UP-02: Tuesday, November 14 10:00-16:00 UP-02.01 Erectile dysfunction: a dilemma and man’s solutions through the ages Omar M, Karim O, Motiwala H Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, UK Introduction: The term “impotence” is used to describe the inability of the male to attain and maintain an erection ade- quate for sexual intercourse. Treatments for erectile dysfunction through history have ranged from potions and aphrodisi- acs to more physical devices and latterly our modern medicines. Materials and Methods: We reviewed and cross-referenced historical articles with ref- erence to impotence and treatments recom- mended. Ancient writings and literature were also reviewed. Results: The word “impotence” is derived from “mpotencia”, a Latin word literally meaning lack of power, first used by Thomas Hoccleve (1370-1454). The earli- est mention to impotence can be found in the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus (1600BC). Samhita of Sushruta (around 800BC) from India mentions impotence and its causes. Huang-Ti Nei-Ching, the oldest Chinese text (2697-2595BC) discusses the philoso- phy of impotence. Hippocrates (470BC- 410BC) has discussed impotence in his writings. Francesco Parona, during 1873 treated impotence through penile vein sclerosis. By self-injecting himself, Brind- ley convincingly demonstrated the merits of papaverine. This was followed by phos- phodiasterase (PDE5) inhibitors in 1995. Conclusion: Sketel in 1940 said “impo- tence is a disorder associated with mod- ern civilisation”. The disease and the ever- going race to develop new measures to treat erectile dysfunction are as old as the history of medicine. UP-02.02 History of brachytherapy in prostate cancer Rempelakos A 1 , Koutsiaris E 1 , Thanos A 1 , Poulakou-Rebelakou E 2 1 Urologic Clinic, St Savas Anticancer In- stitute Athens Greece; 2 History of Medi- cine, Athens University, Medical School Introduction: The term brachytherapy is derived from the Greek terms “brachys” which means short and “therapy” which means treatment. Permanent seed brachy- therapy has become an important treat- ment option for localized prostate cancer. In the USA it is estimated that 30% to 40% of all patients with prostate cancer re- ceive seed implantation as part of their treatment. The aim of this study is to re- view the evolution of brachytherapy. Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature from the first steps in the begin- ning of 20 th century until recently, as brachytherapy became an acceptable treatment method for localized prostate cancer, was performed. Results: Pasteau and Delgrais, who used radium that inserted through a urethral catheter, initially attempted the first actual brachytherapy treatment of the prostate in 1914. In 1915 Barringer was probably the first to use interstitial sources in the treat- ment of prostate cancer using transperi- neal inserted radium needles guided by digital rectal palpation. His transperineal approach was the forerunner of the mod- ern technique. In 1952 Flocks injected a radioactive colloidal gold solution into prostate during open surgery and in 1972 Whitmore introduced iodine -125 seed implantation using a retropubic approach. Although prostate brachytherapy came into the modern era in 1983 by Holm who described the use of transrectal ultra- sonography to guide transperineal inser- tion of needles into the prostate, Blasko and Ragde are generally credited for de- veloping and popularizing the current techniques. Conclusion: Efforts, failures, doubts and re-enforcement of the expectations for almost 90 years have been necessary to make brachytherapy one of the basic methods for the treatment of the localized prostate cancer. UP-02.03 History of vasectomy Kumar P, Chowdhury A, Pati J Department of Urology, Homerton Uni- versity Hospital, London, UK Introduction and Objectives: Vasec- tomy is an operation that has evolved from a eugenics treatment to male birth control. It has also been used in treatment of prostatic hypertrophy, epididymitis and male rejuvenation. We aim to describe the various indications for which it has been used. Methods: A comprehensive review of the medical literature and historical texts was performed. Results: Berengarius of Capri (1470-1530) was the first to name the vas deferens however there was little in the literature until Sir Astley Cooper in 1830. He de- scribed the ligation of the vas deferens in a dog without testicular atrophy and he noted that despite coitus there was no issue. At autopsy he noted that the testis was still viable and produced sperm. In 1884 Moullin proposed castration as ther- apy for prostatic hypertrophy. An alterna- tive to this drastic measure was vasectomy suggested by Ewing Mears in 1890. This quickly gained popularity but the evi- dence was not supportive. In 1900 Woods reviewed 193 cases and found only 15% with improved voiding and a mortality of 6.7%. Before the advent of antibiotics va- sectomy had an important role in treating epididymitis after prostatectomy –first de- scribed by Proust in 1904. The era of eu- genic vasectomy was started in 1899 with Ochsner publishing ‘Surgical treatment of habitual criminals’. There were statutes in various criminals and US states allowing for the sterilization of the insane, feeble- minded. Canada, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Nazi Germany all had eugenics laws passed. Eugenic sterilization continued into the 1970s. In 1918 an Austrian physi- ologist advocated vasectomy as a rejuvena- tion therapy. This was quite fashionable at the time with even Sigmund Freud and WB Yeats having undergone the proce- dure. With the advent of synthetic andro- gens in the thirties it quickly lost its at- traction. During the last 40 years vasectomy has been performed for family planning with increasing acceptance. Its success is born out by the large programs undertaken in India. Conclusions: The history of vasectomy reflects the differing and now sometimes frightening indications and how it has gained acceptance as a birth control mea- sure. UP-02.04 The renal colic of the Byzantine emperor John VI Cantacuzenus (1347- 1354) Poulakou-Rebelakou E, Koutsiaris E, Tsiamis C, Rempelakos A History of Medicine, Athens University Medical School, Urologic Clinic, St Savas Anticancer Institute, Athens, Greece Objectives and Introduction: The pre- sentation of two episodes of long lasting renal colic of the Byzantine Emperor John VI Cantacuzenus (1347-1354), the thera- peutic attempts of the physicians and the final cure. Materials and Methods: The original texts of the historians and chroniclers of the Late Byzantine period (in which the “Memoirs” written by the Emperor John VI himself are included), were studied and analysed, as well as the works of the most famous Byzantine medical au- UNMODERATED POSTER SESSIONS 252 UROLOGY 68 (Supplement 5A), November 2006