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Purpose: To analyse the risk of inguinal lymph node (ILN) metastases in T1G2 penile cancer stratified by lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion (PNI) and tumour size., Methods: Retrospective study of men with localised T1G2 penile cancer with non-palpable lymph nodes and no local recurrence during follow-up at six European institutional high-volume centres was performed. ILN involvement was defined as cancer detected during ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology, core needle biopsy, dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsy, ILN dissection or inguinal recurrence during follow-up. Uni- and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed., Results: In the cohort of 554 men with T1G2 penile cancer, from 6 European institutions, ILN metastases were observed in 46/554 men (8%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 6-11%). Men with both, LVI- and PNI- primary cancers had the lowest risk of ILN involvement (6%) whereas men with LVI + or PNI + showed ILN metastases in 22% and 30%. In multivariable regression, men with LVI + or PNI + had higher odds for ILN metastases compared to men with LVI- and PNI- (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.6-9.0, p value < 0.01) Tumour size was not associated with ILN risk (OR 1.01 95% CI 0.99-1.04, p = 0.17)., Conclusion: Approximately, one out of ten men with T1G2 overall and one out of four men with either LVI + or PNI + still have ILN metastases despite being clinically node negative. Therefore, invasive ILN staging should strongly be recommended in T1G2 with LVI + or PNI + but importantly, must be discussed in patients with T1G2 with LVI- or PNI-., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: We evaluated recurrence outcomes of penile sparing surgery in what is to our knowledge the largest multicenter cohort of patients to date., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively identified patients treated with penile sparing surgery from May 1990 to July 2016 at 5 tertiary referral institutions. Treatments consisted of circumcision, wide local excision, laser therapy with or without local excision, partial or total glansectomy and glans resurfacing. The study primary end point was local recurrence-free survival, defined from initial treatment to time of local recurrence and estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method., Results: After applying study exclusion criteria 1,188 patients were included in analysis. During the median followup of 43.0 months there were 252 local recurrences (21.2%), of which 99 (39.3%) developed in year 1. Median time to local recurrence was 16.3 months and the 5-year local recurrence-free survival incidence was 73.6%. When stratified by stage, the 5-year local recurrence-free survival rate was 75.0%, 71.4% and 75.9% in Ta/Tis, T1 and T2 cases, respectively (log rank p = 0.748). Of the recurrences 58.3% were treated with repeat organ sparing procedures and the secondary partial (total) penectomy rate was 19.0%. Only margin status was significantly associated with local recurrence on multivariate analysis (p = 0.001). Study limitations included the retrospective design and the heterogeneous clinical approach., Conclusions: Penile sparing surgery can provide excellent local control for superficial penile tumors as well as for appropriately selected invasive lesions. Strict followup in the early postoperative period is highly recommended., (Copyright © 2018 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Although the trend towards penile sparing therapy is increasing for penile squamous cell carcinoma, outcomes for laser ablation therapy have not been widely reported. We assessed the clinical outcomes of penile cancer patients treated with only laser ablation., Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 161 patients across 5 multi-center tertiary referral centers from 1985 to 2015. All patients underwent penile sparing surgery with only laser ablation for squamous cell carcinoma of the penis. Laser ablation was performed with neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet or carbon dioxide. Overall and recurrence-free survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log rank test., Results: A total of 161 patients underwent laser ablation for penile cancer. The median age was 62 (IQR: 52-71) years and median follow-up was 57.7 (IQR: 28-90) months. The majority of patients were pTa/Tis (59, 37%) or pT1a (62, 39%). Only 19 (12%) had a poorly differentiated grade. The 5-year recurrence-free survival was 46%. When stratified by stage, the 5-year local recurrence-free survival was pTa/Tis: 50%; pT1a: 41%; pT1b: 38%; and pT2: 52%. The inguinal/pelvic nodal recurrence was pTa/Tis: 2%; pT1a: 5%; pT1b: 18%; and pT2: 22%. There were no differences among stages with respect to recurrence-free survival (P = 0.98) or overall survival (P = 0.20)., Conclusion: Laser ablation therapy is safe for appropriately selected patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma. Due to the increased risk of nodal recurrence, laser ablation coupled with diagnostic nodal staging is indicated for patients with pT1b or higher., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate recurrence after penile-sparing surgery (PSS) in the management of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the penis in a large multicentre cohort of patients., Patients and Methods: We identified consecutive patients from five major academic centres, treated between June 1986 and November 2014, who underwent PSS for pathologically proven penile CIS. The primary outcome was local recurrence-free survival (RFS), which was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method., Results: A total of 205 patients were identified. Treatment methods included circumcision, glansectomy, wide local excision, laser therapy and total glans resurfacing. Over a median (interquartile range [IQR]) follow-up of 40 (26-65.6) months, there were 48 local recurrences, with 45.8% occurring in the first year and 81.3% occurring by year 5. The majority of recurrences were observed in the laser group (58.3%). The median (IQR) time to local recurrence was 15.9 (5.66-26.14) months. The 1- 2- and 5-year RFS rates were 88.4, 85.6 and 75%, respectively, and the median (IQR) RFS time was 106.5 (80.2-132.2) months., Conclusions: Among patients with penile CIS selected for surgical management, durable responses at intermediate- to long-term follow-up were noted. For those with glandular CIS, glans resurfacing offered the best outcomes., (© 2017 The Authors BJU International © 2017 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To analyze the recurrence and survival outcomes of glansectomy in patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma., Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 410 patients across 5 international tertiary referral centers between 1999 and 2016. All patients had tumors involving the glans penis and underwent glansectomy as primary treatment. