypropylene mesh coated with a hydrophilic porcine collagen.

The new Continuous Flow Laser Cystoscope from Olympus is available foruse in a variety of laser procedures, which are aimed at treating patientswith BPH.

Olympus announces the release of the EndoEYE Flexible Video Cystoscope(shown), which features a high-resolution simultaneous-multi-color cameraat the distal tip, producing a high-quality video image.

The American Foundation for Urologic Disease has announced its 2004 PresidentialFounders Award winners. Those presented with the award were C. Eugene CarltonJr, MD; Jay W. Gillenwater, MD; Frank Hinman Jr, MD; Russell Scott Jr, MD;and E. Darracott Vaughan Jr, MD. Award winners are recognized for theirlong-term contributions to AFUD's mission.

Immediate hormonal therapy in patients with nodal positive prostate cancerwho have undergone radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy confersa survival advantage over delayed hormonal therapy, according to a centralpathology review study by Edward Messing, MD, professor of urology, andcolleagues at the University of Rochester (NY) School of Medicine and Dentistry.

The suprapubic arch (SPARC) sling for stress urinary incontinencewas introduced in 2001 as a potentially simpler and safer minimally invasivesling procedure than the already popular TVT (transvaginal tape) procedure,the first of the minimally invasive slings. SPARC is placed in an antegradefashion from two small suprapubic incisions, whereas TVT uses an intravaginalapproach.

A once-daily dose of the uroselective alpha-1 blocker alfuzosin (Uroxatral),10 mg, significantly reduces lower urinary tract symptoms and also appearsto have a substantial positive effect on sexual function, according to datafrom a multinational study.

Weekly neoadjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel (Taxotere) achieved aPSA response in almost 80% of a small group of high-risk prostate cancerpatients enrolled in a feasibility study of single-agent therapy.

Younger surgeons appear to adapt more quickly tocertain advanced technical aspects of robotic-assisted surgery than theirolder colleagues, according to a study by Howard Winfield, MD, and colleagues.

Young, healthy infertile men should be screenedfor possible erectile dysfunction since infertility may be the first andonly indication of an endocrine abnormality, according to researchers fromthe University of Toronto.

Transrectal ultrasound is unable to determine whichpatients with ejaculatory duct obstruction might benefit from transurethralresection of the duct, according to Paul Turek, MD, University of California,San Francisco.

Mentor's Ob-Tape is a suburethral sling used for the trans-obturatortechnique. The sling is made from 100% non-woven polypropylene fibers, whichoffer resistance to traction, tissue colonization, and facilitates positioningduring surgery, according to the company.

Dalken introduces the StoneScreen for capturing renal calculi and forpatients attempting to pass stones following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

Mission Pharmacal offers a specialized group of diagnostic profiles/teststhat analyze the specific constituents that are responsible for and contributeto stone formation.

"Merchants of Medicine: Nostrum Peddlers-Yesterday & Today"from Drukker Press is described by the author as "an imaginary museumof treasures." The new book discusses urologic nostrums and the hucksterswho sold them over the years.

The PelviSoft Acellular Collagen BioMesh from Bard is said to deliverall the performance benefits of natural tissue together with the porosityof synthetic mesh in a single implant for use in pelvic floor reconstruction.

As a salvage for locally recurrent prostate cancer after failed radiation,targeted cryoablation of the prostate provides a "significantly betteroverall quality of life" than salvage radical prostatectomy, said AaronKatz, MD.

Eight months of neoadjuvant hormone therapy prior to radiation therapyappears to offer no significant advantage over the standard of 3 monthsof therapy, at least in low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients.

Surgeon experience is an independent predictor of PSA progression inmen undergoing radical prostatectomy, but among high-volume surgeons operatingin a single institution, the individual surgeon alone is a significant prognosticfactor, according to a study reported yesterday by researchers from MemorialSloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.

Recurrence after induction BCG for high-risk bladder cancer portendsan adverse effect on survival, regardless of whether the recurrence is earlyor late, according to a retrospective analysis of a clinical database presentedhere Sunday.

Second-look nephroscopy following percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PNL) could be supplanted by metabolic evaluation and aggressive medicaltherapy, advise researchers from the Duke University Medical Center. Second-looknephroscopy is currently the gold standard for assessing and achieving stone-freestatus, but the Duke researchers sought to determine whether this additionalprocedure was necessary.