Spotlight on Urology

Spotlight on Urology takes a look at recent activities undertaken to advance urology around the world. This week has been a busy week for media, with several Urological issues being discussed in the media. We thank the USANZ Members who contributed to these important public discussions.
 

Penile Injections at the Olympics

The Winter Olympics have generated accusations of ski jumpers injecting hyaluronic acid into the penis in order to fly further. This is apparently to increase the total surface area of the suit, which impacts lift.

This so-called 'Penis Gate' has been widely discussed in the media. Speaking to The Guardian, USANZ Member Eric Chung (previous leader of USANZ Andrology Specialty Advisory Group) noted the injections would make the penis bigger girth-wise. Eric warned that the injections would need regular top-ups and carry significant risk, including "penile pain, poor cosmesis [disfigurement], deformity, infection, inflammation, sensory change, and sexual dysfunction" and, in some cases, "gangrene (tissue necrosis) and loss of the penis.”

Read the Guardian article.

Eric's commentary has since appeared in a number of outlets, including in the UK:

• PedestrianTV
• Irish Examiner
• Sport Resolutions
• Independent UK
• IFL Science
• TimesNow
• UNILAD
• AOL
• Sporf
• Yahoo!Sports
• Inkl (log-in required)
   

Ereticle Dysfunction after Surgery

On 2 February 2026, the Herald Sun published an article about a Melbourne man's battle with ereticle dysfunction following a radical robotic prostatectomy. The dysfunction lasted for 20 months, triggering depression and anxiety.

The article featured expert commentary by Darren Katz (Immediate Past Leader of USANZ Andrology Specialty Advisory Group). Darren acknowledged it was uncommon for men over 60 to return to pre-operative function two years after prostate cancer surgery, though medications, injections and implants may help.

Read the article (log-in required) or download a PDF version.
 

Prostate Cancer Therapy

NSW Health published an update on the prostate cancer clinical trial undertaken at Nepean Hospital using the ProFocal treatment. Results have now been published in BJUI, showing 84% of participants had no clinically significant prostate cancer at their 3-month post treatment biopsy, and that patients had lower rates of incontinence compared to other prostate cancer therapies. The trial is led by USANZ Member, Jonathan Kam.

Read the NSW Health article.
 

Medication Costs

On 10 February 2026, ABC News ran a story about the costs of medications and the PBS, which had a focus on continence medication.

The segment featured USANZ Vice-President Ashani Couchman, who spoke about the "worrying" potential side-effects of the only incontinence medication listed on the PBS (oxybutynin hydrochlordie). Ashani noted there are useful alternative medications but they are not funded under PBS so are prohibitively expensive.

The segment went on to discuss why some medications are not listed on the PBS and current government work in the area.

Watch the segment.

 

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