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to calculate survival and recurrence. Median follow-up was 42 months (interquartile range [IQR] 29-56)., Results: The median age was 64 years (IQR 53-72). Median tumor size was 2.2 cm (IQR 1.5-3.0). A total of 240 patients (58.5%) had pT2 disease, whereas only 43 patients (10.5%) had pT3 or pT4 disease. The majority of the cohort had poorly differentiated tumors (43.7%). Most recurrences were local at 7.6% (31 patients). Only 14 patients (3.4%) had regional recurrence and 9 patients (2.2%) had distant recurrence. When stratified by pathologic stage, tumors that were pT2 or higher were (P < .001) and were more likely to be poorly differentiated (P < .001). There were no differences in recurrence location among pathologic stages (P = .15). The 1-, 2-, and 5-year recurrence-free survival were 98%, 94%, and 78%, respectively. There were no differences in overall survival when stratified by stage (P = .67)., Conclusion: Glansectomy is an oncologically safe treatment modality for squamous cell carcinoma of the glans in appropriately selected invasive tumors., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Penile cancer is a rare malignancy estimated to affect 26,000 men globally each year. The association with penile cancer, in particular non-invasive disease, and human papilloma virus (HPV) is well known. Ninety-five percent of cases of penile cancer are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which are staged using the TNM staging system. Terminology describing the histological appearance of non-invasive penile cancer has changed with all cases grouped under the umbrella term of penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN); either undifferentiated or differentiated. This replaces previous terms such as carcinoma in situ (CIS) and eponymous names such as Bowen's disease. This change is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The topical treatments most commonly used for PeIN are 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and imiquimod (IQ). Other treatments such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) are used but to a lesser degree. The evidence for all of these treatments is heterogenous with no randomised data available. Overall up to 57% complete response has been reported with a low number of serious adverse events. In this article, we aim to review the available evidence for the topical treatment of non-invasive penile cancer specifically regarding its efficacy and toxicity., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Penile-preserving surgery offers a revolutionary alternative to more traditional radical surgery. It offers better sexual, functional, and psychological results and evidence suggests it achieves this without sacrificing oncological outcomes. We examined the evolving nature of such surgeries, addressing controversies such as safe margins and survival outcomes and discussing more conventional techniques, including laser. At our UK center, we treat a high volume of penile cancer and here, based on such experience, we describe our glans resurfacing, glansectomy, and partial penectomy techniques; their application by disease stage; and the limitations of such surgeries., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Glans resurfacing is a recently described technique in the management of precancerous lesions and superficial invasive tumours of the glans penis as well as cases of indolent persistent lichen sclerosus. The technique is complex and is usually only practiced in specialist centres with combined urological and plastic surgical expertise. Cosmetic and functional results are better than in more extensive penile surgery, such as glansectomy, for such cases, cancer cure and control is comparable. Knowledge of the technique used and the spectrum of disease are vital for appropriate specimen handling and pathological reporting of these complex cases to aid further management and avoid over reporting of positive margins., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Distal urethral carcinomas are very rare and are similar in their pathology and behaviour to tumours of the glans penis and foreskin. Similarly they are associated with penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN) of both differentiated and undifferentiated types. Current management is mainly surgical, but increasingly involves specialist penile-preserving techniques. Handling and dissection of the specimens is broadly the same as other primary penile tumours. The prognosis of distal urethral lesions is believed to be worse than penile tumours and better than prostatic urethral tumours, but the evidence is sparse. The staging system for urethral tumours does not distinguish between proximal and distal, apart from prostatic urethra, and has led to much confusion in the literature. Although the subtypes of tumours seen in the distal urethra are the same as those on the glans and foreskin, there is an increased proportion of basaloid squamous carcinoma and malignant melanoma whereas the majority of tumours seen in the proximal and prostatic urethra are of urothelial origin. In future, distal urethral tumours should be separately designated with site-specific staging/TNM and reporting system and pathologically classified in the same way as penile and foreskin tumours. Ultimately, this will improve the quality of data and produce evidence to inform management., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The use of topical agents in the treatment of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the penis has been well described in the literature. Previous studies have been limited by small sample size and imprecise end points., Objective: Establish the response rate of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and imiquimod (IQ) in the treatment of penile CIS in a large contemporary series in a supranetwork centre., Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective review of all primary and recurrent cases of penile CIS treated with 5-FU and IQ identified from a prospective database over a 10-yr period. Therapy was standardised in all cases with application to the lesion for 12h every 48 h for 28 d., Intervention: 5-FU was the first-line therapy, and IQ was the second-line topical agent., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: The primary end point was defined as complete response (CR; i.e., resolution of lesion), partial response (PR; i.e., lesion reduced in size and or visibility), or no response (NR; ie, no improvement in lesion size and or visibility). The secondary end points included local toxicity and adverse events. No statistical analysis or software was used., Results and Limitations: A total of 86 patients were diagnosed with CIS of the penis over the 10-yr period. Forty-four (51%) received topical chemotherapy. The mean follow-up was 34 mo. CR to topical chemotherapy was seen in 25 (57%), PR was seen in 6 (13.6%), and NR was seen in the remaining 13 (29.5%) patients. Local toxicity