All News

The new Pro-2000TU Urodynamics/Urology C-Arm Table from Medstone allowsunencumbered imaging. It was designed with all C-arms in mind, accordingto the manufacturer.

The Medstone Pro-2000BT carbon fiber C-arm table allows imaging for urology,brachytherapy, surgery, and other procedures. Motorized movements include16-inch longitudinal travel, 12-inch to 16-inch vertical travel, 8-inchlateral travel, ±15-degree Trendelenberg tilt, and optional ±15-degreelateral tilt.

ProstaScint (In-111 capromab pendetide) from Cytogen Corp. is a radiolabeledmonoclonal antibody specific to prostate-specific membrane antigen. Theproduct aids in the staging of prostate cancer, allowing physicians to makecritical distinctions between localized and metastasized disease.

Lab-quality PSA and testosterone test results are now available on demandwith the FastPack System from Qualigen, Inc. The system includes a fullyautomated analyzer designed to perform quantitative immunoassay tests within15 minutes in physician offices and small laboratories, according to thecompany.

Cytogen Corp. and Matritech, Inc., offer the NMP22 BladderChek point-of-caretest for bladder cancer, which is now approved for detecting the disease.The product had been previously approved for monitoring patients who hadalready been diagnosed with bladder cancer.

The Targis System from Urologix, designed to treat BPH symptoms, consistsof a control unit, a catheter-based microwave delivery system (MDS), a coolingbag, and a rectal thermo-sensing unit. The control unit supplies microwaveenergy and coolant and collects and processes data from other parts of thesystem.

Urologix introduces the shorter-length Targis catheter to allow morepatients to be treated with the company's Cooled ThermoTherapy treatmentfor BPH. The catheter was designed to treat the estimated 15% to 20% ofpatients who have smaller prostates, according to the company.

April 27 &#8212 Chicago, IL &#8212 Welcome to the inaugural issue of Urology Times E-news, featuring dailynews reports from the AUA annual meeting on your desktop. And, if you'reattending this year's meeting, welcome to Chicago!

images

images

Urologix, Inc., offers the Prostatron System, which is designed to reducethe symptoms and obstruction due to BPH by delivering a controlled doseof microwave energy to the prostate without damaging the urethra or surroundingstructures. The system delivers microwave energy to the prostate transurethrallythrough a specially designed treatment catheter that encases a tiny microwaveantenna.

Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc., offers the new 7.5F Flex-X Uretero-Reno-Fiberscope,which offers ease of entry to the lower pole calyces and navigation of theentire renal collecting system. The product delivers larger, higher-resolutionimages for improved tissue differentiation. The single-lever control ofthe bending section provides surgeons with intuitive navigation and operationcontrol, according to the company.

Watson Pharma, Inc., has received FDA approval to market oxybutynin transdermal system (Oxytrol) for the treatment of overactive bladder, with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency, and frequency. A thin patch applied to the abdomen, hip, or buttock twice weekly, it delivers 3.9 mg per day of oxybutynin consistently and continuously through the skin into the bloodstream, according to the company.

Nearly one in 10 men who walk into the outpatient office of a urologist leave with a coded diagnosis of prostatitis. Urologists have described the traditional approach to the diagnosis and management of the chronic prostatitis syndromes as one of the most frustrating areas of urologic practice.

Bethesda, MD-A combination of low-dose bacille Calmette-Guin and interferon-alpha (IFN-a) has shown promise in the treatment of bladder cancer patients who have failed initial treatment with BCG.

Seattle-A retrospective review of patients with secondary azoospermia has uncovered an alarming tumor rate and a high sperm recovery rate, reiterating the importance of urologic evaluation in this population.

House approves national liability insurance bill; CMS outlines changesin Medicare

Reason for meeting attendance is just as important as keeping receiptsand records

Input/output device copies information from your computer and transfersit to another

Letters, appeals, and legal action can each help settle denial of compensationclaims

Seattle-Microsurgical vasectomy reversal has higher success rates whenperformed for couples with the same female partner, underscoring the importanceof counseling patients when considering reconstructive surgery.

Societies can help with Medicare matters and with private insurance companies

>Los Angeles-It's a simple axiom but one that appears to be appropriatewhen discussing radical prostatectomy: "Practice makes perfect."

One does not have to go far on the Internet to find solicitations encouragingcouples whose infertility derives from a wide variety of causes to undergointracytoplasmic sperm injection with aspirated testicular sperm. Many ofthese advertisements hint that ICSI with aspirated sperm is an easy, "one-stop"method of conceiving a child, leading urologists to be rightly concernedthat, without adequate evaluation of the male half of the equation, thepatient's medical interests are inadequately served.

In this exclusive Urology Times interview, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson addresses the medical liability insurance crisis and outlines several possible solutions. Thompson also discusses the future of managed care, his plans for restructuring Medicare, and his goals for HHS during his tenure. The interview was conducted by Michael T. McCue, editor-in-chief of Managed Healthcare Executive, a UT sister publication.

Navy Pier (312-595-7437) offers shopping, dining, and other recreational activities. Constructed toward the beginning of the 20th century as a commercial shipping pier, Navy Pier was converted less than 10 years ago to a prime entertainment destination featuring a variety of stores, arcades, and restaurants along its 4-block length.

The downtown area of Chicago is home to a number of Broadway-style theaters. The biggest show in town during the AUA meeting is Disney Presents the Lion King, which will be playing at the Cadillac Palace Theater. Further north, the Lincoln Park area is home to a number of off-Loop theaters. Raucous comedy revues are presented on two separate stages every night but Monday at The Second City (877-778 4707), located in Chicago's Old Town.

Tours of varying durations highlight the best of what the city has to offer by boat, bus, bike, or on foot.

Visitors hoping to take home something special for themselves or for those at home need look no farther than "The Magnificent Mile," the 1-mile stretch of North Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River on the south to Oak Street on the north.

Chicago is home to a number of world-renowned museums, and three of its best lie just south of downtown and within walking distance of each other in the Grant Park Museum Campus.