Stone retrieval device shows high versatility, efficacy
December 22nd 2016Results from bench studies favor a new open-faced stone retrieval device (Dakota, Boston Scientific) for having greater versatility, efficacy, and durability compared with a competing product, and the in vitro performance of the new instrument is consistent with early clinical experience, says Roger L. Sur, MD.
Use new data to inform unique patient group
December 22nd 2016"Increasingly, urologists are faced with patients who cannot safely discontinue anticoagulation or antiplatelet medications, even in the face of an impending surgical procedure. This is a trend that is likely to continue into the foreseeable future," writes Brian R. Matlaga, MD, MPH.
High-grade bladder Ca: New data improve risk stratification
December 12th 2016“We need to identify those patients with high-grade T1 bladder cancer that are likely to recur or progress… and find additional options to prevent recurrence and progression in these patients,” said Joaquim Bellmunt, MD, PhD, in a presentation at the SUO annual meeting.
MACRA leaves urologists confused, skeptical
December 12th 2016The era of value-based health care has arrived. And while the idea of basing reimbursement on quality and efficiency rather than volume of care is good in theory, the majority of urologists say it will be difficult to carry out, according to Urology Times' 2016 State of the Specialty survey.
USPSTF reform: Will lame-duck Congress act?
December 1st 2016Over the past several months leading up to the November presidential and congressional elections, organizations representing urology sought to persuade members of Congress to bring sense and reason to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which nearly 5 years ago gave a “D” rating to PSA-based screening for prostate cancer.
Study: Patients taking aspirin can safely undergo PCNL
December 1st 2016Percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the presence of aspirin appears both effective and safe. In a retrospective review of almost 300 PCNL cases, postoperative hemorrhage was uncommon in patients who continued aspirin preoperatively, said Brandon Otto, MD, at the AUA annual meeting in San Diego.
Study: CT urogram leads to costly follow-up imaging
December 1st 2016Findings from an initial cost analysis support further research and reconsideration of the role of computed tomography urography for imaging evaluation in patients with asymptomatic microhematuria, according to urologists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.