Benign Conditions

Ultrasound should be the initial diagnostic imaging test utilized for diagnosing kidney stones in order to reduce the higher radiation exposure associated with computed tomography, say the authors of a recent study.

Results of a study that included approximately 50,000 patients point to an association between kidney stones and incident cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Other products featured include a testosterone gel, exercise program to strengthen male pelvic muscles, and a book about prostate cancer diagnosis and management.

Transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy is associated with a rising rate of hospitalization for urinary tract infection, new study results indicate.

Patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome who have low bladder capacity have a significantly different gene expression profile than both IC/BPS patients with normal bladder capacity and those without the condition, researchers reported in a recently published pilot study.

A retrospective evaluation to determine adherence to the AUA clinical practice guideline for the management of lower urinary tract symptoms/BPH among urologists practicing in an academic setting found generally positive results, but with room for improvement, researchers reported at the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Sexual function in men with lower urinary tract symptoms/BPH generally declines over time whether or not they are treated with medication. However, the magnitude of worsening differs depending on the treatment received, according to findings from the Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms study.

Photoselective vaporization of the prostate is non-inferior to transurethral resection of the prostate in men with benign prostatic obstruction, researchers reported at the European Association of Urology annual congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

Data from 2 years of prospective follow-up in a multinational study show that the prostatic urethral lift (PUL [UroLift System, Neotract, Inc., Pleasanton, CA]) is a safe procedure that provides durable, clinically meaningful improvement of lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH, reported Claus G. Roehrborn, MD, at the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Drugs and devices in the pipeline form Clarus Therapeutics, Nymox Pharmaceutical, Bioniche Life Sciences, Repros Therapeutics, BioLight Life Sciences Investments/Micromedic Technologies, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceutical, H. Lundbeck A/S, Transplant Genomics, Orion, Bayer, and Roche.

Increasing daily temperature appears to be associated with an increased risk of kidney stones, results of a recently published multicenter study suggest.

In our “Best of AUA” report, Urology Times’ editors and writers present the AUA annual meeting’s take-home messages in 15 therapeutic areas.

Matthew D. Dunn, MD, presents the take home messages on stone disease/endourology from the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Landon Trost, MD, presents the take home messages on sexual function/dysfunction from the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL, including studies of clostridium collagenase histolyticum (CCH [XIAFLEX]).

Adonis K. Hijaz, MD, presents the take home messages on female urology/incontinence/urodynamics from the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL, including studies on mesh outcomes and the overactive bladder treatment mirabegron (Myrbetriq).

Richard K. Lee, MD, MBA, presents the take home messages on BPH/LUTS from the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Tobias S. Köhler, MD, MPH, presents the take home messages on infertility/andrology from the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Dirk Lange, PhD, presents the take home messages on infection/inflammation from the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL, including studies pointing to the utility of obtaining rectal swab cultures prior to prostate biopsy to identify patients harboring fluoroquinolone-resistant bacteria and guide antibiotic prophylaxis.

New urology products and services from Symtelligence Medical Informatics, LABORIE, Metamark Genetics, the MediSafe Project, and Olympus

New products and services from TERUMO Medical Corp., TOLMAR Pharmaceuticals, Spry Publishing, and Beckman Coulter Diagnostics.

Drugs in the pipeline from Astellas Pharma, Medivation, TesoRx, Strategic Science and Technologies, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, and SCA.

Most urologists turn to alpha-blockers as first-line treatment for BPH-related lower urinary tract symptoms, while transurethral resection of the prostate remains the most commonly used surgical modality, according to a recent survey.

The recently concluded AUA annual meeting in Orlando may not go down as one of the most memorable annual meetings in recent years. Nevertheless, it was noteworthy for some interesting news and lively debate on hot-button topics: the safety of certain urologic products, namely, testosterone and transvaginal mesh; new tests for prostate cancer; infection prevention and treatment; and use of an advanced prostate cancer agent in the pre-chemotherapy setting.

When compared with shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy is associated with fewer repeat treatments, according to a recent study from Duke University.

Repeated injections of onabotulinumtoxinA (onabotA [Botox]), 100 U, continue to provide benefit in patients with overactive bladder syndrome and urinary incontinence and without any new safety concerns, according to results of a pre-specified interim analysis in an open-label, 3-year extension study.

Local deficiency in neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin may be a contributing pathogenic factor for recurrent urinary tract infections in some children, according to research from Boston Children’s Hospital reported at the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

A study of contemporary trends in the management of upper tract calculi shows the approach to treatment is influenced by several provider-specific attributes and identifies a steady shift toward increasing use of ureteroscopy.

Lumenis Ltd. has announced the U.S. launch of the Lumenis Pulse 120H Holmium laser platform for a range of urologic applications.

Analyses of morbidity and mortality after surgery for BPH show that the current major modalities are all safe, but also identify patient attributes associated with an increased risk of complications.

In this edition of "Coding Q&A," Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter also discuss the use of the –59 modifier when instilling mitomycin after TURBT, and whether you can charge for a establishing a treatment on the same day for a patient on whom you have just performed a cystoscopy.