Impact of robotics and laparoscopy on surgical skills: A comparative study.

Background: This study objectively surveyed and compared the ability of participants to perform laparoscopic and robotic tasks, and attempted to determine the key advantages of each modality.

Study Design: A task-based training course was developed that included laparoscopic and robotic task modules. Twenty-two participants (6 faculty members, 6 fellows, and 10 residents) completed a pretask and posttask questionnaire concerning 3 tasks, using both laparoscopy trainer and the daVinci robotic system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc).

pT1 substaging in renal cell carcinoma: validation of the 2002 TNM staging modification of malignant renal epithelial tumors.

Purpose: Tumor size has been used as one of the criteria to stratify renal cell carcinoma (RCC) into different pathological stages (pT). The recent 2002 UICC/TNM classification of malignant epithelial renal tumors is modified to substratify pT1 RCC into pT1a (less than 4.0 cm) and pT1b (greater than 4.

Autologous tunica vaginalis and subcapsular orchiectomy: a hormonal therapy for prostate cancer.

Two novel surgical procedures that combine an autologous tunica vaginalis pedicle graft (TVG) with a subcapsular orchiectomy (SCOT) were evaluated in asymptomatic patients with rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values following radiation therapy, a radical retropubic prostatectomy, or a newly diagnosed prostatic cancer with bony metastasis. In the SCOT I procedure, the TVG was secured to the inner wall of the tunica albuginea. In the SCOT II procedure, the TVG was folded and secured to the external wall of the tunica albuginea.

Iliac artery aneurysm: a fatal cause of urinary retention.

Our institution recently encountered two patients with ruptured iliac artery aneurysms. The first patient died, but as a result of our increased awareness, the second patient's aneurysm was diagnosed immediately and operated on successfully. The urologic findings provided subtle clues to this life-threatening condition.

Prediction of acute renal failure by "bedside formula" in medical and surgical intensive care patients.

Background: Prediction of which intensive care unit (ICU) patients are likely to develop acute renal failure (ARF) would be useful. However, scoring systems such as APACHE have been disappointing in this regard. We previously developed a bedside formula to predict ARF using only 3 parameters: serum albumin, urine osmolality, and presence of sepsis.

Postsynaptic potentials in motoneurons caused by spinal cord stimulation in humans.

Epidural spinal cord stimulation (SCS) causes facilitation and/or inhibition of spinal motoneurons many segments below the level of the cathode. On the assumption that a spinal cord pathway is activated by the cathode the conduction velocity of the fiber system responsible for the facilitation of soleus motoneurons was estimated to be between 21.5 and 27 m/sec.