European urology
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Biography Historical Article
Joseph-Frédéric-Benoît Charrière: master cutler and instrument designer.
Modern surgery owes its development to the innovations and skill of those craftsmen in the early 19th Century. Joseph-Frédéric-Benoît Charrière was a Parisian Cutler of renowned fame. ⋯ Charrière, most importantly, developed the French (Fr) or Charrière (Ch) gauge system used in sizing catheters and endoscopic equipment (1 Charr. = 0.333 mm). His contributions were widespread and are still evident today.
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To study the morbidity of radical cystectomy and radical radiotherapy in the treatment of patients with invasive carcinoma of the bladder and to report the long-term survival following these treatments. ⋯ This retrospective regional study shows that there is no significant difference in the 5-year survival of patients with invasive bladder cancer treated with either radical radiotherapy or radical cystectomy. All forms of radical treatment for bladder cancer are associated with a significant treatment-associated morbidity and mortality. Gastrointestinal complications were responsible for the majority of complications. The treatment-associated mortality at 3 months was two- or three-fold higher than the 30-day mortality; emphasising its importance as an indicator of the true risks of cystectomy. The clinical T stage, the sex and the ASA grade of the patient were the only independent predictors of survival. The data in this series suggests that radical radiotherapy and radical cystectomy should be both considered as valid primary treatment options for the management of invasive bladder cancer.