title: Teaching transurethral resection of the bladder: still a challenge?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on our 2-year experience in teaching transurethral resection (TUR) of bladder tumors to five trainees. We analyzed their problems, as well as those of the teachers, and present our solutions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between April 2000 and March 2002, five residents and three members of the staff took part in a training program to teach TUR of the bladder. From a total of 692 patients with bladder tumors admitted for treatment to our department, 417 were selected for the study. These 417 had papillary tumors of small to medium size (maximum 25 mm in diameter). The mean patient age was 61 years (range 32 to 92) for men (n = 322; 77%) and 68.4 years (range 48 to 91) for women (n = 95; 33%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 417 teaching TURs were performed during a 24-month period. A total of 65 complications (16%) occurred and were analyzed from the database. The most common complication was postoperative bleeding, occurring in 33 cases (8%), followed by extraperitoneal perforation, which occurred in 16 cases (4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite careful patient selection and the use of video-assisted equipment and permanent supervision by an experienced resectionist, a significant number of complications occurred. The question: "How to teach the teacher to teach TUR of the bladder?" remains open.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, General Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy.
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pycha
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lodde
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lusuardi
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Signorello
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galantini
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mian
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hohenfellner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000601:surgery*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000601:surgery*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*