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Foreword
Per-Anders Abrahamsson
Secretary General, European Association of Urology (EAU)
Per-Anders Abrahamsson is Secretary General of the European Association of Urology (EAU). He is also a Professor of Urology at the
University of Lund, Chair of the Department of Urology at Malmö University Hospital and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urology
at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Previously, he was Chairman of the Department of Urology at Lund University Hospital.
Professor Abrahamsson is the author of 275 scientific publications, including book chapters and books, and is a member of the Editorial
Boards of several scientific journals. He has been the main organiser of several international conferences, is a frequently invited speaker at
scientific meetings and has received a number of national and international awards. Professor Abrahamsson received his MD and PhD from
Lund University.
W
elcome to this edition of European Urological Review. This informative and varied publication features a range
of scientific articles that discuss and review key issues relevant to urologists in Europe and, indeed, worldwide.
This edition reviews the field of genito-urinary disease, covering 13 urological specialities from prostate cancer to
paediatric urology, emphasising the wide spectrum of both medical and surgical topics that are encompassed by the
speciality of urology.
The European Association of Urology (EAU) has developed an extensive and comprehensive programme of educational
and scientific activities relating to all of these important disease areas. The EAU annual meeting in Stockholm in March
2009 will be the main European and international forum where the latest advances in the field of urology will be
reviewed in detail. The 3rd European Multidisciplinary Meeting on Urological Cancers (EMUC) will be held in Barcelona
in November 2009 in collaboration with our colleagues in medical oncology and radiation therapy.
This issue opens with an overview of minimally invasive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Next, three
chapters focus on prostate cancer: an introductory chapter introduces HistoScanning™ and its role in prostate cancer
diagnosis, staging, treatment and monitoring; a second chapter provides an update on high-intensity focused ultrasound
(HIFU) as a local treatment for prostate cancer; and a separate chapter on prostatectomy reviews both the laparoscopic
and the robot-assisted laparoscopic approach.
Whether photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and transurethral resection (TUR) can play a role in the detection and treatment
of bladder cancer is investigated in a second oncological chapter. Further articles deal with second-line treatment for
superficial bladder cancer and possible treatment of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the bladder.
Both overview articles and reviews of medical agents are tackled in the chapter on overactive bladder. Fesotoderine is
introduced as a new treatment option and transdermal oxybutynin is shown to be safe and effective. Transdermal
oxybutynin also plays a crucial role in the treatment of urinary incontinence. Looking at the important area of new medical
technology, there is a report on minimally invasive one-incision slings for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.
A comprehensive feature containing three articles on stone management follows this, covering intracorporeal lithotripsy,
ureteral calculi and optimised shock-wave lithotripsy. There is expert discussion on andrological topics as varied as erectile
dysfunction, premature ejaculation and male infertility. One of the articles explains the genetic basis of severe male factor
infertility and discusses what urologists need to know.
European Urological Review would like to thank everyone involved for successfully providing interesting and informative
expert discussion. We would like to say a big thank you to the individual authors for their time and effort. We trust that
you will find this edition an informative and enjoyable read. ■
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