Voiding Dysfunction

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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).

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.

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