Laird Harrison

Nephron-sparing procedures now have clear advantages over radical nephrectomy for most small renal masses.

Las Vegas-The best way to treat premature ejaculation (PE) is through a combination of sex therapy and pharmaceutical management, Michael A. Perelman, PhD, argued at the Sexual Medicine Society of North America fall meeting here.

Las Vegas-Researchers don't agree on how to measure erectile function and dysfunction, making it difficult to determine the effects of prostate cancer treatment on patients' sex lives, said Johns Hopkins researchers who presented a review of 592 articles at the Sexual Medicine Society of North America fall meeting here.

Las Vegas-In a recent trial, men with erectile dysfunction and their partners reported that they were somewhat satisfied with a new wrap-around prosthetic device used to stiffen the men's penises.

Las Vegas-Middle-aged men with erectile dysfunction may benefit from penile microvascular arterial bypass surgery as much as young men do, Boston University researchers reported at the Sexual Medicine Society of North America fall meeting here.

Las Vegas-An investigational drug that acts on the central nervous system may work as a treatment for female sexual dysfunction (FSD), according to a recent study from New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. The drug, bremelanotide, is also being investigated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men.

Las Vegas-Most men with erectile dysfunction should be tested for androgen deficiency, according to researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis. In their study of men with erectile dysfunction, nearly half had testosterone levels less than 400 ng/dL, but they cautioned that the results did not suggest a cause-effect relationship.

San Francisco--Because of its longer half-life, dutasteride (Avodart) may confer an advantage not seen with finasteride (Proscar), according to UCLA researchers. Missed doses of dutasteride, a newer 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, are not likely to impact drug-induced suppression of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and clinically that difference may be important because BPH patients often miss doses of prescribed medicines.

San Francisco--Baseline PSA and transrectal ultrasound volumes may predict the best medical therapy for BPH, according to investigators involved in the Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms (MTOPS) trial. Similar to the initial findings of MTOPS, this secondary analysis suggests a role for different drug regimens based on patients' level of risk.