Angiography of the ileopudendal vascular tree was performed for the evaluation of impotence in 73 patients. This technique proved useful in identifying those cases caused by vascular lesions in major arteries and small penile vessels. Organic diseases cause a much higher proportion of impotence than in generally suspected, with vascular occlusions causing the greatest number of cases. Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) studies are the best screening procedure in the author's view. In this series, NPT was followed by angiography, which provided the definitive diagnosis.
This prospective study has shown that using an enteroscope as a colonoscope in the management of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown origin is of little help. It might actually be more appropriate to perform a second colonoscopy. This however remains controversial and a prospective study is needed to answer that question.
The management of malignant ureteral obstruction (MUO) has undergone major changes due to the availability of percutaneous drainage techniques and new ureteral stents for endoscopic insertion. These procedures are less morbid than conventional surgical techniques so that the indications for urinary diversion due to untreated or relapsing malignancy have to be reconsidered. During the period of technological change from 1978 to 1984, 135 patients with unilateral (37) or bilateral (98) MUO were managed. Open nephrostomy is now almost never necessary. Initial retrograde ureteral stenting (RS) was successful under local anaesthesia in 41% of patients. Forty-seven had percutaneous nephrostomy (PN), nine of whom underwent antegrade ureteral stenting (AS) and elimination of external appliances. Twenty-nine patients underwent miscellaneous open procedures mostly in the earlier years, with a 57% morbidity rate compared to the minimal morbidity associated with the newer techniques. The overall mean survival post diversion was 9.9 months, which is significantly longer than that reported using open procedures. MUO can now be successfully relieved with little morbidity and frequently without the use of external urine collection devices. The relative ease of diversion can complicate decision making in patients with progressive renal failure due to bilateral MUO.
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