was experienced by 10% of patients, and 12% had an adverse event following application of 5-FU. The retrospective design and short follow-up were the major limitations of this study., Conclusions: Topical chemotherapy agents are moderately effective first-line therapy in the treatment of penile CIS. Toxicity and adverse events were few with our treatment protocol. The issues of long-term surveillance and assessment of partial responders remain a challenge. Topical chemotherapy should remain a first-line treatment option for penile CIS., (Copyright © 2012 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To analyze the current trends in local therapy approaches in patients with penile carcinoma., Methods: The relevant published data since 2000 were reviewed; important series published before 2000 were also included. The reports were classified according to the level of evidence. Review studies and others indirectly related to the topic were also included but not classified., Results: New information has suggested that surgical margins of only a few millimeters might be adequate for most localized tumors. A trend toward the use of more conservative therapies instead of amputative surgery has been observed, especially in developed countries. Although the local recurrence rate has been greater after conservative therapies than after amputative surgery, this increased rate does not seemed to have had a negative effect on cancer-specific survival. The quality of life has been superior after conservative procedures with preservation of the penis that seems to give the best results with regard to sexual function. Reconstructive surgery can be performed in selected patients after amputative surgery., Conclusions: Although the level of evidence is low, conservative therapies can be recommended for selected patients with penile carcinoma. Despite the trend for conservative approaches, these patients need psychological support., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the penis is a relatively rare but ominous disease., Objective: To present a condensed version of the updated 2009 European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines on penile SCC., Evidence Acquisition: We performed a literature search of new data available up to December 2009. No randomized study was found; consequently, level of evidence (LE) and grade of recommendations (GR) are low., Evidence Synthesis: More insight was gained into the etiology of SCC of the penis, together with improved staging and treatment: Human papillomavirus 16 plays an etiologic role in approximately 40-50% of cases. Similarities in etiology with SCC of the head and neck, the female genitalia, and the anal canal have been found. Improved diagnostics allowed earlier diagnosis, leading to more conservative treatments. Adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed promising results in patients with advanced or recurrent disease. Centralization of the disease contributed to standardization and rapid diffusion of new treatments with improved results and increased organ preservation., Conclusions: Improvements in the management of SCC of the penis are reflected in changes in the guidelines, but the rarity of the disease precluded randomized studies, leading to low level of evidence and grade of recommendation., (Copyright © 2010 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The risk of lymph node (LN) metastasis in G2T1 penile cancer has been previously reported as 0-50% and is classified as "intermediate" in the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines. The management of impalpable regional nodes in this cohort of patients remains contentious and varies among treatment centres depending on tumour factors and local resources., Objectives: To establish the risk of LN metastasis in G2T1 disease., Design, Settings, and Participants: We interrogated the databases of two referral centres for penile cancer., Measurements: Out of 902 patients, 117 (13%) patients were identified with G2T1 cancers. Those with palpable inguinal nodes (cN1) underwent early inguinal LN dissection (iLND). Those with clinically node negative (cN0) inguinal basins were either observed or surgically staged with iLND or by dynamic sentinel LN biopsy (DSLNB). Median follow-up was 44 mo, with minimum follow-up of 6 mo., Results and Limitations: Fifteen of 117 (13%) patients with G2T1 cancer had LN metastasis at initial staging or during follow-up. Six of 12 (50%) cN1 patients had histologically proven LN metastasis on iLND. One hundred five patients were cN0 at presentation. Ten cN0 patients had prophylactic iLND, none of which yielded LN metastasis; 5 of 64 (8%) cN0 patients who had DSLNB had tumour-positive LNs, and 4 of 31 (13%) cN0 patients who were observed developed LN metastasis during follow-up. In cN0 patients, the risk of LN metastasis at initial staging or during surveillance was 9%., Conclusions: We consider that in cN0 patients with G2T1 penile cancer, the risk of developing metastases during surveillance warrants surgical and potentially curative staging. However, the morbidity of prophylactic bilateral iLND is too great to justify a detection rate of 9%. Less morbid alternatives such as DSLNB are advisable in G2T1 disease., (Copyright © 2009 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of sentinel lymph node lymphoscintigraphy (SLNL) and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in patients with penile carcinoma. A prospective study was undertaken of 64 patients with stage T1 (or greater) clinically N0 squamous cell carcinoma of the penis. Patients underwent SLNL and bilateral groin ultrasonography with or without FNAC. Following intradermal blue dye, patients underwent unilateral or bilateral sentinel lymph node excision biopsy (SNB). 17 patients had sentinel nodes that contained metastases (21 nodal basins). Lymphatic drainage was demonstrated in all patients by lymphoscintigraphy. Bilateral drainage was seen in 57/64 patients. 61/64 patients had ultrasonography of the inguinal basins on the same day as FNAC of 38 basins. FNAC showed malignancy in eight basins. FNAC was negative in six basins, which were subsequently shown to be positive following SNB. 82 inguinal basins did not warrant FNAC by ultrasound criteria, of which 5 contained metastases at SNB. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography was 74% and 77%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 37% and 94%, respectively. Two patients had a negative initial SNB; however, ultrasonography identified a metastatic node and re-evaluation of the sentinel node confirmed micro-metastases. There has been no evidence of recurrence in any patients with negative SNB (during 6-28 months' follow-up). In conclusion, when investigating clinically stage N0 penile cancer, the combination of SNB and groin ultrasonography, with or without FNAC, identifies accurately those with occult nodal metastases. Ultrasonography alone is not adequate as a staging technique, and SNB alone might miss between 5% and 10% of metastases.

