Such an important subject as urinary diversion is unlikely to remain unchanged and unchallenged for long. The problem is to determine when is an appropriate time to examine current clinical practice of this major urological procedure. Historically, urinary diversion began with attempts to resolve the distressing problems associated with ectopia vesicae; later, urinary diversion was extended to help those patients with neurological problems of bladder function and with malignant diseases of the lower urinary tract. A significant landmark in the development and use of these procedures came with...

Chemotherapy for malignant disease has brought about many rapid and often spectacular improvements in the survival rate of some groups of patients. Yet enthusiasm for these successes has, in part, been offset by the problems in evaluating responses to treatment and by the disappointment of failing to check the progress of still so many other tumours. These reactions will be no surprise to the medical historian but perhaps the expectations from scientific progress nowadays sometimes demand more than can reasonably be expected. Another expectation is that any review of chemotherapy is com-...

The interface between the urologist and other disciplines in medicine continues to increase as the character of urology continues to change. Urologists have, for example, developed strong links with microbiol- ogists over mutual problems of infection in the urinary tract, urolog- ists have been involved in the development of modern management of renal disease and especially renal failure, indeed even before the subject of nephrology had been defined. Similarly the links between endocrinology and infertility and more recently links between imaging and urology have led to the mutual benefit of...

Cancer of the bladder has a bad reputation: the combination of urinary problems and malignancy gives just cause for continuing concern. Not only is this common cancer a burden to the patient but, because of the need for regular follow-up, it creates a large workload on the urological services. It might be imagined that the bladder would give early warning signals of disease, and indeed it may do so; yet it can also be hesitant to reveal its severity. Thus there are many problems that create challenges in the diagnosis and management. Prevention is still the first goal of an oncologist, with...

Any book with the words percutaneous and interventional is immediately identified as one that brings to its readers a distillation of a number of new and exciting techniques. Percutaneous is not exactly a new word but it has come to take on an entirely new meaning in recent years. Interventional is a recent acquisition to medical language indicating an entirely new approach to many aspects of medical management. Exactly when is the right time to make a distillation of new thoughts and expertise requires something of the art of a master brewer. First the ingredients must be prepared, the...

Carcinoma of the prostate increasingly dominates the attention of urologists for both scientific and clinical reasons. The search for an explanation and the prediction of the variable behaviour of the malignant prostatic cell continues unabated. The search for more precise tumour staging and more effective treatment is equally vigorous. Editors Andrew Bruce and John Trachtenberg have assembled acknowledged leaders in prostate cancer to present those areas of direct interest to the clinician. There are a number of other topics that might have been considered but most of these, such as...

A further volume in the successful 'Clinical Practice in Urology' series Urological Protheses, Appliances and Catheters, provides for the first time practical information on all those aspects of urology which depend on manufactures articles that are inserted in or attached to patients.

Any discussion of the present success in management of urological cancers evokes a mixed response. Oncologists and urologists can enjoy the success with chemotherapy for testicular cancers but cannot forget the dismal results with any form of treatment, other than surgery, for renal carcinoma. But these are the less frequent urolegi- cal tumours: what are the attitudes to the more common prostate and bladder cancers. Intensive study, many clinical trials and much debate lead us to the conclusion that we understand them better, we can tailor the treatment more appropriately to the individual...

The aim of this series is to bring the reader up-to-date data and opinions on the practice of urological surgery. The ten titles published since 1982 have all been concerned with adult urology, with reference to paediatric problems included in some relevant chapters. The addition of this title on paediatric urology is especially welcome because it brings together the important components of the sub-specialty. This book has developed from one of the first of the annual courses in urological sub-specialties provided for trainees in the UK as part of their higher surgical training. But that...

The title of this book is a challenge. Anyone with the least knowledge of present day urology will know that there are many very controversial aspects of this subject. Urology is not alone in this unsettled environment for there are similar debates in almost all other aspects of surgery. In addition to the rapid changes in technology, an important part of the explanation for these controversies is simply that more surgeons are prepared to admit that no area of their work is so established that it does not bear further scrutiny and assessment. Argument can be tedious but debate is healthy....