Benign Conditions

This article examines the relationship between the metabolic syndrome and kidney stone disease. We explain elements of the metabolic workup and practical strategies for prevention and management of stones in patients with the metabolic syndrome.

The FDA recently issued two proposed orders that, if finalized, would reclassify surgical mesh for transvaginal pelvic organ prolapse from a moderate-risk device (class II) to a high-risk device (class III) and require manufacturers to submit a premarket approval application for the agency to evaluate safety and effectiveness.

Despite their overall low risk, procedures to treat kidney stones lead to complications that require hospitalization or emergency care for one in seven patients, according to a recent study.

New products and services from Lumenis, ITelagen, Mission Pharmacal, PatientPoint, and HealthTronics IT Solutions.

When it comes to counseling patients on kidney stone prevention, less may be more, suggests a study presented at the National Kidney Foundation's spring clinical meetings in Las Vegas.

Analyses of serial magnetic resonance imaging and three-dimensional renderings of those images provide proof of principle for using convective thermal heating to ablate prostate tissue, and early evidence suggests the efficacy and potential clinical advantages of using this novel technology to treat BPH, said first author Lance A. Mynderse, MD, at the European Association of Urology annual congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sling surgery, robotic approaches to sacrocolpopexy and pelvic organ prolapse, and mesh are among the key studies in the area of female urology to watch for at the 2014 AUA annual meeting.

Is inflammation a potential target for the treatment of BPH? New research being presented at the 2014 AUA annual meeting may help answer this question.

Research in stone disease and minimally invasive surgery will also make its mark at the Society for Pediatric Urology annual meeting, which runs concurrently with the first 3 days of the AUA meeting.

In discussing research at the 2014 AUA annual meeting, Anthony J. Schaeffer, MD, called attention to an important paper concerning urinary tract infection in children, as well as another study showing that antimicrobial prophylaxis after surgery is subject to considerable variation.

At the 2012 AUA annual meeting, researchers reported that ureteroscopy had overtaken extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) as the treatment of choice for kidney stones. Look for research at the 2014 meeting showing that trend is ongoing.

New products and services from Accuray, Cook Medical, OPKO Health, Intuitive Surgical, Skipta, Mauna Kea Technologies, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

This list of U.S.-based National Institutes of Health trials is derived from the NIH’s database and includes phase I-IV hypogonadism and BPH trials that are currently recruiting participants.

The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have jointly issued an educational update about cataract surgery complications associated with systemic alpha-blockers based on the recent publication of two studies.

Intravesical administration of a liquid liposomal formulation of onabotulinumtoxinA (“Liposomal BoNT-A,” Lipella Pharmaceuticals) shows promise as a safe and effective treatment for refractory overactive bladder (OAB), according to a pilot study presented at the European Association of Urology annual congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

This guide features products and services from manufacturers that are exhibiting at the AUA annual meeting in Orlando. Exhibit hall booth numbers have been included so that you can search for product demonstrations and exhibits that are of particular interest to you.

Laser photoselective vaporization prostatectomy is permitting surgical intervention for BPH in a widening array of patients, many of whom harbor comorbidities that would ordinarily exclude them from invasive procedures, according to a new multinational report.

A collaborative effort involving Duke University experts in urology, engineering, pathology, and mathematics has resulted in improved efficiency for shock wave lithotripsy, the researchers report.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued two new codes that describe the UroLift implant procedure for the treatment of enlarged prostate in the April 2014 Update of the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS).

In the lawsuit, the urologist contended the circumcision was properly performed and the patient’s curvature was due to a previously asymptomatic Peyronie’s condition, which was exacerbated after the circumcision procedure.

For women undergoing surgery for vaginal prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, neither sacrospinous ligament fixation nor uterosacral ligament vaginal vault suspension was superior to the other for functional or adverse event outcomes, according to a recent study.

A diet typically used to lower blood pressure may reduce the risk of kidney stone development, according to a small, recently published study.

Drugs and devices in the pipeline from Medivation, Astellas Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, Northwest Biotherapeutics, and Generex Biotechnology.

New products and services from UroGPO, Caldera Medical, Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, VIVUS, and Jeffrey Albaugh, PhD, APRN.

Insurance coverage has expanded for an epigenetic test for prostate cancer and percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB).

The latest products and services from Lambert Academic Publishing, the AUA, United Guardian, and SpryPublishing.

Ureteric calculi at a skin-to-stone distance (SSD) of over 13 cm can be successfully managed using extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, British researchers report.

Postmenopausal women may reduce their risk of incident kidney stone disease by engaging in even mild physical activity and avoiding excessive caloric intake, analyses of data collected in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study show.

Older men with at least two lower urinary tract symptoms are more likely to have recently thought about committing suicide, researchers say.

Two separate studies provide insight into a pair of factors-diabetes and changes in the American diet-that may boost the risk of kidney stone formation, including the formation of certain stone subtypes. A third study, meanwhile, suggests that medical professionals who work in operating rooms face a higher risk of stones, possibly because of high stress and low fluid intake.