Bladder cancer: a current update.

In the UK, 10,000 new cases of bladder cancer are reported per annum. Earlier diagnosis and better care have improved survival rates, but the incidence is still rising. This article updates the current understanding of bladder cancer diagnosis and management.

Simultaneous antegrade/retrograde upper urinary tract access: Bart's modified lateral position for complex upper tract endourologic pathologic features.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the Bart's modified lateral position is safe and effective for achieving simultaneous anterograde and retrograde access in complex upper urinary tract pathologic features. METHODS: From November 2006 to September 2010, 45 procedures were performed, with the patients in the modified lateral position. The indication for these procedures was the presence of complex unilateral upper urinary tract pathologic features. The patients with muscular and/or skeletal abnormalities were excluded. All procedures were performed using simultaneous anterograde and retrograde access with the patient under general anesthesia. RESULTS: The preoperative investigation protocol included assessment of the stone burden and location using enhanced abdominal computed tomography. The patients were routinely examined 6 weeks after the procedure with a combination of plain abdominal radiography and renal ultrasonography. For patients treated for conditions causing upper urinary tract obstruction (pelviureteral junction obstruction and/or ureteral strictures), a mercaptoacetyltriglycine renography was performed at 4, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. The mean patient age was 51.2 years (range 17-79). Stone clearance was achieved by a single combined procedure in 36 patients (80%). Successful recanalization was achieved in all patients with pelviureteral junction obstruction and ureteral strictures. In 4 patients (8.8%), persistent hematuria was noted, and 2 patients (4.4%) developed postoperative urinary sepsis and were treated conservatively. CONCLUSION: Modification to the lateral position compares equally with contemporary percutaneous nephrolithotomy series. It provides wide exposure of the flank, allowing the choice of multiple access sites, enhanced control, and a wide angle for handling of the antegrade instruments. Two surgeons can work simultaneously, addressing complex endourologic pathologic features in high-risk patients.

Shock-wave lithotripsy in the elderly: Safety, efficacy and special considerations.

PURPOSE: Shock-wave lithotripsy (SWL) for elderly patients can be challenging. Patients often have a long-standing complex stone burden and significant comorbidities. We report a cohort of patients aged ⩾70 years who were treated by SWL, with special attention to treatment outcomes, complications and the need for adjuvant procedures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Over a period of 4 years, 2311 patients were treated with SWL in a tertiary referral centre. Among these patients, 137 were aged ⩾70 years (5.9%). Patient and stone data were obtained from an electronic database and the patients' electronic medical records were reviewed. RESULTS: During the pre-procedural assessment, 29 patients (21.2%) were considered to be at high anaesthetic risk, due their comorbidities (American Society of Anesthesiology score 3+). In terms of stone burden, 16 stones (11.7%) were located in the distal ureter (mean stone diameter 7.9 mm) and 28 (20.4%) were in the proximal ureter (mean diameter 10.1 mm). In the kidney, 54 stones (39.4%) were in the renal pelvis, upper or mid calyx (mean diameter 10.6 mm), while 39 stones (28.5%) were in the lower calyx (mean diameter 10.1 mm). The median (range) number of SWL sessions per patient was 2.0 (1-3). The overall stone-free rate achieved by SWL alone was 63.5% (65.9% for ureteric stones and 62.4% for renal stones). In total, 38 patients (27.7%) had an adjuvant procedure to achieve stone clearance (ureteroscopy in 23, PCNL in 14 and laparoscopic ureterolithotomy in one case). Apart from six cases (4.3%) of ureteric obstruction due to steinstrasse, there were no severe complications noted. CONCLUSIONS: The management of elderly patients presenting with urolithiasis is challenging, due to the presence of significant comorbidities. Careful assessment of an integrated management plan for geriatric patients with urolithiasis is essential, and SWL still remains a safe and efficient first-line tool in well-selected cases.

Endovascular covered stenting for the management of post-percutaneous nephrolithotomy renal pseudoaneurysm: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Intrarenal pseudoaneurysm is a rare, yet clinically significant, complication of percutaneous nephrolithotomy. A high index of clinical suspicion is necessary in order to recognize pseudoaneurysm as the cause of delayed bleeding after percutaneous nephrolithotomy and angiography confirms the diagnosis which allows endovascular management. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 65-year old Caucasian woman who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the supine position for a two centimetre renal calculus. The postoperative course was complicated by persistent bleeding due to a renal pseudoaneurysm. The vascular lesion was successfully managed by endovascular exclusion through the use of a covered stent graft. We report the first successful use of this method for the management of iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm in a branch of the left renal artery and we focus on the imaging findings, technical details, advantages and limitations of this technique. CONCLUSION: As a result of its high efficacy, interventional radiology has largely replaced open surgery for the management of renal pseudoaneurysm related to percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Recent technical advancements have allowed the use of covered stent grafts as an alternative to embolisation for the angiographic management of visceral artery pseudoaneurysm located in other organs. This novel technique allows the endovascular exclusion of the pseudoaneurysm, without compromising arterial supply to the end-structures - an advantage of critical importance in organs supplied by segmental arteries - in the absence of collateral vasculature, such as the kidney.

Testicular seminoma presenting 22 years after treatment for extra-gonadal germ-cell tumour.

We report an interesting case of testicular seminoma in a 57-year-old man who had received treatment for a pulmonary extra-gonadal seminoma 22 years previously. This case indicates that patients with extra-gonadal germ-cell tumours should either be followed up for life or, if discharged, should be informed of the potential risk of developing testicular tumour in the future and advised of the need for regular self-testicular examination.

A pilot randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial on the use of antibiotics on urinary catheter removal to reduce the rate of urinary tract infection: the pitfalls of ciprofloxacin.

OBJECTIVE: To assess if a short course of antibiotics starting at the time of the removing a short-term urethral catheter decreases the incidence of subsequent urinary tract infection (UTI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients across specialities with a urethral catheter in situ for >/= 48 h and