← all papers · surgical outcomes (53) Science journalism, not medical advice.
- Weight Loss Surgery Improved Sperm Quality — No Pregnancies Followed2026-05-23
43 obese infertile men saw testosterone rise and semen motility improve after bariatric surgery — but zero pregnancies in 12 months
The Influence of Different Bariatric Surgeries on Male Sex Hormones and Semen Parameters Among Infertile Obese Male Patients: An Observational Study male infertility obesity testosterone semen quality surgical outcomes
- Curable Cancer That Still Kills Young Men2026-05-14
Testicular cancer is among the most curable metastatic solid tumors — but the poor-risk subset still carries significant mortality in young men
How to Optimize Treatment for Patients With Poor-Risk Testicular Cancer testicular cancer narrative review surgical outcomes survivorship
- Birch Tree Compound Fights Post-Surgery ED — In Rats2026-05-12
Betulinic acid reduced penile smooth muscle apoptosis in nerve-injured rats, but this is a 5-rats-per-group rodent study with no funding disclosure
Betulinic Acid Ameliorates Cavernous Nerve Injury-Induced Erectile Dysfunction Through Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway Activation and Inhibition of Mitochondrial Damage-Dependent Corpus Cavernosum Smooth Muscle Cells Apoptosis animal study erectile dysfunction oxidative stress surgical outcomes
- BPH Drugs Tank Sex Drive. Does Rezum?2026-05-11
Rezum patients gained sexual desire and erectile function at 1 year; every drug regimen caused significant declines across multiple sexual domains
Sexual Function Outcomes of 5-Year Rezum Treatment vs. Drug Therapy for BPH BPH erectile dysfunction sexual dysfunction surgical outcomes
- Penile Implant Drains: Trend Toward Worse, Not Better2026-05-11
Drain use after three-piece penile implant surgery showed no benefit — hematoma rates trended slightly higher in the drain group
Does a 24-h Closed-Suction Drain Reduce Infection and Hematoma After Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Surgery? A Comparative Study penile prosthesis surgical outcomes erectile dysfunction retrospective cohort
- Modified Hypospadias Fix: Better Flow, Same Risk2026-05-11
Modified TIPU improved urinary flow rates and penile straightness scores at 2 years, with no increase in complication rates (n=183)
Efficacy of Modified Tubularized Incised Plate Urethroplasty for Hypospadias hypospadias pediatric urology surgical outcomes
- Hypospadias Men Care About Looks, Not Meatus Location2026-05-11
78 of 501 patients responded: those who did reported good overall satisfaction, driven more by appearance than urinary function (r = .60)
Long-Term Sex Life After Hypospadias Repair: Appearance Beats Anatomy hypospadias surgical outcomes patient satisfaction pediatric urology sexual dysfunction quality of life
- Robotic Surgery's Edge Over Laparoscopy? Basically Nothing2026-04-27
44 studies, 6,121 patients: robotic rectal surgery shows no consistent advantage over laparoscopy for urinary or sexual function
Comparison of Functional Outcomes Between Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgery in Rectal Cancer Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis surgical outcomes meta-analysis sexual dysfunction robotics
- 328 Stones, One Conflict of Interest2026-04-11
96% intraoperative stone clearance in a 22-min median op time—one author is a paid consultant for the device maker.
A Feasibility Study on a Digital Disposable Semirigid Nephroscope for Suction Mini-Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy kidney stones surgical outcomes
- Sling Surgery Lifts Sexual Function at 6 Months, Then Fades2026-04-09
MUS surgery improved PISQ-12 scores by 4.49 points at 6 months, but the gains largely reversed by 12 months and didn't recover
Impact of Mid-Urethral Sling Surgery on Sexual Function in Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials meta-analysis systematic review sexual dysfunction pelvic floor surgical outcomes women's health urinary incontinence
- Depression Nearly Doubles Penile Implant Infection Risk2026-04-09
Men with anxiety or depression had 79% higher 90-day infection rates after penile implant surgery; antidepressants didn't close the gap.
