Cosmetic Surgery

Ann Arbor, MI-Surgeon age is not a significant predictor of risk of mortality after cystectomy, according to the results of a recently published study from researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Ann Surg 2006; 244:353-62).

Uroplasty, Inc. has received an approvable letter from the FDA relating to its pre-market approval application for Macroplastique implants for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.

Spencer, IN-Cook Urological's 1.7F NCompass Nitinol Stone Extractor features a tipless 16-wire dual basket design that securely traps and extracts kidney stones and stone fragments as small as 1.5 mm without impeding irrigation or visibility during the procedure. Made from the shape-memory alloy of titanium and nickel, nitinol, the extractor's design minimizes tissue trauma and provides stability and ease of movement during procedures, according to Cook.

As lifestyle choices influence the incidence of stone disease, shockwave lithotripsy appears to be losing ground as a treatment option for patients with stones of certain compositions and stones located in hard-to-reach places.

Atlanta-Which procedure nets better results for patients with Peyronie's disease-corporeal plication or plaque incision with venous grafting? According to a long-term study from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Los Angeles, there is no difference between the two procedures in terms of patient satisfaction. The major difference between the two is time spent in the operating room.

Atlanta-After nearly 30 years of using dermal grafts for reconstruction in Peyronie's disease, Gerald H. Jordan, MD, is switching to porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) as the preferred material. It was a studied decision.

An oral drug under development for the treatment of multiple side effects of androgen deprivation therapy appears to lower total cholesterol levels, according to an interim analysis of phase III clinical trial results.

Atlanta-Intraprostatic injection of botulinum toxin A (Botox) is a safe and effective treatment in patients with symptomatic BPH that results in improvements in symptoms and quality of life that may persist for up to 1 year, Chinese researchers reported at the AUA annual meeting here.

Brisbane, Australia-Patients with neurogenic bladder overactivity treated with botulinum toxin A (Botox) have shown improvements in incontinence of up to 50% compared with placebo, but questions about the agent need to be addressed in further prospective, randomized trials before botulinum toxin can be accepted as an established treatment for voiding dysfunction, said Jeffrey Thavaseelan, MD, head of urology at the Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia.

Atlanta-Long-term survival of inflatable penile prostheses that have been in use over the past 2 decades is excellent, and the reliability of those devices appears even more promising for the enhanced models that have become more recently available, said Steven K. Wilson, MD, at the annual AUA meeting.

Intraprostatic injection of botulinum toxin type A (Botox) is asafe and effective treatment in patients with symptomatic BPH thatresults in improvements in symptoms and quality of life that maypersist for up to 1 year, researchers from Taiwan said.

The 4-year-old Coalition for the Advancement of Prosthetic Urology(CAPU) is continuing to push for improved funding for penileprostheses and procedures, but the fight is likely to get steeper,according to information CAPU members were given at a meetingyesterday.

Paris-Botulinum toxin A (Botox) proves to be a safe,effective treatment modality in combating overactive bladdersymptoms in patients with idiopathic detrusor overactivity, Britishresearchers reported at the European Association of Urology annualcongress here.

Beaver Creek, CO--Intermittent androgen suppression (IAS) is reported to be beneficial in select men with advanced prostate cancer, although definitive data are not yet available.

New York--A multifaceted rehabilitation program designed to improve erectile performance and penile length in men undergoing radical prostatectomy was successful in nearly three-fourths of cases, according to researchers from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Amsterdam, Netherlands--A protective polyamide laser sheath for use during flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy showed little effect on deflection characteristics but markedly impaired irrigation flow in a new study from Canada.

Z?rich Switzerland--Botulinum toxin A (Botox) may be an effective, safe alternative treatment option in patients experiencing overactive bladder refractory to more standard treatments, according to a study performed at the Universit?tsspital Z?rich and Kantonsspital Luzern, Switzerland.

Mansoura, Egypt--Acucise endopyelotomy is no longer employed at the Mansoura University Urology and Nephrology Center in Mansoura, Egypt. Instead, urologists there have switched to laser endopyelotomy.

Z?rich Switzerland--Botulinum toxin A (Botox) may be an effective, safe alternative treatment option in patients experiencing overactive bladder refractory to more standard treatments, according to a study performed at the Universit?tsspital Z?rich and Kantonsspital Luzern, Switzerland.

Scottsdale, AZ--Injecting botulinum toxin A (Botox) into the prostate gland shows potential for providing a quick, easy, and safe treatment option for men with lower urinary tract symptoms related to BPH, but two small studies—one from the United States and Chile, and one from Italy—provided equivocal results regarding the efficacy of this investigational approach. While the Italian data showed significant decreases in International Prostate Symptom Score and prostate size with botulinum toxin, U.S. researchers were unable to duplicate these results. Both studies were presented at the AUA annual meeting in San Antonio.

The lower infection rate seen in these cases was impressive.

Shreveport, LA--Antiseptic lavage after removal of a penile prosthesis significantly reduces the risk of infection associated with revision surgery, report the authors of a multicenter study.

Data from a 13-week British study add to the mounting evidence of the efficacy of botulinum toxin (Botox) for the treatment of overactive bladder.

San Antonio--The adverse side effects of hormone therapy in prostate cancer patients may be more severe and manifest sooner than many might believe, according to two separate studies presented here at the 2005 AUA annual meeting.

The Coalition for the Advancement of Prosthetic Urology is holding its Second Annual Congressional Advocacy Day Sept. 20 in Washington, DC.

Men receiving low-dose rate brachytherapy to combat early-stage prostate cancer are still able to achieve an erection and face a low rate of incontinence 1 year post-treatment, according to a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (2005; 62:956-64).

Orlando, FL--In men with early-stage prostate cancer, permanent prostate seed implantation (PPI) appears to be as effective as high-dose conformal proton beam radiotherapy (CPBRT) in terms of biochemical control and reduction of PSA levels, according to findings from a new study.

Botulinum toxin type A (Botox) produces a rapid and sustained reduction in the number of daily incontinence episodes and markedly improves patients' quality of life, according to a European phase II clinical trial presented at the AUA annual meeting.

This year, you have a unique opportunity to improve your income by providing more services in the office.

San Antonio--Genitofemoral (GF) nerve grafting during radical retropubic prostatectomy can be performed safely with a low risk of postoperative morbidity and shows promising efficacy for returning erectile function after surgery involving wide nerve resection, according to the results of a retrospective study.