Objectives: We present medium-term outcome data for patients with invasive penile cancer treated with glansectomy and reconstruction with a split-thickness skin graft., Methods: A series of consecutive patients referred with penile malignancies over a 6-yr period were analyzed prospectively. A dedicated histopathologist reviewed all the specimens. After clinical staging, patients with tumours confined to the glans were offered glansectomy., Results: A total of 72 patients (32% of patients, 31% of procedures) underwent glansectomy for penile carcinoma. Of these, 65 patients were new diagnoses and seven were recurrences after radiotherapy. The mean follow-up period was 27 mo (range: 4-68 mo). There have been three late local recurrences (4%)., Conclusion: Glansectomy appears to be an oncologically safe and effective procedure for patients with glans-confined squamous cell tumours. It preserves maximum phallic length and results in a very satisfactory cosmetic penile appearance after reconstruction.

Objective: To evaluate the introduction of dynamic lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel lymph-node (SLN) biopsy (used to detect occult lymph node metastases in patients with penile cancer and clinically impalpable inguinal lymph nodes at presentation) at a UK tertiary referral centre for penile cancer., Patients and Methods: In all, 75 patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma of stage T1, grade > or = 2, and unilateral or bilateral impalpable groin nodes, were prospectively enrolled over a 2-year period. Patients underwent lymphoscintigraphy with (99m)technetium-labelled nanocolloid which was injected intradermally around the tumour or into the distal penile shaft skin. Four hours later, the SLN(s) were identified during surgery using a hand-held gamma-probe and intradermal injections with blue dye. Completion lymph node dissection was subsequently used in patients with tumour-positive SLNs., Results: In all, 255 SLNs were removed from 143 groins; all excised nodes had taken up the radioactive marker, and the blue dye was evident in 87%. Eighteen of 75 (24%) patients and 21 of 143 groins (15%) had a tumour-positive SLN. All but one patient went on to completion lymph node dissection. Three of these 18 (17%) had further disease in other than SLNs. Six of 143 (4%) groins developed minor complications. One false-negative result was reported at a median (range) follow-up of 11 (2-24) months., Conclusion: This technique is feasible for managing penile cancer in a UK tertiary referral centre. The initial results suggest that it can accurately identify the SLN(s), which can then be removed for pathological review with minimal morbidity.

