Viewpoints

Dr. Paul Turek, one of the country’s foremost surgical urologists for men, recently launched an educational blog covering an array of men’s health topics. He also maintains a nice collection of helpful resources, including information about testicular implants (e.g. testis prosthesis), on his urology practice website: TheTurekClinic.com.

You may remember Dr. Turek’s name from a previous post about some groundbreaking research regarding testicular implants, mainly his 2004 article in The Journal of Urology: “Safety and Effectiveness of a New Saline Filled Testicular Prosthesis” (Note: you must sign up for a free online account to view the abstract.) If you’d like a full copy of the article, please email Coloplast at usslo@coloplast.com.

Disclaimer: Coloplast Corp. does not endorse specific physicians or clinics for patient procedures; rather, we post these links as references for patients seeking quality information about testicular implants and other men’s health topics.

We recently found a fascinating article from UroToday, a free online publication about urological research and related news. Click here to read the full article. (Note: Requires free registration to view the full text.) The piece, which discusses several aspects of prostate cancer treatment (surgically and with medications), begins by touting the phsychological benefits of testicular implants: “Testicular prostheses have been shown to reduce the psychological impact resulting from loss or absence of a testicle.” The article then describes recent advances in the use of medicated implants for the treatment of cancer:

[...] zoledronic acid releasing testicular prostheses can be used in the treatment of prostate cancer patients with bone metastases after bilateral orchiectomy which is the most economical treatment option and still considered as the ‘gold standard’ for ADT. Those prostheses would reduce both the psychological impact resulting from loss of testicles after bilateral orchiectomy and the risk of experiencing SREs with those patients. In addition, placement of zoledronic acid releasing testicular prostheses can be more feasible for patients compared to recurrent intravenous infusion of this agent. This technology has the potential to become the preferred clinical management tool for prostate cancer patients with bone metasthases after bilateral orchiectomy.

Each year, the American Urological Society (AUA) hosts an international meeting to bring the greatest minds in urology together to present, discuss, and learn about important issues in the field. Similar to other large medical conferences, AUA 2010 (May 29-June 3, San Francisco) features a long list of presenters who will conduct presentations, workshops, and demonstrations on a number of topics, including:

• Urological imaging
• Robotic surgeries
• Pediatric urology
• Health care policy

Coloplast will be attending the meeting as an exhibitor and general participant. Be sure to stop by our booth!

We recently found an interesting article on UroSource, a urology-focused website for researchers and physicians, which describes the recent findings of a group of UK researchers. Entitled “Testicular prosthesis, first systematic review in paediatric population” (May 2009), this short article summarizes the results of a review, conducted by researchers from the Royal Manchester Children Hospital, of the testicular implant surgical procedure in children.

The findings, which cover reasons for testicular absence, different surgical procedures (groin vs. scrotal implantation), as well as complication types and rates, were presented at the 20th Anniversary Congress of the European Society for Paediatric Urology (ESPU).

Click here to read the full article.

We were recently contacted by a representative from TTMed, a huge online portal for medical information, about some new content in their Urology International pages. We’re glad they found this site useful, and we also thought it would be worth mentioning TTMed on TesticularImplanInfo.com. Written for urologists and related medical specialists, TTMed Urology International contains up-to-the-minute information and news about numerous topics, including:

• General urology topics and news
• Diseases/conditions
• Expert interviews
• Journal articles
• Multimedia content
• Event information

Some of the content is available to the public for free, but certain sections are restricted to paid subscribers. Clearly, any practicing urologist or related practitioner should bookmark this site. And given the number of patients seeking to educate themselves about medical topics on a more technical level, we think it could be a valuable resource for anyone looking to learn more about urological trends, diseases/conditions, and current or emerging treatments.

A few readers have asked about the cost of testicular prostheses. As with many other devices and surgical procedures, testicular implants must be purchased by a hospital or physician prior to the procedure.

Also, implants are typically covered by health insurance policies, but given the varied nature of carriers and plans we recommend speaking directly with your insurance contact about how the procedure will be covered.

For product details and other information about implants, please refer to the Product Information pages.

Photo credit: Photos8.com on flickr

If you’ve browsed through the contents of this website, you may be wondering what you should do next. Aside from reading our material and visiting other recommended websites, we invite you to take a brief survey about your experience with the site. Also, if you have a specific question regarding Coloplast products, please contact us using the online contact form. If you’d like to contact a urologist in your area, please use the online physician finder on our Straight Talk website.

Prior to speaking with your physician or urologist, we recommend writing down a few questions to guide the conversation, and help you understand your doctor’s perspective on testicular implants and the procedure. Here are a few to get you started:

• Would you recommend testicular implants for me?
• What is your experience with implants?
• How would you describe the procedure?
• How have your patients described the recovery?
• What are the risks and possible complications?
• What advice would you give someone who is considering this procedure?

Lastly, be sure to consult with your insurance company to confirm that they will cover the procedure. Most policies will cover testicular implants, but make sure you understand how this will work through your insurance plan.

As more and more people look online for reliable information, the growth of online communities (discussion forums, chat rooms, social networking sites, etc.) have helped form a broader conversation around complex, health-related topics such as cancer. One such community, the TC-Cancer Forum, is a site focused specifically on testicular cancer and related topics. The site also features a blog, external links, and various discussions, including active threads about treatment options and testicular implants.

Even with sites like TC-Cancer Forum, there remains a very limited amount of online information about testicular implants. We’ve tried to post as many links as possible on our Research and Links page, but please let us know if you’re aware of something helpful that isn’t on our list.