10 Years' Plaque Incision and Vein Grafting for Peyronie's Disease: Does Time Matter?

Introduction: Surgical correction is advocated in patients with stable Peyronie's disease (PD) and severe curvature of the penis. Contemporary series demonstrate favorable outcomes based on relatively short follow-up periods. However, long-term follow-up is rarely reported and there is a paucity of evidence on the influence of patients' age, comorbidities, and natural history on surgical outcomes.

Functional aspects of silent ureteral stones investigated with MAG-3 renal scintigraphy.

Background: To investigate functional aspects of silent ureteral stones with special focus on obstruction and its relationship to renal anatomy. The present study is the first investigation of renal excretory function in patients with silent ureteral stones.

Methods: Patients with primarily asymptomatic ureteral stones underwent a mercapto-acetyltriglycine (MAG-3) renal scintigraphy prior to treatment, in addition to anatomic evaluation of renal units and serum creatinine levels.

[Therapy of castration-resistant prostate cancer].

Within the last two years the therapy of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) has made major advances. Both the COU-AA-301 phase III trial and the TROPIC trial showed a survival benefit for patients after docetaxel failure treated with abiraterone or cabazitaxel, respectively. With rising interest for chemotherapeutic options and novel drugs, our goal was to review within the context of a multidisciplinary team the available evidence and explore the standards for medical treatment of prostate cancer outside of clinical trials.

Magnetic resonance imaging of female prostate pathology.

Introduction: The female prostate (paraurethral glands) is a well-known, yet poorly understood, anatomic structure. Imaging studies of the female prostate, its physiology, and pathologies are still highly controversial.

Aim: To study the anatomy of the female prostate with contemporary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and correlate these findings to clinical features.

Emergency nephrectomy due to severe urosepsis: a retrospective, multicentre analysis of 65 cases.

Objective: To assess the outcome of emergency nephrectomy in a retrospective, multicentre analysis, as emergency nephrectomy due to life-threatening urosepsis is a rare clinical scenario with a high mortality, and there are few reports of clinical data on this issue.

Patients And Methods: We assessed retrospectively all patients who had a nephrectomy due to life-threatening urosepsis in three referral centres in Vienna between 1994 and 2007. Patient characteristics, survival and risk factors for a fatal outcome were evaluated.

[Chemotherapy for prostate cancer].

For many years the benefit of chemotherapy in patients with prostate cancer was thought to be limited to palliation of late-stage disease, and thus this treatment option only became involved in patient care towards the end of the disease process, if at all. However, two landmark phase-III trials with docetaxel-based therapy (TAX 327 and Southwest Oncology Group, SWOG, 9916) have shown a survival benefit for patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) thus prompting a change in patterns of care. With raising interest for chemotherapeutic options and clinical trials for new drugs and new indications (neoadjuvant therapy, adjuvant therapy, increasing PSA levels after local treatment, and hormone sensitive cancer) under way our goal was to review within the context of a multidisciplinary team the available evidence and explore the standard for the medical treatment of prostate cancer outside of clinical trials.

The silence of the stones: asymptomatic ureteral calculi.

Purpose: We investigated the characteristics and diagnosis of primary asymptomatic ureteral calculi.

Materials And Methods: During a period of 12 years asymptomatic ureteral stones were prospectively investigated at the Urological Stone Center. We studied mode of diagnosis, stone size, localization, composition, hydronephrosis grade and patient characteristics.

A prospective, open label, randomized phase II trial of weekly docetaxel versus weekly vinorelbine as first line chemotherapy in patients with androgen independent prostate cancer.

Purpose: In previous phase I to III studies docetaxel and vinorelbine have shown promising activity in androgen independent prostate cancer. In the present trial we assessed the efficacy and tolerability of single agent low dose docetaxel vs vinorelbine in patients with advanced androgen independent prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: A total of 40 chemotherapy naive patients with histologically proven androgen independent prostate cancer, adequate androgen ablation, and clinical and/or biochemical progression were randomly assigned to receive either 25 mg/m(2) docetaxel (arm A) or 25 mg/m(2) vinorelbine (arm B) weekly.

Priapism.

Introduction: There are three different types of priapism: low-flow, ischemic, anoxic or veno-occlusive priapism; high-flow, arterial or nonischemic priapism; and recurrent or stuttering priapism.

Aim: To provide recommendations/guidelines concerning state-of-the-art knowledge for the diagnosis and treatment of priapism.

Methods: An International Consultation in collaboration with the major urology and sexual medicine associations assembled over 200 multidisciplinary experts from 60 countries into 17 committees.

Peyronie's disease.

Introduction: Peyronie's disease is a sexual medicine condition that may adversely affect male sexual function.

Aim: To provide expert opinions/recommendations concerning state-of-the-art knowledge for the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of Peyronie's disease.

Methods: An International Consultation in collaboration with the major urology and sexual medicine associations assembled over 200 multidisciplinary experts from 60 countries into 17 committees.

Compression of kidneys in Erdheim-Chester disease of retroperitoneum: Open surgical approach.

Erdheim-Chester disease is a rare systemic non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. We report the first case of surgical treatment of severe compression of renal parenchyma by retroperitoneal masses in a 61-year-old male patient with progressing renal failure. After 3 years of follow-up, we have concluded that the open surgical approach is an option in the management of renal complications in Erdheim-Chester disease.