Objective: To evaluate medium-term outcome data from patients with distal urethral cancers treated with penile-preserving surgery., Patients and Methods: We analysed prospectively 18 consecutive men referred for the management of urethral carcinoma. All had a specialist review in a supra-regional multidisciplinary team meeting, where the histology findings were reviewed by one pathology consultant. Tumours were staged according to the Tumour-Node-Metastasis classification and the patients offered penile-preserving surgery when tumours were limited to the glanular or penile urethra., Results: All 18 patients were suitable for penile-preserving surgery; the procedures were: three hypospadias formation with or without topical chemotherapy; four buccal mucosa urethroplasty; three glansectomy and reconstruction; six glansectomy, distal corporectomy, reconstruction and hypospadias formation; two urethrectomy with or with no excision of adjacent tunica albuginea. The mean (median, range) follow-up was 26 (20.5, 9-58) months. There were no local recurrences; four patients with regional nodal disease progressed and of these, two died from metastatic disease, and one died from an unrelated condition., Conclusion: Medium-term data show that penile-preserving surgery is a feasible treatment for men with distal urethral carcinoma, providing excellent local control without prejudicing survival; a longer follow-up is needed.

Objective: To report our initial experience of total glans resurfacing (TGR), as premalignant lesions of the glans penis have conventionally been treated by local excision, topical chemotherapy, laser or cryotherapy, but these techniques are frequently associated with high local failure rates and unsightly scarring that can make monitoring by gross inspection difficult., Patients and Methods: TGR involves removing the glans and subcoronal epithelial and subepithelial tissues down to the corpus spongiosum of the glans and Buck's fascia at the coronal sulcus. The denuded glans penis is then covered with an extra-genital skin graft. Ten patients underwent TGR: six had recurrent erythroplasia of Queyrat after 5% 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy; one had no clinical response to 5-FU or imiquimod; one had a severe allergic reaction and therefore could not tolerate 5-FU; and two had extensive glans hyperkeratosis and severe dysplasia., Results: There were no postoperative complications. All skin grafts took successfully, and the cosmetic results were excellent. In all cases, pathological resection margins were clear. To date, there has been no evidence of disease recurrence on follow-up (median 30 months, range 7-45)., Conclusions: TGR is a successful surgical alternative for managing intractable premalignant penile lesions. It has the potential to restore normal anatomy and minimize the risk of local recurrence by replacing diseased epithelium and subepithelial tissues with healthy extra-genital skin.

