Long-term oncological outcomes after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Objectives: To investigate long-term oncological outcomes after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). To identify parameters influencing recurrence-free survival in a single-institution series.

Patients And Methods: All patients underwent LRP using the transperitoneal retrograde Heilbronn technique.

A rare cause of distal bile duct stenosis.

Introduction: In a patient with a distal bile duct stenosis a definite diagnosis could not be made preoperatively.

Discussion: The histologic evaluation of the surgical resection specimen revealed infiltration of the pancreatic head and the distal bile duct by breast tumor cells.

Conclusion: The metastasis was the only tumor manifestation after mastectomy 12 years ago.

Cigarette smoking and vascular pathology in renal biopsies.

Background: In recent years cigarette smoking has been identified as a progression factor in chronic nephropathies such as glomerulonephritis or diabetic nephropathy. The exact pathomechanism of nicotine-induced renal damage is, however, unknown. Autopsy studies and functional investigations suggest that the renal vasculature is primarily affected by smoking.