What is the impact of anxiety and depression on penile prosthesis outcomes? A population-level assessment. penile prosthesis surgical outcomes antidepressants health services
- More Dilation, Less Surgery During Penile Implants2026-04-09
Upgrading to larger dilators during IPP surgery in Peyronie's disease significantly reduced residual intraoperative curvature and the need for additional corrective steps (P < .01)
Extended Corporal Dilation Decreases Need for Adjuvant Maneuvers During Penile Implant Placement in Peyronie's Disease penile prosthesis surgical outcomes Peyronie's disease erectile dysfunction
- Sensation Loss Predicts Penile Implant Satisfaction2026-04-09
After IPP surgery in 159 men, sensory loss predicted 17.7-point lower satisfaction scores; penoscrotal vs. infrapubic approach made no difference
Patient-Reported Penile Sensory Loss, Not Surgical Approach, Is Associated with Sexual Satisfaction After Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantation penile prosthesis erectile dysfunction surgical outcomes sexual dysfunction
- Robot Fixes Floppy Ureteroscope Tip by 70%2026-04
A foldable bedside robot corrected ureteroscope tip bending error by 69.64% using a Bouc-Wen hysteresis model, validated in kidney phantoms and live animals.
Optimization Design and Bending Hysteresis Compensation of a Flexible Ureteroscopy Robot kidney stones surgical outcomes animal study robotics
- Mesh Clinic Patients: Pain Gets Treated, Psych Distress Doesn't2026-04
74 women with mesh complications waited a median 185 days to see a specialist — and only 13.5% were referred to psychology despite high distress scores
A Retrospective Cohort Study Investigating the Clinical Care Pathway for Patients at a Pelvic Mesh Complications Clinic in a Western Australian Tertiary Hospital pelvic floor urinary incontinence women's health health services cohort study surgical outcomes
- Weight Loss Surgery Raises Testosterone — But Not the Free Kind2026-03-25
21 studies, 695 men: bariatric surgery improved IIEF-5 scores by 6.45 points and raised total testosterone, but free testosterone didn't move
The impact of bariatric surgery on male sexual function: a systematic review and meta-analysis obesity erectile dysfunction testosterone meta-analysis systematic review surgical outcomes
- Immunotherapy Shows Early Pulse in Rare Penile Cancer2026-03-19
First prospective trial of perioperative chemoimmunotherapy in locally advanced PSCC reports 53% response rate in 17 evaluable patients
Neoadjuvant and/or Adjuvant Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Combined with Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Resectable Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma penile cancer immunology surgical outcomes cohort study
- Vaginal Surgical Access Rarely Damages Sex Life2026-03-18
Across 30 studies and 2,488 women, transvaginal specimen extraction showed low rates of postoperative dyspareunia and no clinically meaningful decline in sexual function scores.
Dyspareunia and Sexual Dysfunction After Transvaginal Specimen Extraction — A Systematic Review surgical outcomes sexual dysfunction women's health systematic review
- The Preventable Cancer Quietly Killing Old Men2026-03-13
Penile cancer incidence is rising in wealthy countries, mortality peaks in men 75+, and two treatable precursor conditions drive most cases
Penile Cancer-A Preventable Cause of Death in Elderly Men penile cancer HPV screening surgical outcomes
- Impressive Kidney Stone Numbers, Massive Asterisk2026-03-13
Suction-enabled access sheaths nearly 6x the odds of clearing kidney stones—but 87% heterogeneity makes that number nearly meaningless
Efficacy and Safety of Flexible and Navigable Suction Ureteral Access Sheath Versus Conventional Ureteral Access Sheath in Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis kidney stones meta-analysis surgical outcomes
- New Kidney Stone Surgery Bleeds Less, Clears as Well2026-03-12
Meta-analysis of 3 RCTs (n=1,020) finds FANS-RIRS matches mini-PCNL for stone clearance but cuts hemorrhage risk by 92% and shortens hospital stay by 1.75 days
Efficacy and Safety of FANS-RIRS Versus Mini-PCNL for 2–3 cm Renal Stones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of RCTs kidney stones meta-analysis surgical outcomes evidence quality
- 51% Needed Reoperations — 97% Still Don't Regret It2026-03-12
Half of patients required unplanned reoperations; only 2.9% of adolescents later reported decisional regret about early surgery.