Objective: To determine the incidence of balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) in a consecutive series of penile carcinomas in one centre, as BXO is a common penile disease that usually involves the prepuce and glans, and there have been sporadic case reports of the association between BXO and penile carcinoma, although it is uncertain if there is a specific causal relationship., Patients and Methods: The reported incidence of penile carcinoma in patients with BXO is 2.6-5.8%, leading some to advocate circumcision in all cases, with close follow-up in those with persistent glanular disease. We prospectively analysed all cases of penile cancer referred to the unit over a 54-month period, to determine the prevalence of BXO., Results: In all, 155 patients with penile malignancy were reviewed, 44 of whom had BXO (28%). This group included 34 men with squamous cell carcinoma and 10 with carcinoma in situ; in 39, BXO and malignancy presented synchronously. In three other cases, cancer occurred in the background of chronic persistent BXO; in two cases penile cancer was truly metachronous. The tumours with associated BXO tended to be of lower stage and grade, and the patients presented when younger, but this was not statistically significant., Conclusion: A significant proportion of patients with penile malignancy have a histological diagnosis of BXO. We think that patients presenting with long-standing BXO and those in whom BXO has not resolved after circumcision warrant biopsies and a careful follow-up.

Squamous cell carcinoma arising in tissue affected by chronic lymphoedema is rare. We describe, to our knowledge, the first documented case of penile squamous cell carcinoma arising in a patient with a history of idiopathic chronic penile lymphoedema. Patients with chronic lymphoedema should be actively followed for possible malignant changes. We discuss the management and possible aetiology of this unusual case., (Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Introduction: Patients' experience and expectations are paramount in the current era of clinical governance. However, there is lack of published information on patients' expectations from extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) treatment for renal stone disease. We conducted a survey to quantify what aspects of ESWL are important purely from the patients' prospective., Patients and Methods: Postal questionnaires were sent out to all patients who attended our unit for ESWL treatment for renal stone disease. The questionnaire referred to 15 aspects of ESWL treatment. Patients were asked to rate each aspect based on a numerical scale from 1 to 10 (1--least important; 10--most important)., Results: We posted 340 questionnaires and received 208 valid replies (61%). Stone clearance was statistically the most important aspect of treatment. Staff attitude and explanation of the procedure and outcomes were rated highly. To our surprise, pain control was rated only 8th., Conclusions: Patients' priorities may be different to ours. Surveys like this allow ones to put the appropriate 'weight' on the results of patient satisfaction surveys in order to allocate resources and improve service appropriately.

Objective: To evaluate the effect on quality of life of being discharged home with a catheter before definitive treatment in patients with acute urinary retention (AUR)., Patients and Methods: Patients attending the emergency department with AUR were assessed and discharged home with a catheter if they fulfilled predetermined criteria. They were admitted to the day-care unit for urological assessment and completed a disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaire., Results: Of 101 patients presenting to the emergency department in AUR, 84 were sent home after catheterization (83%); 78 (93%) patients completed the questionnaire. The major side-effects reported were urinary leak (46%), mild haematuria (44%), urgency (42%), pain around the penis (42%), painful erection (31%) and catheter blockage (26%). Only 12% of patients felt having a catheter was very inconvenient and 93% would find it acceptable to have a catheter in future., Conclusion: A significant minority of patients discharged home with a catheter had side-effects related to their catheter but were not greatly inconvenienced, and their capacity to carry out normal daily activities was not impaired. The immediate discharge of patients in AUR and planned treatment will enable better use of inpatient urology resources.

