Mentor-initiated approach in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a mentor-initiated program for laparoscopic radical prostatectomy by analyzing its effect on the learning curve.

Patients And Methods: The mentor performed 16 procedures (group I) and the trainee, assisted by the mentor, 12 (group II). The next 16 procedures were performed by the trainee without the mentor (group III).

Handling and prevention of complications in stone basketing.

Objective: To review the incidence, risk factors, and treatment options of intraoperative and postoperative complications of stone basketing in urology with emphasis on certain principles that must be upheld to prevent those complications.

Methods: A literature search was performed using the MEDLINE database on stone basketing between 1970 and 2005.

Results: Iatrogenic trauma due to retrieval of a stone is well known but the exact incidence is difficult to ascertain.

The association between lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction: fact or fiction?

Purpose Of Review: Both lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction are common conditions in aging men. In the past few years, increasing attention has been paid to the question of whether these conditions are associated in any way. The conventional belief of the majority of urologists so far has been that the coexistence of these two conditions is coincidental.