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Take home messages by Dr. John M. Barry
2026 Kimbrough at Long Beach, CA

Many thanks to Dr. Barry for taking the time to make this contribution.

 

  • Pudendal nerve blocks may reduce acute postoperative urethroplasty pain.
  • A porcine model was developed to study the safety of an intraluminal thermoregulation device as a treatment for chronic pelvic pain. It was safe to surrounding tissues for the range of 21C – 42C.
  • GLP-1 agonists are associated with reduced risk of repeat kidney stone events. (A prize winner)
  • 24-hour urine composition for urinary stone samples varies a bit among labs; it’s best to use the same lab for the same patient. (Another prize winner)
  • Google Trends is an educational (and fun) tool to determine the relative popularity of search terms on Google over time on a scale of 0 to 100. The presented example was public interest in selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMS).
  • Outcome data leads one to the conclusion that the more costly proton therapy is not better than intensity-modulated radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer.
  • The meeting record for number of authors on a presentation was a prostate cancer paper; it had 21 authors.
  • In newly diagnosed prostate cancer, “equivocally positive” lesions for metastatic prostate cancer on PSMA-PET scans are likely to be false-positives. (Will AI remove inter-observer variability in image interpretations?)
  • Men with testosterone deficiency and higher baseline luteinizing hormone levels were less likely to respond to treatment with clomiphene.
  • Testosterone therapy was safe in men on active surveillance for prostate cancer.
  • Men who were actively smoking cigarettes and were never married had less testosterone deficiency than those who were non-smokers and had been or were married.
  • The gullwing technique (it’s described in a 2019 AUA video) is a clever way of dealing with urethral atrophy when placing an artificial urinary sphincter.
  • Transurethral ventral inlay buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty is clever.
  • Consider cost inclusion in clinical trial design. Innovation can be expensive.
  • Neonatal adrenal hemorrhage is a rare cause of ipsilateral scrotal hematoma.
  • Ureteral and bladder injuries after in vitro fertilization (IVF) egg retrieval are rare, but they happen.
  • A prostate biopsy needle (SureCore) allowed for greater target accuracy and more tissue per core.
  • Major General John Borling (USAF-Ret.) gave an outstanding Mathos and Young Urologists presentation, “250, Now What? Celebration and Pursuit of Purpose with Some War Stories for Seasoning.”
  • Suggestion: Read about the Trifecta Method (Daskivich T. JUrol 208(2):301, 2022)
  • The evaluation of ED therapies, especially the new regenerative therapies, could be enhanced by nocturnal penile tumescence testing and questionnaires that are completed privately by sexual partners.
  • Biomarkers and imaging for diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer continue to evolve.
  • The Goldstein team gave an outstanding presentation on Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM).  It’s under-diagnosed and undertreated. A review of the AUA/SUFU/AUGS 2025 Guideline is worthwhile. Even though, of the 26 guideline statements, the most (11) were Expert Opinions, followed by Clinical Principles (7), Strength of Evidence Category C (7), and Category B (1).
  • Group medical virtual visits for recurrent urinary tract infections in women were effective and well-received.
  • Dr. Ron Sutherland brought us up to date on the status of urology, highlighting pediatric urology, in underserved communities and countries.
  • Bladder transplantation is a fascinating concept. The first successful combined kidney + bladder transplant was presented by Dr. Nima Nassiri.
  • An immune tolerance program with donor stem cells has been successful in some kidney transplant recipients. This may eliminate or significantly reduce the need for immunosuppressants.
  • The urology leadership and career trajectory panel was excellent. “Adapt or suffer” was one of the messages.
  • Adequate hormonal evaluations of adrenal incidentalomas are rare (a prize winner).
  • Could urosepsis and pyelonephritis be prevented by adding antibiotics to the irrigant used during endourologic stone procedures?
  • Robotic-assisted adrenalectomy was not inferior to laparoscopic adrenalectomy, nor was it superior to it. Be careful that new technology doesn’t become a proxy for competence.