The purpose of this study was to establish the feasibility of noninvasive treatment of small renal tumors with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). A 1.69-MHz extracorporeal HIFU transducer of 150-mm focal length was used. In vitro experiments with excised porcine kidneys allowed determination of suitable exposure parameters to be tested in vivo. For short exposure times (< 2 seconds), the minimum energy required to produce acute thermal damage was 500 +/- 100 Wcm-2 per second. Porcine kidneys (N = 18) were treated in vivo at a depth of 40 mm from the skin surface, with acute damage detected in 13. Damage was macroscopically and histologically discrete and confined to the target area within the kidney. Skin induration was observed after treatment in nine cases, and there was one skin burn. Transducer developments to prevent this morbidity and to improve energy deposition within the target are discussed.

Objective: To determine whether high-intensity focused ultrasound can be used to ablate bladder wall tissue using a transabdominal approach in a large animal model, and whether it can be developed as a non-invasive treatment for superficial bladder tumours., Materials and Methods: The bladder wall of 25 large white pigs was treated with a 1.7 MHz extracorporeal focused-bowl ultrasonic transducer. Animals were killed either 2 h, 3 days or 4 weeks after treatment and the bladder wall examined macroscopically and histologically., Results: Acute bladder wall damage was detected in 15 of 16 animals at 2 h and in all six animals examined after 3 days. Areas of healing were seen in 10 of 12 animals at 4 weeks. Histological analysis of the treated areas revealed that the urothelium was denuded within 2 h and was associated with an acute inflammatory response in the bladder wall. At 4 weeks, the urothelium had regenerated over a maturing scar., Conclusions: Focused ultrasound can be used successfully to destroy regions of the bladder wall in a large animal model in vivo.

Objective: To determine whether there is justification for a policy of conservative management of acute scrotal emergencies, based on the ability to exclude a twisted testicle or the assumption that there is a "missed torsion' when the duration of symptoms is prolonged., Patients and Methods: The case notes of 209 consecutive emergency scrotal explorations, carried out in one district general hospital over a 7-year period, were reviewed. The decision to operate was based solely on a clinical diagnosis, with no information from additional radiological investigations., Results: The commonest finding was testicular torsion (39.5%) with an orchidectomy rate of 22%. Only 5% of scrotal torsions occurred in patients < 12 years of age, whereas 26% occurred in those > 20 years of age. In five of 82 cases (6%) of confirmed testicular torsion, the surgeon did not consider this the most likely diagnosis. With a pain duration of < 16 h, 89% of testes were salvaged, but with pain for > 16 h this decreased to 25%. In three cases the testis was viable after pain had been present for > 24 h., Conclusion: In the absence of supportive radiological investigations, a small but significant number of twisted testes will be missed if conservative management is adopted.

The relationship between spatial peak intensity and the position of ultrasound induced tissue damage was studied in in vitro tissue models, using a 1.69 MHz spherical bowl transducer. The models corresponded to the transabdominal route to the bladder and prostate, which are potential target sites for focused ultrasound surgery. The results confirm that there is a relationship between lesion position and intensity, with lesions forming, under some exposure conditions, ahead of the geometric focus. Forward growth of lesions appears to be due to changes in the absorption characteristics of the tissue in the beam path. Using a computer model, we have demonstrated that the absorption coefficient of the tissue must increase significantly in front of the focus to enable lesions to form ahead of the predicted position. A possible mechanism for this is bubble formation as a result of acoustic cavitation. The effect of nonlinear propagation in the tissue, at the intensities studied, is shown to be relatively small.

All house officers perform male urethral catheterisation and although complications may occur awareness of the potential problems varies considerably. 43 house officers from 12 different medical schools were interviewed to determine the amount of training that they received regarding this procedure as students and during their first pre-registration post. The results suggest that there is no planned approach to teaching urethral catheterisation which would be in the interests of both junior doctors and patients alike.

A hitherto unrecognised problem of pericardial tamponade complicating spinal surgery in a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy is reported in this paper.