Adolescent Satisfaction and Decisional Regret After Hypospadias Repair in Early Childhood hypospadias pediatric urology surgical outcomes patient satisfaction
- Four Guideline Panels, Four Different Playbooks2026-03-08
Four major urology societies agree on diagnosis basics but split on when to treat and what works—mostly because the evidence is thin.
Guideline of Guidelines: Peyronie's Disease Peyronie's disease evidence quality erectile dysfunction surgical outcomes
- Two IPP Brands, One Conflicted Reviewer2026-03-05
Narrative review declares both major IPP brands roughly equivalent — written by an author with industry ties to both manufacturers
Three-Piece Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantation in Clinical Practice penile prosthesis erectile dysfunction surgical outcomes evidence quality
- Breaking Kidney Stones While You're Wide Awake2026-03-05
Early clinical data suggests BWL fragments kidney and ureteral stones in awake patients with mostly minor side effects — but the evidence base is still thin.
Burst Wave Lithotripsy: Insights on Effectiveness and Safety kidney stones narrative review surgical outcomes
- When a Boy's Anatomy Needs Genetic Answers First2026-03-04
In 43 children with proximal hypospadias, every patient had severe ventral chordee and most had an underlying disorder of sex development requiring workup before surgery
In Which Cases of Proximal Hypospadias Detailed Investigations Are Necessary pediatric urology cryptorchidism surgical outcomes hypospadias
- Old Prostate Exam Survives the MRI Era2026-03-03
A 164-patient retrospective found suspicious DRE was present in 48.5% of clinically significant prostate cancer cases and correlated with advanced pathological stage (≥pT3)
In the Era of mpMRI and PSMA PET/CT: Does Digital Rectal Examination Still Matter? prostate cancer screening retrospective cohort surgical outcomes biomarkers
- 92% Continence After Prostate Surgery — No Robot Required2026-03-01
360-patient Italian series reports 92.5% continence and 83% erectile function recovery at 6-12 months with 3D laparoscopy, no robotic platform
3D Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy: The Romolo Hospital Experience prostate cancer surgical outcomes urinary incontinence erectile dysfunction robotics
- One in Four Penile Implants Needs Revision2026-02-28
24% of patients required reintervention over a median 39-month follow-up; median prosthesis survival was 7 years, but no independent risk factors were confirmed.
Prolonged Survival and Risk Factors for Reintervention After Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantation erectile dysfunction penile prosthesis surgical outcomes
- The Penile Implant Germany Won't Use2026-02-25
Germany implants far fewer penile prostheses than evidence warrants — and the authors say structural barriers, not lack of efficacy, are to blame
Penile Implant Surgery in Germany — Effective, Established, Yet Underused penile prosthesis erectile dysfunction health services surgical outcomes
- One in Four Penile Implant Patients Loses Glans Sensitivity2026-02-05
116 men followed 6+ years after infrapubic penile implant: 27% developed glans numbness, 9.5% needed reoperation
Infrapubic Approach for Inflatable Penile Prosthesis: Perioperative and Long-Term Outcomes penile prosthesis erectile dysfunction surgical outcomes
- Nerve-Sparing Rectal Surgery Still Harms 1 in 132026-01-30
Nerve-preserving rectal resection cut post-op sexual dysfunction to 7.7%, but IIEF-5 scores still fell significantly at 6 months.
