Overprescription of narcotics is common and retained surplus medication presents a readily available source of opioid diversion. It appears that no entity on the prescribing or dispensing ends of prescription opioid delivery is fulfilling the responsibility to accurately educate patients on proper surplus medication disposal. Surgeons should analyze prescribing practices and consider decreasing the quantity of postoperative narcotics prescribed.

Evaluation for patients on active surveillance and following definitive therapy for renal neoplasms should include physical examination, renal function, serum studies and imaging and should be tailored according to recurrence risk, comorbidities and monitoring for treatment sequelae. Expert opinion determined a judicious course of monitoring/surveillance that may change in intensity as surgical/ablative therapies evolve, renal biopsy accuracy improves and more long-term follow-up data are collected. The beneficial impact of careful follow-up will also need critical evaluation as further study is completed.

The disadvantages of standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) as compared with ureteroscopy or extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy include increased blood loss, greater pain, and longer hospital stay. A 13-Fr "mini-perc" technique using a ureteroscopy sheath for PCNL was developed in an attempt to address these drawbacks. Nine "mini-percs" have been performed in patients aged 40-73 years with stone burdens of < or = 2 cm2. On average, patients had 1.4 stones with a cross-sectional area of 1.5 cm2. The mean total procedure time, estimated blood loss, and hematocrit decrease were 176 min, 83 ml, and 6.6%, respectively. On average, patients used 14 mg of parenteral morphine and stayed 1.7 days in the hospital. There was no procedure-related complication or transfusion. Eight of nine kidneys (89%) were stone-free on early follow-up at a mean of 3.8 weeks. As compared with standard PCNL, the "mini-perc" technique has similar early success rates in selected patients and may offer advantages with respect to hemorrhage, postoperative pain, and shortened hospital stays.

The cell cycle progression score derived from a biopsy sample was associated with adverse outcomes after surgery. These results indicate that the score can be used at disease diagnosis to better define patient prognosis and enable more appropriate clinical care.