News
July 18, 2008
Computerized Tomography Findings In Pediatric Renal Trauma - Indications For Early Intervention?
UroToday.com - The study out of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh evaluated CT scans for blunt renal
trauma to see if they correlated with the need for operative intervention when urinary extravasation was present.
A total of 17 patients with grade IV blunt renal trauma and urinary extravasation were identified between 2000
and 2007. Each CT scan was reviewed to determine location, size and number of sites of extravasation, as well
as the presence of contrast material in the ipsilateral ureter. These were then compared to the findings at
the time of surgery - whether surgey included stent placement, percutaneous urinoma drainage, angiographic
embolization and nephrectomy.
Read entire article here.
July 15, 2008
Increased Risk Of Kidney Stone Disease Due To Global Warming, Predicts UT Southwestern Researchers
Global warming is likely to increase the proportion of the population affected by kidney stones by expanding the higher-risk
region known as the "kidney-stone belt" into neighboring states, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT Dallas have found.
Dehydration is one of the risk factors linked to kidney-stone disease, and the paper suggests global warming will exacerbate this
effect. The researchers predict that by 2050, higher temperatures will cause an additional 1.6 million to 2.2 million kidney-stone
cases, representing up to a 30 percent growth in some areas.
Read entire article here.
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Information
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death
among men. In 2002 it is estimated that 30,200 men will die from prostate
cancer and 189,000 men will be diagnosed (American Cancer Society Facts
& Figures 2002). The incidence of prostate cancer increases with age with
75% of all prostate cancers being diagnosed in men over the age of 65.
Prostate Cancer Management
The critical focus for the treatment of prostate cancer is to treat those cancers
where it is necessary, and not to treat those that do not need it.
Decisions
about the best management of prostate cancer can be complex and depend upon the:
- Pathology of the cancer (unlike other cancers, prostate cancer often progresses very slowly)
- Stage of the disease (non-metastatic (localized or locally advanced), metastatic or hormone refractory)
- Age and general health of the patients at diagnosis
- The impact that treatment can have on quality of life, including sexual activity.
- Patient's preference for treatment
- PSA at diagnosis
Please visit the National Prostate Cancer Coalition for more information.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month
Vaccine-preventable disease levels are at or near record lows. However, we cannot take high immunization coverage
levels for granted. To continue to protect America's children and adults, we must obtain maximum immunization coverage
in all populations, establish effective partnerships, conduct reliable scientific research, implement immunization
systems, and ensure vaccine safety.
Read more ....
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Pediatric Urology
Introduction
Pediatric urology is the diagnosis and treatment of congenital (present
at birth) and acquired urological conditions and diseases in children.
Pediatric urologists treat conditions of the male reproductive tract (e.g.,
undescended testicle) and the male and female urinary tracts (e.g., urinary
tract infection).
The urinary tract consists of the kidneys (organs that filter the blood
and form urine), the ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys), the
bladder (organ that stores urine), and the urethra (tube that carries urine
from the bladder and removes it from the body).
The most common condition treated by pediatric urologists is urinary
tract infection (UTI).
Other conditions include the following:
-
Antenatal hydronephrosis (distention of the kidney in utero)
- Hypospadias (abnormally located urethral opening)
- Nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting)
- Ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJ obstruction; may cause kidney
damage)
- Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR; backup of urine from the bladder into the
ureter)
Pediatric Urological Examination
Most children under the care of a pediatric urologist are school-aged and
younger. UTIs (e.g., cystitis) are most common in young girls and pediatric
urological conditions are usually congenital and treated at a young age.
Conditions such as vesicoureteral reflux and antenatal hydronephrosis are
frequently diagnosed during prenatal ultrasound and hypospadias is usually
diagnosed during infancy.
The pediatric urological examination includes a medical history
and a comprehensive physical examination. A history of symptoms,
illnesses, injuries, medications, prenatal ultrasound, and family history
are documented. A urinary catheter may be inserted into the bladder
through the urethra to withdraw urine. Diagnostic tests include the
following:
- Blood tests
- Cystometrogram (measures bladder pressure at various stages of
filling)
- Cystoscopy (examination of the bladder and ureter)
- Intravenous pyelogram (series of x-rays of the ureter and renal pelvis
taken after injecting a contrast agent)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Renal scan
- Ultrasound (to detect blockage in the urinary tract)
- Urinalysis and urine culture (to detect UTI)
- Urodynamic studies (measure the storage and rate of movement of urine
from the bladder)
- Uroflowmetry (measures urine flow)
- Voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG; used to observe the urinary tract
before, during, and after urination)
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