Laparoscopic Rectal Cancer Resection With Pelvic Autonomic Nerve Preservation in Males: A Prospective Single-Center Study sexual dysfunction surgical outcomes
- Varicocele Surgery Rescues Sperm in Half of Near-Zero Cases2026-01-21
54% of men with cryptozoospermia (near-zero sperm) improved to at least oligozoospermia after varicocele repair in a 24-man study
Semen Parameter Response to Varicocele Repair in Infertile Men With Cryptozoospermia varicocele male infertility semen quality surgical outcomes retrospective cohort
- Three Cuts, 99% Straight: A Severe Hypospadias Series2026-01-13
Three ventral corporotomies alone corrected penile curvature in 81% of cases; adding one dorsal plication pushed success to 99% across 400 patients
Efficacy of Three Corporotomies to Correct Ventral Penile Curvature in 400 Patients With Severe Hypospadias hypospadias pediatric urology surgical outcomes
- Hypospadias Surgeons Admit They're Undertrained2026-01-12
103 surveyed surgeons reported a gap between the case volume needed for competency and what residency actually delivers
Education and Training in Hypospadias Surgery: Current Status, Competency Assessment, and the Role of Modern Educational Tools hypospadias pediatric urology surgical outcomes health services
- One Surgery, Three Days Fewer in Hospital2026-01-09
Same-session bilateral kidney stone surgery cut hospital stays by nearly 3 days with no difference in stone clearance or complication rates across 749 patients
One Session or Two? A Meta-Analysis of Same-Session Versus Staged Bilateral Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy kidney stones meta-analysis surgical outcomes
- Only 12% of Men Satisfied With Surgical Appearance2025-12-26
Only 12% of men with repaired bladder exstrophy were satisfied with genital appearance; 43% of women met criteria for sexual dysfunction
Long-term Sexual Outcomes in Classic Bladder Exstrophy: Insights from Standardized Scores bladder exstrophy pediatric urology sexual dysfunction erectile dysfunction surgical outcomes patient satisfaction retrospective cohort quality of life
- Vascular Surgery's Sexual Side Effects: Nobody's Talking2025-12-20
88% of male AAA patients were never warned their procedure could affect sexual function—yet it did
Sexual Function Following Elective Endovascular Surgery for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm surgical outcomes sexual dysfunction vascular health women's health
- Kidney Stone Tool Use Varies 24-Fold; Infections Don't2025-12-15
UAS used in 59% of kidney stone surgeries, but practice rates range from 4% to 99%—and 30-day infection hospitalizations are the same either way
Ureteral Access Sheath Use and Infection-Related Hospitalizations: Practice Patterns and Outcomes kidney stones surgical outcomes health services
- Labiaplasty Scores Better Sex on Paper2025-12-13
Pooled data from 6 studies show a moderate FSFI improvement (SMD 0.52) after labiaplasty, but low certainty undermines the finding
Sexual Function After Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis meta-analysis surgical outcomes sexual dysfunction women's health evidence quality
- Doing Both Kidneys at Once: 75% Stone-Free2025-12-04
Egyptian retrospective study of 52 patients found a 75% primary stone-free rate for simultaneous bilateral kidney stone removal in one supine session
Single-Session Bilateral Supine Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: Safety and Efficacy kidney stones surgical outcomes
- PET Scans Outperform CT for Penile Cancer Staging2025-11-29
Review finds FDG PET/CT beats conventional imaging for lymph node staging in penile cancer, though evidence base remains limited.
The Value of FDG PET/CT in Penile Cancer: An Update penile cancer biomarkers surgical outcomes evidence quality
- Intraoperative Biopsy Saved 81 Testes From Unnecessary Removal2025-11-20
Frozen section biopsy correctly identified 58% of small testicular masses as benign, sparing those patients radical orchidectomy — with zero false negatives across 135 cases.
