Benign Conditions

A new study suggests that metallic Resonance ureteral stents are a good option for management of malignant ureteral obstruction because they promote strong long-term outcomes.

An elderly male with hypertension, lumbar spinal stenosis, morbid obesity, and ED presents with acute right-sided worsening of his chronic back pain. A distal right ureteral stone is found on CT and his symptoms respond well to medical therapy, but he later develops severe right flank pain.

In another potential sign of racial disparities in urologic care, a new study finds that urologic restoration surgery is significantly less likely to be used to treat African-American men with stress urinary incontinence than Caucasian men, although African-Americans appear to have higher rates of SUI.

Findings of a retrospective study confirm that unplanned encounters are common after ureteroscopy.

A recent study "revealed that inadequate pain control, presence of a ureteral stent, and a first-time stone treatment were the most common reasons for unplanned utilization of health care services [following ureteroscopy]," writes Brian R. Matlaga, MD, MPH.

A 42-year-old female undergoes right percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for a complete staghorn calculus. As a routine after PCNL, a chest-x-ray was obtained using fluoroscopy. What abnormality is seen?

Other products highlighted in this round-up include a plate for studying infections caused by the long-term use of catheters and a new indication for sunitinib malate (SUTENT).

When treating kidney stones, debate continues over the use of dusting versus basketing. In this interview, Olivier Traxer, MD, describes both methods, lists his preferred laser settings, and explains why he changed the way he uses ureteral access sheaths.

A study analyzing stone-free rates after ureteroscopy suggests that urologists might consider applying refined patient selection criteria in order to achieve better outcomes.

Reconstruction of anterior compartment defects using magnetic resonance-visible vaginal mesh implants in combination with post-surgical three-dimensional imaging is feasible and yields reproducible results, researchers report.

A 61-year-old female complains of acute-onset right-sided flank and abdominal pain. She describes associated nausea, but denied urinary symptoms, hematuria, fever, or chills.

Delay to urethroplasty for bulbar urethral strictures is associated with repetitive interventions, stricture lengthening, and more complex repairs that have a greater risk for failure, while scheduling-related delay to reconstruction exposes men to risk for stricture-related complications, according to separate studies presented at the AUA annual meeting in Boston.

Other pipeline products discussed in this round-up include and advanced renal cell carcinoma agent, a bladder cancer detection agent, and a BPH treatment.

About one-fourth of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome have Hunner lesions in the bladder visible on cystoscopy.

Repeated hydrodistention as therapy for interstitial cystitis has a low complication rate and does not decrease bladder capacity over time.

The correlation between patient-reported bother and symptom severity is inexact, according to conclusions of a recent retrospective multicenter study of nearly 1,200 patients referred for lower urinary tract symptoms.

Flexible ureteroscopy using a digital single-use flexible ureteroscope known as PUSEN achieves stone-free rates on par with reusable flexible ureteroscopes, with a total surgery time averaging 45 minutes.

Other products and services discussed in this round-up include a biosimilar for cancer, an American College of Surgeons manual on quality initiatives, a kidney cancer microsite, and more.

A new single-use digital flexible ureteroscope (LithoVue) compares favorably in performance to reusable scopes, at least for routine urteroscopy, with a possible advantage of being more economical.

Findings of a study investigating biomechanical stresses on the urologist while performing flexible ureteroscopy indicate that reusable and single-use digital ureteroscopes have a more favorable ergonomic profile than a reusable fiberoptic instrument.

A study analyzing variation in spending for patients undergoing ureteroscopy or shock wave lithotripsy for urinary stone disease is a step towards helping urologists understand cost reduction opportunities.

Heat-free high-velocity waterjet ablation (Aquablation) for BPH performed with an image-guided robot-assisted platform (AquaBeam System) met its primary safety and efficacy endpoints in a phase III study.

Treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms/BPH with convective water vapor ablation (Rezum System) appears to provide significant improvement on two key outcome measures versus medical therapy at up to 2 years, according to a study presented at the AUA annual meeting in Boston.

Men and women with gout are at 60% greater risk for nephrolithiasis than adults without gout, according to a study looking at not only the chronic kidney condition’s incidence but also potential risk factors for first-time nephrolithiasis in people with and without gout.

The risk of erectile dysfunction is not increased with the use of a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor compared with an alpha-blocker for the treatment of BPH.

Urologists are no longer the primary initiators of tamsulosin (Flomax) therapy in the United States, suggests an analysis of pharmaceutical claims from more than 50 private health plans.

Other pipeline developments include an agent to control pain in IC/BPS patients, an antibody to treat prostate and bladder cancer, an injectable OAB treatment, and more.