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OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the impact of a virtual reality trainer in improving percutaneous renal access skills of urological trainees. METHODS: A total of 36 urology trainees participated in this prospective study. Initially, they were taken through the exercise of gaining access to the lower pole calyceal system and introducing a guidewire down the ureter. Trainees' performance was then assessed by virtual reality-derived parameters of the simulator at baseline and after 2 h of training. RESULTS: Participants who underwent training with the simulator demonstrated significant improvement in several parameters compared to their baseline performance. There was a statistically significant correlation between total time to perform the procedure and time of radiation exposure, radiation dose and correct calyx puncture (p < 0.01). Trainees needed a mean of 15.8 min from skin puncture to correct guidewire placement into the pelvicalyceal system before and 6.49 min following training. CONCLUSIONS: We found percutaneous renal access skills of trainees improve significantly on a number of parameters as a result of training on the PERC Mentor TM VR simulator. Such simulated training has the potential to decrease the risks and complications associated with the early stages of the learning curve when training for percutaneous renal access in patients.

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INTRODUCTION: The Memokath 051™ is a semipermanent inert metal alloy ureteric stent which can bridge strictures and, compared to double J stents, causes less bladder irritation and pain, is more resistant to external compression forces and may be more effective in patients with malignant ureteric obstruction. We present our experience with this novel stent in such cases. METHODS: All suitable patients referred to us with malignancy-associated ureteric strictures over a 4-year period had ureteric Memokath 051™ stents inserted. Data on aetiology and position of the strictures as well as length of the Memokath stents used and their efficacy and complications were recorded prospectively. RESULTS: 42 ureteric Memokath 051™ stents were inserted in 37 patients (mean age 64 years). 40.5% of strictures were related to gynaecological cancer, 21% to bowel cancer, 14% were post radiation, 14% occurred in prostate cancer patients and 9.5% were found in other cancers. The mean follow-up was 22 months (range 5-60 months). The main complications were stent migrations in 5, urinary tract infections in 3 and blockage of stent due to progressive transitional cell carcinoma of the ureter in 2 cases. CONCLUSION: Memokath 051™ ureteric stents are safe, effective and durable in the long-term treatment of malignant strictures.

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Bladder-outflow obstruction is a common age-related clinical entity due to a variety of benign and malignant diseases of the prostate. Surgical treatment is not suitable for high-risk elderly patients who seek minimally invasive management. We present a prostatic thermo-expandable metal stent for treating bladder-outflow obstruction. In this review, we include the design characteristics of this novel device, the performance assessment in comparison with alternative devices, the limitations, our personal clinical experience, as well as a long-term perspective. According to our experience among 127 patients (who underwent insertion of 192 stents) after 1, 2 and 3 years, 82, 61 and 47% of the original stents were functional without apparent complications, respectively. The mean single stent indwelling time was 1 year, with a maximum of 4 years. In 41% of patients, the stent needed to be removed and/or exchanged owing to stent encrustation (15%), migration (10%), penile pain (6%), bladder-outflow obstruction symptoms (5%), urinary incontinence (<3%), tissue granulation (<3%), recurrent urinary tract infections (<3%) or urethral stricture (<3%). The thermo-expandable prostatic stent seems to be an effective minimally invasive treatment of bladder-outflow obstruction, especially in high-risk patients.

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The spiralling costs of antibiotic therapy, the appearance of multiresistant bacteria and more importantly for patients and clinicians, unsatisfactory therapeutic options in recurrent urinary tract infection (RUTI) calls for alternative and advanced medical solutions. So far no sufficient means to successfully prevent painful and disabling RUTI has been found. Even though long-term oral antibiotic treatment has been used with some success as a therapeutic option, this is no longer secure due to the development of bacterial resistance. One promising alternative is the use of live microorganisms (probiotics) to prevent and treat recurrent complicated and uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI).The human normal bacterial flora is increasingly recognised as an important defence to infection. Since the advent of antibiotic treatment five decades ago, a linear relation between antibiotic use and reduction in pathogenic bacteria has become established as medical conventional wisdom. But with the use of antibiotics the beneficial bacterial flora hosted by the human body is destroyed and pathogenic bacteria are selectively enabled to overgrow internal and external surfaces. The benign bacterial flora is crucial for body function and oervgrowth with pathogenic microorganisms leads to illness. Thus the concept of supporting the human body's normal flora with live microorganisms conferring a beneficial health effect is an important medical strategy.

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Mycophenolate Mofetil MMF has been widely used in post-transplant immunosuppression. Its role is emerging in GN. MMF demonstrated promising results compared with cyclosphosphamide in stage IV lupus nephritis, in a recently published trial. It has been found to have a wide safety profile, with mostly gastroinetestinal side effects, which can be avoided through titration. Its action is through inhibition of the enzyme IMDPH (ionosine monophosphate dehydrogenase), leading to purine antagonism and inhibition of lymphocytes. We were aiming to demonstrate the efficacy of MMF in our GN population. In this study, we reviewed 17 patients who received MMF (dose - 1 gm po bid) for the past year. They were only included if it was given for the management of resistant primary glomerulonephritis. Complete remission has been defined as proteinuria of less than 0.5 g/day and partial remission as a reduction of proteinuria 50% of starting MMF therapy; all 17 MMF therapy patients uniformly achieved good BP ((29%) achieved complete remission and this group consisted of 1 membranous GN, 2 lupus GN (type IV and membranous), one FSGS and one with MPGN. Four of 17 (23%) were non-responders to therapy. This group articles.aspx? id=41 to side effects. We conclude that the MMF appears to be an effective alternate treatment modality in resistant membranous GN, lupus nephritis (type IV and V) and possibly MPGN, and to a lesser extent in resistant FSGS. Further prospective data may demonstrate the efficacy of MMF in GN.

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Circumcision is a simple operation often performed under general anaesthesia. In this study, we assessed the suitability of local anaesthesia in 38 adult patients, 79.4% of whom suffered little or no discomfort. Infiltration of local anaesthesia caused moderate pain in 10 patients (29.4%) and severe pain in only one. The circumcision itself caused moderate pain in three patients and severe pain in another three (8.8%); 85% of patients expressed complete satisfaction.

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