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High tumor stage and grade, and ureteral location were significantly associated with worse disease specific and recurrence-free survival in patients with upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma. Our results may help define the patient groups that need adjuvant therapy and they may form a basis for further controlled studies.

AimsPersistence of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction after 6 months of diagnosis is believed to be a marker of an irreversible cardiomyopathy in peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). We sought to determine the length of time required for recovery of LV systolic function (LVSF) in patients with PPCM. Methods and resultsForty-two consecutive women with PPCM were enrolled in this prospective study. The minimum required time of follow-up for inclusion was 30 months. Each patient underwent transthoracic echocardiography, and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C-reactive protein measurement at admission, and every 3 months. Early recovery was defined as normalization of LVSF at 6 months post-diagnosis. Delayed recovery was defined if the length of time required for recovery of LVSF was longer than 6 months. Persistent left ventricular dysfunction (PLVD) was defined as an ejection fraction of ,50% at the end of follow-up. Twenty patients (47.6%) recovered completely, 10 died (23.8%), and 12 (28.6%) had PLVD. Average time to complete recovery was 19.3 months after initial diagnosis (3-42 months). Early recovery was observed only in six patients (30%), whereas delayed recovery was observed in 14 out of 20 patients (70%). Patients with complete recovery were more likely to have a higher LV ejection fraction and smaller LV end-systolic dimensions at baseline. ConclusionFull recovery of LVSF in PPCM patients often requires longer than 6 months.--

Twenty-five patients with fracture of the penis were treated surgically between 1968 and 1984. Long-term follow-up was obtained in 17. In no case were there any early post-operative complications. All patients stated that they were achieving normal, painless erections; two patients developed a slight penile curvature but this did not affect their sexual activities. We strongly recommend early surgical intervention because of these encouraging results. Urethral injury associated with the fracture did not occur in this series.

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