Cytokine responses to E. coli-induced epididymitis in the rat: blockade by vasectomy.

Objectives: To determine cytokine responses in rat epididymal tissues after retrograde Escherichia coli inoculation of the cauda epididymidis via the intact and obstructed vas deferens.

Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: bilateral sham vasectomy followed by unilateral sham retrograde inoculation in the vas deferens (group A), bilateral sham vasectomy followed by unilateral retrograde inoculation of E. coli (group B), and bilateral vasectomy followed by left-sided inoculation of E.

An overview and expert opinion on the use of alprostadil in the treatment of sexual dysfunction.

Background: Erectile dysfunction is a disease affecting millions of men over the age of 40. Alprostadil, a synthetic form of prostaglandin E(1), was introduced almost three decades ago, and is today considered an alternative treatment for erectile dysfunction.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to educate the reader on the mechanism of action of alprostadil and outline its indications, side effects, and compare it with other pharmacologic therapies for erectile dysfunction.

Major urological oncological surgeries can be performed using minimally invasive robotic or laparoscopic methods with similar early perioperative outcomes compared to conventional open methods.

Robotic and laparoscopic surgical methods (RLM) are increasingly being used for urological oncological procedures. We compared the outcomes in a cohort of patients undergoing procedures by either RLM or open methods (OM) at a single institution. The data on 279 consecutive patients undergoing major urological oncological procedures from September 2000 to June 2005 was entered into a Microsoft Access database and queried.

Robotic transperitoneal detrusor myotomy: description of a novel technique.

The da Vinci Surgical Robotic System has recently been added to the armamentarium of minimally invasive surgeon and has been shown to be useful to urologists in performing complex operations. We report the first case of detrusor myotomy performed using the da Vinci, describe the novel technique, and review the indications and published outcomes of detrusor myotomy to identify potential applications of this novel technique in patients with neurogenic bladder.