Endourology Fellowship: More Than a Stone's Throw Away for Women.

Objective: To characterize the trends in female representation in the endourology fellowship match compared with the urology residency match. Materials and Methods: Available deidentified match data from 2017 to 2022 was obtained from the American Urological Association and Endourology Society annual census data. We evaluated gender-specific participation in the urology residency and endourology fellowship match and compared differences in the trends over the last 6 years. Results: Between the years 2017 and 2021, there were a total of 313 applicants for a fellowship in endourology, and of those, only 8.6% were women. In that same time period, a significantly larger number of women (27.1%) participated in the urology residency match (p = 0.0002). When specifically examining the endourology applicant trend, there is no significant increase in participation (R = 0.7, p = 0.35) between 2017 and 2021, as compared with the significant increase in total number of applicants (R = 7.1, p = 0.04). However, in the urology match, there has been a constant and significant increase in both female (R = 13.7, p = 0.03) and total applicants (R = 27, p = 0.04) between 2017 and 2022. Conclusions: Although there has been an overall increase in the number of applicants to urology, the number of women in endourology fellowship has not increased at a commensurate rate. In light of these findings, it is the responsibility of the endourology community to identify social and systemic barriers for women in this field and advocate for change.

Assessment and Acquisition of Knowledge Regarding Urinary Tract Infection Among Adult Women in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To assess baseline UTI knowledge, interest in health resources, and platform preferences for information acquisition and dissemination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult women who had a UTI in the past 12 months were recruited from Researchmatch.org to participate in a web-based quantitative study. Women with recurrent UTI (rUTI) were compared to women with a history of UTI (without rUTI). RESULTS: Six hundred and eighty-seven women were included in the study of which 27.4% (N = 188) had rUTI. Regarding knowledge, significantly more women without rUTI believe UTIs are caused by lack of cleanliness and that most women suffer from UTIs. Significantly more women with rUTI believe that UTIs are inherited and that getting older is associated with getting more UTIs. Regarding barriers to health information, significantly more women without rUTI feel that information is too complex and language barriers exist. More than 90% of subjects utilize their healthcare provider (HCP) for health information and most prefer office-based HCPs for health information. More than 50% of women with rUTI would like to receive UTI health updates. CONCLUSION: Misinformation exists regarding causes, management, and prevention of UTIs. This study identified perceived barriers as well as preferred educational platforms with the hope that this will drive improvements in UTI-related health education.

Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy versus standard laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: an evidence-based analysis of comparative outcomes.

PURPOSE: To provide a systematic analysis of the comparative outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) versus laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) in the treatment of prostate cancer based on the best currently available evidence. METHODS: An independent systematic review of the literature was performed up to February 2021, using MEDLINE®, EMBASE®, and Web of Science® databases. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) recommendations were followed to design search strategies, selection criteria, and evidence reports. The quality of the included studies was determined using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for non-randomized controlled trials. Demographics and clinical characteristics, surgical, pathological, and functional outcomes were collected. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies were identified. Only 16 "high-quality" (RCTs and Newcastle-Ottawa scale 8-9) studies were included in the meta-analysis. Among the 13,752 patients included, 6135 (44.6%) and 7617 (55.4%) were RARP and LRP, respectively. There was no difference between groups in terms of demographics and clinical characteristics. Overall and major complication (Clavien-Dindo ≥ III) rates were similar in LRP than RARP group. The biochemical recurrence (BCR) rate at 12months was significantly lower for RARP (OR: 0.52; 95% CI 0.43-0.63; p < 0.00001). RARP reported lower urinary incontinence rate at 12months (OR: 0.38; 95% CI 0.18-0.8; p = 0.01). The erectile function recovery rate at 12months was higher for RARP (OR: 2.16; 95% CI 1.23-3.78; p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Current evidence shows that RARP offers favorable outcomes compared with LRP, including higher potency and continence rates, and less likelihood of BCR. An assessment of longer-term outcomes is lacking, and higher cost remains a concern of robotic versus laparoscopic prostate cancer surgery.