The sensory mechanisms of the lower urinary tract enable our brain to continuously monitor the filling status of the bladder. During urine storage, low-level afferent information is mostly processed subconsciously. As the bladder fills up with urine, afferent signalling increases until we start feeling the urge to pass urine and we can consciously initiate voiding […]
This month’s edition features three interesting papers in the field of functional urology. Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome has a prevalence of 14%, prostatitis symptoms have a prevalence in the male population of 8.2% and a substantial number of all men undergoing radical prostatectomy will remain incontinent. These are clinical entities that every urologist encounters in […]
In 1985, Clare Fowler described the presence of abnormal electromyography (EMG) signals in the urethral sphincter of five women with unexplained urinary retention [1]. The presence of complex repetitive discharges (CRD) and decelerating bursts (DB) in women with urinary retention became an important diagnostic finding. Initially, it was described as an EMG finding resembling pseudomyotonia […]
Here is a randomised trial from Denmark to uplift your mood this European summer. Penile vibratory stimulation may help with the recovery of erectile function after nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy [1]. However, it does not hasten recovery of continence. Building on the European theme, we were discussing alternative ways of influencing research communities and colleagues during […]
Dirk DeRidder, BJUI Associate Editor, explains the functional urology section in the BJUI and discusses new and exciting BJUI topics. You can also find out about the focus of the BJUI, including the use of social media to attract young researchers.
Dirk De Ridder Department of Urology, University Hospital Leuven, Belgium The article by Mohee et al. highlights a problem that is often neglected: the outomes we see in clinical trials do not predict the success of the therapy in real life. We know this from anticholinergics: the study results are good, but the performance in […]