Disorders of the Female Urethra and Urinary Incontinence [antikvár]

Preface female urethra has not received the attention it deserves by gynecolo-gists or urologists. Controversy has surrounded its treatment including how and by whom. Anatomists have debated its support and opinion has been divided regarding which discipline should be responsible for treatment of urethral disorders including urinary incontinence. During recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the need to better understand the anatomy and pathophysiology of the urethra and urethrovesical junction. There has been a greater realization of the diversity with which disorders of the urethra may present and their crippling sequelae as manifested by sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infections, and especially urinary incontinence now recognized to occur in about 50% of all primigravid patients and 85% of multigravidas. That the urethra deserves a place of prominence in gynecology is portrayed in an "Ode to the Urethra," written by Fritz C. Westerhout, Jr., M.D., and presented as a part of his lecture on the Urethra given to medical students at Loma Linda University, California in 1967. This monograph is an outgrowth of a Symposium on "Treatment of Disorders of the Urethrovesical Junction," held at the Wilmington Medical Center, Wilmington, Delaware, November 10 and 11, 1976. It has been compiled to provide a convenient review and a ready reference for practicing physicians, particularly gynecologists and urologists who want a condensa-tion of current concepts of problems related to the urethra, especially urinary incontinence, and a guide to their management. As a reference, the coverage is not exhaustive but it contains authoritative information of value to both specialists and physicians in training. The authors represent both the basic and clinical sciences, as well as a broad background of research and extensive study of the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the bladder and urethra, in addition to wide clinical experience and expertise in both nonsurgical and surgical methods of treatment. Differences of opinion detected by the reader, and the persistence of failures in treatment, indicate that the study of the urethra is not complete and that there is need for additional investigation, clariflcation, and improved technics. William G. Slate, M.B., Ch.B., M.S., F.A.C.O.G., KA.C.S.