Surgery with extensive debridement of all necrotic tissue is the main stay of treatment.

Our objectives were to assess the value of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in treating pediatric urolithiasis, and to determine the factors that may affect treatment success. Between January 1993 and August 2002, 129 children with upper urinary tract calculi (134 renoureteral units) were treated using a Dornier MPL-9000 lithotriptor. The series consisted of 77 boys and 52 girls with an age range from 20 months to 14 years (average age: 8.7 years). All ESWL procedures took place under general anaesthesia or sedation with ketamin or fentanyl. Under ultrasonic or fluoroscopic guidance, children were treated with a maximum 2,550 shocks at an average of 19.5 kV. Success was defined as the lack of any visible stone fragments on post-treatment radiological evaluation. The patients were assessed 3 months after ESWL treatment and the results were compared using chi(2)-tests to detect factors that might be associated with treatment success. There were 105 renal, 20 ureteral, four bilateral renal and one unilateral renal plus contralateral ureteral calculi. The mean sizes were 15.7 mm for pelvic, 17.8 mm for renal and 10.2 mm for ureteral stones. One or two lithotripsy sessions were sufficient in most cases (71.6%). In 15 (11.6%) patients, double J stents introduced before lithotripsy were left indwelling until all stone fragments were voided. Overall success rates were 89.5% for pelvic, 85.5% for renal and 75% for ureteral stones. Complications such as urinary tract infection, Steinstrasse and small subcapsular hematoma occurred in 19 (14.7%) patients. The only significant factor associated with the stone-free rate was the diameter of the stone ( P=0.022). This study confirmed that the stone-free rate is significantly influenced by stone size. Because children with stone disease are at risk for a longer period than adults, their cumulative likelihood of stone recurrences may be higher. Thus, we agree with other authorities that minimally invasive treatment, such as ESWL, is mandatory in children with urolithiasis.

Many morphologic parameters have been used in prognostic studies in renal cell carcinoma. In this study, the relationship between these parameters and prognosis was investigated. This study includes 75 patients who were treated with radical nephrectomy between 1985 and 2001. Pathological stage (TNM), grade (Fuhrman nuclear grade) cell type (UICC and AJCC), histologic pattern, tumour size, vascular invasion and multifocality were used as prognostic parameters. There were 34 female and 41 male patients with mean age of 54.5 +/- 12.5. The mean size of the tumour was 76.9 +/- 37.2 (30-200) mm. Of the patients, 40 had pT1, 21 pT2, nine pT3 and two pT4 diseases. Twenty-eight patients had Grade 1, 29 Grade 2, 15 Grade 3 and three Grade 4 tumour. According to cell type, 63 had clear cell, six papillary and six undifferentiated types. Five had multifocal and seven had vascular invasion. In conclusion, nuclear grade and tumour stage were found as the most important prognostic indicators.

A review of our records between 1993 and 1998 identified 25 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder who were less than 40 years old, 22 males and 3 females. The youngest patient was 19 years old. At the time of diagnosis 16 patients had superficial (Ta/T1) and 9 had invasive disease. Twenty-four patients were followed up for a period of 3-71 months (mean: 19.2 months). The recurrence rate for patients with superficial disease was 12.5%, and the progression rate for patients with invasive disease was 77.7%. We concluded that the patients under 30 years of age presented with lower grade and lower stage disease than those over 30. Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in young adults has a natural history similar to that seen in older patients. Accordingly, all patients, regardless of age, should be treated as aggressively as necessary on the basis of the stage and the grade of the tumour.

In this clinical study, to determine the therapeutic efficacy of interferon (IFN) treatment for Peyronie's disease, we applied interferon alpha-2A (IFN alpha-2A) intralesionally in the treatment of Peyronie plaques in 15 patients and results were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patients whose plaque sizes were 0.5 and 1 cm responded better to the treatment. There was about a 90% lessening in the sizes of the plaques of 1.5 cm, 83.3% of 2 cm, as the ones which were 0.5 cm and 1 cm disappeared completely after treatment. As a conclusion, the treatment of Peyronie's disease with IFN alpha-2A is effective and side effects are minimum.