Circumcision has been the traditional treatment for phimosis, but now is not the only management option, the best of which appears to be topical steroid application. Importantly, the literature suggests that phimosis probably is over-diagnosed, indicating that a prospective, randomized controlled study is needed to compare the non-circumcision options. Such a study would require consensus on the diagnostic criteria for phimosis; therefore, a more exacting definition would be needed and is suggested. Despite the non-controlled data on medical treatment of true phimosis, there seems little doubt that surgical intervention is not needed for all male infants with adherence of the foreskin to the glans, a non-retractable foreskin or, indeed, true phimosis.

A prospective randomized clinical trial comparing the use of a new iodophor‐impregnated incise drape with a standard skin preparation technique in 1102 patients undergoing abdominal surgical procedures is reported. The effect of the incise drape on wound bacterial contamination and subsequent wound infections is compared. The iodophor‐impregnated plastic incise drape reduced the contamination of the wound. In particular, isolates of normal skin organisms were less frequent when the drape was used in clean and clean contaminated procedures. However, no difference was found between the wound infection rates for the patients on whom the iodophor drape was used and those patients on whom the drape was not used.

This new technique seems to have a place in the management of the neuropathic bladder, but further laboratory study and cautious clinical application is required to ascertain its role in bladder augmentation.

Congenital obstruction of the posterior urethra was first systematically classified by Young in 1919. Since then, no-one has seriously challenged the presence of both Type I and Type III "valves", although the presence of Type II lesions has often been disputed. A review of Young's papers and more recent anatomical studies, together with endoscopic findings in our own patients, indicates that most congenital posterior urethral obstructions are anatomically similar. Consequently, Young's classification now seems redundant.

No abstract

There are two distinct types of congenital obstruction of the proximal urethra, with the association to the verumontanum being the distinguishing feature.

No abstract

Autoaugmentation demucosalized enterocystoplasty has been developed from the combination of the autoaugmentation technique, the use of the stomach and colon for bladder augmentation and the ability of the bowel and stomach to survive the removal of their epithelial lining. The initial combined approach used the stomach as the source of muscle, with the colon subsequently being used as an alternative. The operations have been applied in the laboratory and clinically, giving good results for bladder augmentation with both sources of enteric muscle, more reliably so and with a greater ease of separation of the mucosa when stomach muscle is used. There is hope that further research will improve the outcome of what is a technically challenging procedure.