The T-USSQ is a reliable and robust instrument that can be self-administered to patients of Turkish population with ureteral stent in the clinical applications.

Red cell distribution width (RDW), one of the biomarkers used to measure vascular ageing, is known to correspond with cardiovascular diseases. As coronary artery disease and erectile dysfunction (ED) are both caused by the same shared pathophysiology, in this study, we compared the RDW values of men diagnosed with ED and those of healthy controls. Ninety‐nine patients who were diagnosed with ED were included in the study. The control group consists of 100 men who presented to our outpatient clinic. Patients' fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly higher in men diagnosed with ED. While the mean RDW value was 13.49 ± 1.52 in men with ED, it was 12.91 ± 1.13 in the control group. When RDW values were compared between the two groups, the RDW values of men with ED were found to be statistically significantly higher. Multivariate analyses showed that only the patients' body mass index, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride (TG), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL‐C), TG/HDL‐C ratio and RDW levels' relationship with ED was statistically significant. Although some studies have shown that RDW may be related to some diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer, this appears to be the first study demonstrating a relationship between RDW and ED. RDW can be utilised as a predictor for the determination of the presence and monitoring of the severity of ED.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of retropubic (RP) or transobturator (TO) midurethral slings (MUS) in a prospective randomized cohort of Turkish women. Patients and Methods: A total of 54 women with urodynamic stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were randomized to undergo either RP or TO MUS between August 2006 and February 2013 in a tertiary referral center by a single surgeon. All patients had history, physical examination, urodynamic evaluation and quality of life assessments. The validated Turkish versions of the SEAPI, ICIQ-SF and OAB-V8 questionnaires were used. The Advantage® RP and the Obtryx® TO MUS Systems were used for all RP and TO procedures. Results: Twenty-seven patients were randomized to each group. The median follow-up was 48.5 ± 21.8 months. The median hospital stay was 24.0 ± 4.8 h and median operative time was 35.0 ± 19.9 min. The overall objective and subjective cure rates were 92.6 and 79.6%, respectively. The quality of life of all patients significantly increased after the operation compared to their preoperative status. Patients with a poorer subjective cure rate were those with mixed urinary incontinence, whose preoperative SEAPI and OAB-V8 scores were significantly higher. Conclusion: MUS surgery is highly effective and could safely be performed in a cohort of Turkish women with SUI in subspecialty centers by experienced surgeons. There is no significant difference between RP or TO applications in terms of safety and efficacy. Further studies with long-term follow-up data are required.

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Ge liş Ta ri hi/Re cei ved: 13.08.2016 Ka bul Ta ri hi/Ac cep ted: 24.08.2016 2013 Üroonkoloji Kongresi ve 2014 EAU-SEEM toplantısında sunulmuştur. © Üroonkoloji Bülteni, Ga le nos Ya yı ne vi ta ra fın dan ba sıl mış tır./ © Bulletin of Urooncology, Pub lis hed by Ga le nos Pub lis hing.Objective: We aimed to share our experience about the super-selective embolization of the vesical artery performed with micro-catheter technique which was used as a palliative approach to control intractable hematuria in patients with bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: Super-selective embolization of the vesical artery with micro-catheter technique was performed in 12 bladder cancer patients whose hematuria could not be controlled with other palliative methods in our clinic. Hemoglobin levels, blood transfusion amounts, complications and urethral catheter removal duration before and after embolization were evaluated. Results: The average age of the patients was 73.3 (65-85, range) years. For the embolization process, n-butyl-2cyaboacrylate (glue) was used as the primary method in 3 patients and polyvinylalcohol (PVA) particle was used in the remaining 9 patients. In two of the patients whose hematuria could not be controlled after PVA embolization glue embolization was performed as the secondary procedure within one week. Super-selective embolization of the vesical artery with micro-catheter technique was performed in all of our cases. In 4 cases, embolization of the vesical artery was performed only to the side of the tumor, which was determined with cystoscopy. Bilateral embolization was performed to the remaining 8 cases. The average hemoglobin value before and after the embolization procedure was 7.9 g/dL and 9.2 g/dL, respectively. The average blood transfusion amounts before and after the procedure were 4 (2-15) and 2.3 (1-4) units erythrocyte/ whole blood, respectively. The average urethral catheter duration after the procedure was 7 (2-16) days in 10 patients, who were treated one single embolization session. Urethral catheters were removed once the hematuria dissolved completely. There were no major complications or mortality related to the treatment after the embolization procedure. Conclusion: Super-selective embolization of the vesical artery performed with micro-catheter technique is a safe and effective alternative in patients with intractable hematuria due to bladder cancer whose hematuria could not be controlled with other palliative methods.