Development of Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Nephrectomy
The first laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed on June 25, 1990 by Ralph Clayman and colleagues at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Laparoscopic surgery proved to have many advantages over traditional open surgery including improved post-operative pain and convalescence time. Despite the advantages of the laparoscopic approach, urologists at first were slow to adopt this technique due to the learning curve involved in a pure-laparoscopic approach.
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History of Prostate Enucleation
The faculty performing HoLEP at Indiana University has progressively expanded to include 5 surgeons. Under their guidance, this year’s graduating residents are the first class to have amassed more than 20 months of weekly exposure to HoLEP during their five years of training.
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History of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for Prostate Cancer
In the 1950s, the Fry brothers developed a transcranial HIFU system that could be used after craniotomy to target deep seated areas of the brain in primates, furthering interest in HIFU ablation to treat movement disorders like Parkinson syndrome.
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Out of the Pelvis and Into the Kitchen: A History of the Bladder’s Culinary Uses
While centuries of physicians and anatomists dating back to Hippocrates and Galen sought to characterize the functions of the bladder, another group found additional bladder uses: cooks.
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Behind the Scenes
So You Want to Publish on Urologic History?
Looking for a place to publish an article on urologic or medical history? Editors of the Didusch Newsletter have compiled a listing of journals that consider history articles, including some new and exciting venues! Also remember the opportunity to present History at the AUA Annual Meeting Forum on the History of Urology (going strong for 56 years!).
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Postscript
Leonard Zinman, MD, FACS, FRCS (Hon) (1931-2021)
Dr. Leonard Zinman of Lahey Clinic Medical Center passed away. Dr. Zinman was awarded the prestigious AUA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 for a lifetime commitment to urological education and innovative development of reconstructive urethral and renovascular surgery. New England Section Historian and colleague of 30 years, Dr. Karim Hamawy, wrote “He was a giant in urethral reconstruction and an even larger gentleman surgeon.”
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Postscript
Leland W. Chung, PhD (1940-2021)
Leland considered his legacy to be a teacher in a line of mentors. Leland, much like Helen of Troy, launched a thousand researchers around the globe with his wonderful and beautiful mind. He lived the ethic that giving to others leads to a synergistic cycle of personal satisfaction and happiness.
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