HWN Suggests

History of Urology

Doctors have recognized genitourinary tract diseases for thousands of years. Experts discovered a child’s mummified body in Egypt and found a massive bladder stone. According to many, one of the first urological procedures performed by surgeons in the old days was a circumcision. Eventually, the Greek Physician Hippocrates recognized bladder stones and worked on methods for removing them. Traveling lithotomists, better known as stone cutters, practiced bladder stone removal during the 17th century. Samuel Pepys, a popular diarist, described how a lithotomist removed his stone. It was a gory ordeal, but he lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately, many others weren’t so lucky and often lost their…

read full article

Featured

 An expert take on the field of Urology

Urology is progressing rapidly due to our technological capabilities. However, not all domains have enjoyed advancements in the past years. While some urological fields, e.g., the field of prostate or renal cancer have been marked by significant changes in the past decade both surgically and diagnostically, there are still areas where management is still based on traditional knowledge. To my view, bladder cancer remains quite a challenging domain. The emerging landscape of germline variants in urothelial carcinoma is an area where future research is awaited with the highest interest and might be a game-changer.

 Four Years of Urology

Thirty years in the medical field with twenty of those in emergency med has given me tons of amazing stories to share with all of my friends.

Articles of Interest

A Tale of Survival, Painting and Urology

Sometimes we may “accuse” medical teams of forgetting their patients are human and not just a wristband and chart in a hospital bed; it works the other way, too. We sometimes forget that our doctors are more than white coats adjusting medications and asking, yet again — “Who is the president?” But doctors are, in fact, human. And they can create art. And they can have strokes.

Legends in Urology

A wise community based general surgeon I met during a medical student elective advised me to look at Urology. When one of the general internists also recommended Urology I did some further investigation and met with Said Awad who sold me. My father did not think much of Urology as a surgical specialty since he had quite a negative opinion towards endoscopic surgery.

Should we be concerned about losing urology territory to other specialties?

Compared with other subspecialties with close connections to neighboring fields, pediatric urology has a shrinking, specifically-defined population base that permits precise definition of demand. However, there is greater complexity in the areas of male infertility, female urology, uro-oncology, etc. The fields have yet to be defined, but demand, and with it workload for the specialist, is rapidly growing. Patient demand is becoming a driving force, and as shown by the present “robot hype” in radical prostatectomy, marketing strategies play a major role.

Social media and urology: The good, the bad and the ugly

Social media (SoMe) is now a core part of modern-day life with increased use among both patients and urologists. The interplay of SoMe between these two parties is complex. From a patient perspective, SoMe platforms can serve as educational tools as well as communication portals to support networks and patient communities. However, studies report the educational value of content online is often poor and may contain misinformation. For urologists, SoMe can lead to research collaborations, networking and educational content but areas of concern include the potential negative impact SoMe can have on mental health and sharing of patient images without appropriate consent.

Survey on the perception of urology as a specialty by medical students

Upon inquiring with medical students and urologists across Canada, it is evident that urology is perceived as a male-dominant specialty, among other stereotypes. These misperceptions may hamper the recruitment of the best and brightest trainees. With that in mind, we surveyed medical students at our institution to obtain an objective assessment of their perception of urology and to determine the cause for misperceptions.

The Future Of Urology In Question: New Survey Reveals The Top Concerns Facing Specialists Today

When asked to rank the biggest challenges in urology today, 65 per cent of urologists ranked a lack of funding of research and development as their biggest concern, and more than half cited lack of understanding amongst referrers as an ongoing problem. More than a third of respondents indicated a lack of new treatments for urological conditions as a problem in the area. Disappointingly, nearly two thirds of those surveyed felt urology was not a health priority in their country, and the majority do not believe the senior management in their hospital prioritises their discipline.

The State of Urology

Our survey explored the most pressing challenges and promising opportunities facing urology, and identified three key themes that urologists feel will shape the future of the field.

The Use of Social Media for Medical Education Within Urology: a Journey Still in Progress

The role of social media in urologic medical education has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its utilization by urologists has been expanding, making it very valuable for physician and patient education. Future research should focus on ways to maximize these medical education efforts, minimize risks, and increase guideline awareness among users.

Trends in urology...

Precision-based care is enhancing urologic diagnostics, reducing unnecessary interventions, and improving treatment personalization, particularly in prostate cancer. Workforce shortages and an aging population are creating access challenges in urology, necessitating innovative team-based care solutions.

Understanding Urology: The Medical Specialty for Urinary and Reproductive Health

Urology is essential for maintaining overall health and quality of life. The urinary and reproductive systems play critical roles in the body’s functioning, and disorders in these systems can significantly impact a person’s well-being. Effective urological care can alleviate symptoms, treat underlying conditions, and prevent complications, ensuring that patients lead healthier and more comfortable lives

Urologist in a chocolate box: Felix Guyon

Guyon’s urology clinics were attended by students and doctors from across the world, all learning about the ‘new’ specialty of urology.

What it’s like to specialize in urology...

Urology is a surgical subspecialty but is a very diverse field so no day is ever the same. We treat patients with any issues associated with the genitourinary tract. Common problems that we address include kidney stones, urinary issues, and prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. You get a little bit of everything which makes it a very fun specialty!

Why Urology?

I want to help you pee, get rid of cancer and even have an erection, with a combination of medicine, surgery and advanced technology! Minimally invasive robotic and laparoscopic surgery, laser-assisted surgeries, and other scope-guided procedures are helping us treat our patients and improve our results in enhancing their life quality. To have a perfect match for our job, we can subspecialize in a broad spectrum of subdisciplines such as: endourology, laparoscopy, urologic oncology, neurourology, transplant urology, pediatric urology, reconstructive urology, female urology, androurology and sexual medicine.

Why Urology?

As a urologist I have a hybrid practice. I see patients in clinic and do clinic-based procedures like urodynamics, cystoscopy, intravesical botox injections and urethral bulking agents. I do some general urology which includes endoscopic surgery like transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and ureteroscopy for kidney stones as well as major abdominal and perineal surgeries. Some of these include robotic or vaginal prolapse repair, urethroplasty for urethral strictures and cystectomy with urinary diversion for neurogenic bladder. I’m NEVER bored.

You chose to be a urologist, now count your blessings

As urologists, we see the entire spectrum of age groups, from newborns to geriatric patients. We have an opportunity to care for children and their congenital problems, and we care for patients in their declining years when urologic problems are so common. We can even delve into the emotional problems of our patients and with our empathy can provide support and solutions. Unlike some specialties, such as oncology and neurology, most of our patients do well and get better. We have at our disposal medicines, surgery, and the combination of both treatments that render our patients improved after they interact with us. The knowledge that we can solve many, if not most, of their urologic problems is very rewarding and satisfying. As a result, patients seem to hold their urologists in high esteem and are very grateful for the care we provide.