Publications by authors named "Mahesha Weerakoon"

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic and staging ability of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) compared to radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens after dissemination of this technology to several centres. mpMRI is an evolving technique aiming to improve upon the diagnostic sensitivity of prostate biopsy for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Differences in interpretation, expertise and application of mpMRI are responsible for the range of reported results.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the past decade active surveillance (AS) of men with localized prostate cancer has become an increasingly popular management option, and a range of clinical guidelines have been published on this topic. Existing guidelines regarding AS for prostate cancer vary widely, but predominantly state that the most suitable patients for AS are those with pretreatment clinical stage T1c or T2 tumours, serum PSA levels <10 ng/ml, biopsy Gleason scores of 6 or less, a maximum of one or two tumour-positive biopsy core samples and/or a maximum of 50% of cancer per core sample. Following initiation of an AS programme, most guidelines recommend serial serum PSA measurements, digital rectal examinations and surveillance biopsies to check for and identify pathological indications of tumour progression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is an emerging technique aiming to improve upon the diagnostic sensitivity of prostate biopsy. Because of variance in interpretation and application of techniques, results may vary. There is likely a learning curve to establish consistent reporting of mpMRI.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this review was to evaluate the current role of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) in the management of prostate cancer (PC). The diagnosis of PC remains controversial owing to overdetection of indolent disease, which leads to overtreatment and subsequent patient harm. mp-MRI has the potential to equilibrate the imbalance between detection and treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To ascertain the treatment trends and patterns of care, for men with prostate cancer on active surveillance (AS) in Victoria, Australia.

Patients And Methods: De-identified data was obtained for 6424 men from the Victorian Prostate Cancer Registry. Men included in this study were diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2008 to August 2012 with ≥ 12-months of follow-up.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To present the Victorian Transperineal Biopsy Collaboration (VTBC) experience in patients with no prior prostate cancer diagnosis, assessing the cancer detection rate, pathological outcomes and anatomical distribution of cancer within the prostate.

Patients And Methods: VTBC was established through partnership between urologists performing transperineal biopsies of the prostate (TPB) at three institutions in Melbourne. Consecutive patients who had TPB, as first biopsy or repeat biopsy after previous negative transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsy, between September 2009 and September 2013 in the VTBC database were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ureteroscopy (URS) is a procedure which has been constantly evolving since the development of first generation devices 40 years ago. Progress towards smaller and more sophisticated equipment has been particularly rapid in the last decade. We review the significant steps that have been made toward improving outcomes and limiting morbidity with this procedure which is central to the management of urolithiasis and other upper urinary tract pathology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To determine the rate of hospital re-admission for sepsis after transperineal (TP) biopsy using both local data and worldwide literature, as there is growing interest in TP biopsy as an alternative to transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided biopsy for patients undergoing repeat prostate biopsy.

Patients And Methods: Pooled prospective databases on TP biopsy from multiple centres in Melbourne were queried for rates of re-admission for infection. A literature review of PubMed and Embase was also conducted using the search terms: 'prostate biopsy, fever, infection, sepsis, septicaemia and complications'.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP), increasingly used to treat localized prostate cancer, has advantages over open radical prostatectomy (ORP) in terms of reduced bleeding and quicker convalescence. However, debate continues over whether RALRP provides superior or at least equivalent surgical outcomes. This study compares positive surgical margins (+SM), as a surrogate for long-term cancer control, at RALRP and ORP performed by a single experienced surgeon during the process of taking up RALRP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To define selection criteria for pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) based on a contemporary Australian cohort of men with clinically localised prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) with PLND, as stage migration of prostate cancer has led to re-evaluation of the role of PLND at the time of RP.

Patients And Methods: In all, 200 consecutive men treated by one surgeon between 2000 and 2005 with open RP and PLND. The clinical and pathological data were extracted by retrospective chart review.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To address the usability and safety aspects of current equipment for indwelling urinary catheter (IDC) manipulation, by assessing the attitudes of doctors and nurses to infection control, occupational health and environmental waste, and the perceived adequacy of available catheter packs, particularly drapes, when performing such manipulations.

Subjects And Methods: A self-administered survey instrument was created using an online database and completed by doctors and nurses. The survey covered basic demographics and experience with IDC, attitudes to infection control, occupational health and safety, and the environment, as well as adequacy of current equipment in containing spillage of urine and/or blood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionaaba9mjtm51rer58tclja886ttfnn1ro): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once