Testicular Mass Frozen Section Examination: Pathological Insights and Diagnostic Accuracy testicular cancer testicular disease surgical outcomes pathology
- Penile Cancer Staging Overtreats 80% of Patients2025-11-20
Review argues current DSNB guidelines trigger full lymph node dissection in over 80% of men who wouldn't benefit from it
Sentinel Node Mapping in Penile Cancer: An Update on Methods and Pitfalls penile cancer surgical outcomes evidence quality biomarkers
- Three Guidelines on Penile Cancer Can't Agree2025-11-19
Three major oncology guideline bodies disagree on lymph node staging and treatment in penile cancer, leaving surgeons without consensus at every decision point.
Penile Cancer and Lymph Node Management: A Call for Standardization penile cancer surgical outcomes narrative review evidence quality
- Two Implants at Once After Prostatectomy: Small Trials, Decent Numbers2025-11-07
Simultaneous penile prosthesis + incontinence device implantation appears safe, with continence rates of 72–100% and IPP satisfaction of 84–100% — but all 21 included studies are small and mostly retrospective
Surgical Treatment Options for Concomitant Post-Prostatectomy ED and Stress Urinary Incontinence erectile dysfunction penile prosthesis surgical outcomes prostate cancer
- Prone PCNL: Same Stones Cleared, More Complications2025-10-29
Prone positioning matched supine for stone clearance (85% vs 81%) but had higher rates of blood transfusion, renal pelvic perforation, and pneumothorax
Comparison of Prone and Supine Positions for Suction Mini-PCNL kidney stones surgical outcomes
- Surgically Retrieved Sperm Drags Down IVF Success2025-09-20
Testicular sperm extraction cut live birth rates vs. ejaculated sperm in ICSI — but only cumulative, not first-transfer outcomes
Effect of Abnormal Semen Parameters on ICSI: Morphokinetics and Cumulative Clinical Outcomes of 10,623 Embryos male infertility semen quality infertility surgical outcomes
- A $165 to $101,510 Gap for the Same Surgery2025-09-15
The same kidney stone operation (PCNL) costs anywhere from $165 to $101,510 depending on where it's done — a 615-fold gap that makes cost comparisons nearly meaningless
Costs of Resolving a Ureteral or Kidney Stone Episode Worldwide: A Systematic Review kidney stones health services systematic review surgical outcomes
- One New Implant Fails 1 in 4 Times2025-09-13
Across 30 studies, penile implant removal rates were generally below 10%, but one newer device (Zephyr ZSI 475®) showed a 25.7% early mechanical failure rate.
Removal Rate and Mechanical Failure in Penile Prosthesis Implantation: A Systematic Review penile prosthesis erectile dysfunction surgical outcomes evidence quality
- Stone Patients Rate Their Pain 7 Out of 102025-07-15
44 UK stone patients rated QoL impact at median 7/10; 82% would take prophylactic medication, but no prevention drug yet has high-quality evidence behind it.
Patients' priorities in kidney stone disease kidney stones evidence quality surgical outcomes cross-sectional
- Glans Removal Outcomes Look Good — If You Squint2025-04-15
14 studies, 327 procedures: 91% retained erectile function after glansectomy, but outcome reporting was too inconsistent to draw firm conclusions
Functional Outcomes of Glansectomy to Treat Localised Penile Cancer: A Systematic Review penile cancer surgical outcomes sexual dysfunction evidence quality
- Robotic Surgery Halves Ejaculation Problems After Rectal Cancer2024-10-22
Robotic rectal surgery cut ejaculatory dysfunction from 41% to 25% vs. laparoscopic at 12 months — no edge on erections
Prospective Multicenter Comprehensive Survey on Male Sexual Dysfunction following Laparoscopic, Robotic, and Transanal Approaches for Rectal Cancer (the LANDMARC Study) surgical outcomes erectile dysfunction sexual dysfunction robotics quality of life