ObjectiveAlthough medical expulsive therapy (MET) is shown to be effective for ureteric calculi, the optimum duration and the stone size suitable for MET are not well established yet. The objectives of the study were to determine the optimum duration and maximum stone size suitable for MET.ResultsAll patients with radiologically confirmed uncomplicated ureteric calculi treated with MET using tamsulosin over a period of 6 months in the outpatient setting were followed up. There were 213 patients. 165 were men. Mean age was 42 years. At presentation 42 stones were in upper ureter (19.7%), 51 in mid ureter (23.9%), 120 in lower ureter (56.3%). The majority (82.7%) of stones were less than 10 mm. Seven stones (3.3%) were over 15 mm. Ninety-two (43.2%) patients had spontaneous passage of stones within 6-weeks of MET. Another 38.9% passed the stone within the next 6-weeks. Thirty-eight patients (17.8%) required surgery. Uncomplicated ureteric stones up to 10 mm can be given a trial of MET using tamsulosin which can be extended up to 12-weeks with a success rate over 92%. This may have substantial clinical and fiscal benefits by reducing the number of interventional procedures especially in resource-poor settings.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-017-2974-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Introduction: Haemospermia is an alarming symptom for ordinary members of the public. The worry become greater as it has been described as a warning sign of a prostate cancer in the media. Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify the aetiological factors and outcome of haemospermia in a cohort of patients. Methods: All patients with newly diagnosed haemospermia treated at the urology unit of Colombo South Teaching Hospital over a period of 5 years (2013-2018) constituted the study sample. Data related to demographics, symptomatology, clinical findings, investigations, treatment given and outcome during follow-up were recorded prospectively. Results: There were 94 men with haemospermia who sought treatment during the study period. Mean age was 43.7 years (range: 23-67, median = 41). Twenty-seven (29%) patients had clinical evidence of prostatitis and/or a positive seminal fluid culture. One patient each had prostate carcinoma, prostatic cyst, severe hypertension, sclerotherapy for haemorrhoids, post-chemotherapy and post-epididymectomy. The patient who had high blood pressure (220/150 mmHg) was found to have mesangio-proliferative glomerulonephritis. In 61 (65%) patients, there was no identifiable cause. Conclusion: The majority of patients with haemospermia are aged < 45 years and have a benign aetiology. As haemospermia is self-limiting in the majority of cases, extensive investigations are unnecessary. Advanced and invasive tests should be confined to those with abnormal clinical findings, and to those with persistent or recurrent haemospermia.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.