Celebrating USANZ Members

Fellowship Examination Results

USANZ warmly congratulates the Trainees who recently passed their Fellowship Exams. Drs Cameron Parkin (NSW), Bishoy Hanna (NSW), and Jiasian Teh (VIC) were recently notified of their passing results and we are delighted to now share the news with the rest of our Membership.

UTIs & Bladder Cancer

USANZ Member Sandra Elmer was recently interview by the ABC for an article about a patient with bladder cancer. 

The patient, Casey-Lee Peters, was diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer, but her insurance company rejected her life insurance policy claim as Ms Peters failed to declare previous UTIs when filling out the paperwork.

Sandra spoke to the ABC in her role as Deputy Chair of the USANZ Female Urology Specialty Advisory Group. She noted there was no link between Ms Peter's UTIs and bladder cancer.

Read the article online: Failure to declare tests after urinary tract infection sees cancer patient's insurance voided.

USANZ thanks Sandra for lending her expertise to this media coverage.

Toowoomba Hospital Foundation Grant

USANZ Member Devang Desai was the recent recipient of a grant to the value of $52,658.13, awarded by the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation. The grant will support a study titled "Quantification of retrograde ejaculation secondary to Silodosin and Alfuzosin in adult males: a randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study."

Notably, this is the largest research grant that Toowoomba Hospital has ever been awarded. Congratulations, Devang! 

Further information about the research, as provided by Devang, is outlined below.

Background

Alpha-blockers are established first-line medical therapy for male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, a frequent and bothersome adverse effect is retrograde ejaculation (RE), where semen is redirected into the bladder during orgasm. This complication negatively affects sexual satisfaction and fertility potential in men. Current evidence on alpha-blocker–induced RE is limited to subjective questionnaire-based assessments, with no objective quantification of fertility impairment.

Aim:

To quantify the extent to which commonly prescribed alpha-blockers of differing uroselectivity (Silodosin and Alfuzosin) impair male fertility, using objective semen parameters and post-ejaculatory urine analyses.

Methods:

We have designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial enrolling healthy male volunteers. Participants will receive each treatment (Silodosin, Alfuzosin, and placebo) in random sequence, separated by washout periods. Primary outcomes include changes in semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, and total sperm count, as well as sperm presence in post-ejaculatory urine. Secondary outcomes will compare the efficacy and tolerability of the two alpha-blockers.

Significance:

This will be the first study to objectively quantify the impact of alpha-blockers on male fertility. The results will enable Urologists to better counsel men regarding the sexual and reproductive implications of these medications, promoting informed decision-making in the management of BPH.

 

Thanks to Devang for supplying the photos.

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