Narrative review of nephron-sparing surgical management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma: is there a role for distal ureterectomy, segmental ureterectomy, and partial nephrectomy.

Background And Objective: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a relatively rare malignancy and radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) with bladder cuff excision (BCE) is considered as the standard of care for high-risk non-metastatic disease. Loss of the renal unit secondary to RNU, especially in elderly patients, causes significant decline in overall renal function which in turn negatively impacts the overall survival (OS). Such radical surgeries can be spared in a select group of the patients with segmental ureterectomy (SU) or distal ureterectomy to salvage the ipsilateral kidney.

Evaluation of Clinical Use and Cost-Effectiveness of a Flexible Cystoscope System with a Disposable Sheath: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Flexible cystoscopy is routinely performed as an outpatient procedure. The use of disposable sheaths can increase cystoscope life span and reduce staff costs. The primary end point of this study was to evaluate procedure related discomfort and pain, physician maneuverability, residual bioburden and reprocessing time.

Small fiber polyneuropathy as a potential therapeutic target in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are frequently co-occurring medical diagnoses in patients referred to the urology clinic for secondary and tertiary treatment options.

Methods: Abundant literature has shown that many patients with FM have small fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN) that can be confirmed via skin punch biopsy and immunological staining to measure nerve density.

Results And Conclusions: This finding of SFPN provides a therapeutic target for FM and in this article we hypothesize and provide rationale for the idea that this same phenomenon (SFPN) might explain, in some IC/BPS patients, the finding of widespread pain and likewise provide a therapeutic target for these patients.

A Pulsed Electrical Joint Stimulator for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Hand and Wrist.

The hand is commonly affected by osteoarthritis (OA). The development and progression of OA are believed to involve inflammation, even in the early stages of the disease. Inflammatory and proinflammatory cytokines have also been shown to be elevated in the flexor tenosynovium of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Synergistic effect of using a transcutaneous electrical joint stimulator and an unloading brace in treating osteoarthritis of the knee.

Medical treatments and less invasive surgical approaches for knee osteoarthritis are variably effective, and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is generally reserved for the most severe cases. The care gap between more conservative treatments and TKA leaves many patients with unresolved pain and loss of function for long periods. We conducted a study to determine if incorporating the BioniCare stimulator into an unloading brace would produce more rapid improvement and result in increased adherence and efficacy.