Vasectomy: yet an ineffective tool for population control in Pakistan

Five hundred men undergoing vasectomy in our department have been studied. They have been analysed regarding their age, literacy, number of living children, reason for requesting vasectomy and postoperative complications. Our results show that vasectomy services in the study group were poorly utilized. Causes of this poor performance are discussed. A group of 100 men who refused vasectomy were also interviewed to know their reservations

role of prazosin in the management of bladder outflow obstruction

A placebo controlled study evaluating the effects of an Alpha I blocking agent [Prazosin] on bladder out flow obstruction was conducted on 35 patients. Their mean age 55 years. Drug was administered for four weeks and results were evaluated after 24 weeks. There was significant improvement in the objective symptoms and subjective parameters in patients receiving Prazosin as compared with the placebo. Few side effects were observed. Prazosin can be recommended for symptomatic relief of patients with bladder outflow obstruction particularly if they are unfit for surgery or do not warrant it

role of urinary cytology in the early diagnosis of bladder cancer

A prospective study was conducted on 50 patients with urinary bladder carcinoma to evaluate the role of urinary cytology in the early diagnosis of bladder cancer. Urinary cytology was clearly positive in 87.5% and negative in 12.5% of cases when bladder tumour was visible on cystoscopic examination. Whereas it was clearly positive in 40% and negative in 60% of cases when no tumour was seen on cystoscopy but detected on biopsy. It was observed that urinary cytology is almost as accurate as cystoscopy in appraising the presence or absence of bladder tumour. It may provide information about the neoplastic state of the epithelium not provided by cystoscopic examination. It is recommended that being practical and simple procedure, urinary cytology may be done as a routine procedure in the high risk patients and also suspected cases of bladder carcinoma presenting with unexplained frequency, urgency or haematuria

role of multiple mucosal biopsies in the evaluation of bladder cancer

A prospective study was conducted on 50 patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of urinary bladder to determine the incidence of atypia and carcinoma in situ in selected site biopsies from apparently non-tumour bearing bladder mucosa. 48% of the biopsies from cystoscopically normal mucosa revealed histological abnormalities including 20% atypia and 28% carcinoma of the urinary bladder. It is recommended that every patient with a neoplastic lesion of the bladder should have the benefit of multiple biopsies in order to ascertain the status of the bladder epithelium outside the area of visible tumour. It shall help in contemplating aggressive therapeutic measures in patients with diffuse and marked peripheral urothelial abnormalities