Recent U.S. legislation requires clinical trial sponsors to submit a diversity action plan for pivotal studies of new drugs. Still, Thomas J. Hwang, MD, and a colleague propose a combination of federal incentives and regulations to advance clinical trial equity and resolve gaps in participant representation.

Leaders from the Division of Urology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital will present their latest research to international urologists at the American Urological Association’s (AUA) 2023 Annual Meeting, held April 28 – May 1 in Chicago, IL.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital modified a robotic-assisted cardiac catheter ablation device to treat kidney stones and compared it with a standard flexible ureteroscope. They found the robotic device was more maneuverable and facilitated precision aim at targets in each renal calyx.

In the first study of its kind, Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers investigated whether the stromal‐predominant benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) subtype negatively affects outcomes of transurethral resection of the prostate, as reactive stromal myofibroblasts support a progressive inflammatory response.

The 5-item Frailty Index (5i-FI) accurately predicts morbidity and mortality after radical prostatectomy, cystectomy, and partial nephrectomy. Now, Brigham researchers report the 5i-FI is also useful for predicting surgical complications after endoscopic treatment for benign prostatic obstruction.

Flexible ureteroscopy (URS) is the most commonly used surgical procedure to treat nephrolithiasis, and Brigham researchers have begun to evaluate how surgeon movements affect URS efficiency. They report results from a pilot study that should inform improvement in endoscopist training and evaluation.

As part of the United Against Racism initiative, Mass General Brigham implemented outreach programs across the system to reduce healthcare disparities. Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, MBA, discusses the program he co-founded and the research his team is doing to improve care for people of color at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Implantable devices for drug delivery to the bladder require surgical implantation and removal. Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have invented a biodegradable ring-shaped implantable device (BRID) for long-term and local drug delivery inside the bladder that does not require a retrieval procedure.