High-intensity focused ultrasound for localized prostate cancer: initial experience with a 2-year follow-up.

Objective: To report on the short-term functional and oncological results, from one institution, of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for treating localized prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: Over a 3-year period, 43 patients with localized prostate cancer were scheduled for HIFU in the primary (31) and salvage (12) settings using a second-generation Ablatherm device (EDAP, Lyon, France). Oncological failure was defined by several criteria, including biochemical failure (assessed using both the Phoenix definition of the nadir + 2 ng/mL) and the current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) trial endpoint of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of > or = 0.

Variation in urine composition in the human urinary tract: evidence of urothelial function in situ?

Purpose: An increased awareness of the concept that the urothelium has a significant transport function led us to question whether urine composition changes as it passes along the human lower urinary tract.

Materials And Methods: Urine samples from the bladder and renal pelvis were collected from 30 adults who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy (27) or ureteral stent insertion before lithotripsy (3). Urine was obtained from the 2 renal pelves (operative and contralateral sides) in 6 patients (24%).