Sexual dysfunction seen with Thulium laser therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia
September 1st 2012Filling a gap in the knowledge of the incidence of sexual dysfunction following Thulium YAG vaporesection (ThuVaRP), a recent study found that the risk of erectile dysfunction was 20%, while that of retrograde ejaculation was 56% in a group of patients who had been sexually active before the procedure.
Bipolar techniques show advantages in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia
September 1st 2012Results from a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial suggest that bipolar plasma vaporization of the prostate is a promising advance in the surgical treatment of BPH in men with average-size prostates.
Focus on men's health can strengthen urology, patient care
September 1st 2012Do urologists consider the possibility that conditions other than strictly urologic problems in men are causing or contributing to their symptoms? And how willing are urologists to coordinate with other physicians when patients' conditions suggest other care is needed?
American Urological Association guidelines marked by rigorous reviews, timely updates
September 1st 2012J. Stuart Wolf, Jr, MD, chair of the AUA Practice Guidelines Committee, discusses how AUA ensures that guidelines are scientifically rigorous and timely, the value of clinical guidelines, and the challenge of disseminating and implementing them.
Data-driven health care: Who it will benefit, and how
September 1st 2012Early adopters of health information technology have been creating electronic health records for over 10 years. With the creation of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and its incentives, the pace of clinical data accumulation is accelerating.
Interstitial cystitis prevalence in men higher than previously thought
September 1st 2012Nearly as many American men as women may suffer from interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) symptoms. And more men may have IC/BPS symptoms than have chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) symptoms, new data suggest.
Election Day holds many keys to urologists' future
September 1st 2012The decisions by the men and women who are elected will determine whether physicians who treat Medicare are fairly reimbursed; whether the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) is allowed to continue; and even how government agencies, task forces, and advisory boards that make recommendations on specific testing and treatment protocols are allowed to function.
Prostate tumor volume predicted by urine markers
September 1st 2012An interim analysis of a validation study suggests that urine prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3) levels and urine TMPRSS2:ERG (T2:ERG) have additive utility in predicting clinically significant prostate tumor volume, and their use together may enhance the selection and monitoring of candidates with low-volume/low-grade disease for active surveillance.
Falling circumcision rates could raise cost of care
August 29th 2012A team of disease experts and health economists at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore warns that steadily declining rates of U.S. infant male circumcision could add more than $4.4 billion in avoidable health care costs if rates over the next decade drop to levels now seen in Europe.
Self-referral can increase travel for radiation therapy
August 22nd 2012Men with prostate cancer in Texas may be driving more than three times farther than needed to obtain radiation oncology treatments when treated at a urology-owned radiation oncology practice versus other facilities, according to a recent study.