Patients on intermittent catheterization are now allowed up to 200 single-use, disposable catheters per month, thanks to a change in policy by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The decision provides improved access to single-use catheters in patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and spina bifida.

A new drug application for a topical gel formulation of oxybutynin chloride in the treatment of overactive bladder has been accepted for filing by the FDA, according to Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the manufacturer.

In chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), two pivotal clinical trials "are going to have an immediate impact on the way you practice," said Anthony J. Schæffer, MD, professor and chairman of the department of urology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.

Anticholinergic drugs may cause older people to experience greater decline in their thinking skills than people not taking the drugs, according to research presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Chicago.

Despite advances in surgical technique and the recent advent of laparoscopy and robotic assistance, urinary incontinence remains a real and potential problem for patients after radical prostatectomy.

In midlife women, worsening of incontinence symptoms does not appear to be attributable to the menopausal transition, according to a multicenter study. The study’s authors say that modifiable factors such as weight gain may be to blame (Obstet Gynecol 2008; 111:667-77).

Video urodynamic studies found serious underlying pathology in a majority of cerebral palsy children who had urinary incontinence.

Children who do not respond to treatment for urgency frequency syndrome may have underlying neuropsychiatric disorders that need treatment before UFS symptoms can be resolved.

One-third of women appear to suffer from one or more pelvic floor disorders, researchers from Kaiser Permanente reported in Obstetrics & Gynecology (2008; 111:678-85).