The Detrusor Ultrastructure Research Project (CI Lewis Chan and Vincent Tse) is a collaboration between the Urology Department and the Electron Microscope Unit at Concord Hospital. The project has been investigating the structural and functional basis of bladder dysfunction utilising the electron microscope over the past 20 years. We are the only bladder basic sciences research group in the world currently with substantial expertise in ultrastructural analysis of the human detrusor. The program has supported a PhD, MSc and 2 MS (research) candidates. There are collaborative arrangements for tissue transfer from other centres in Australia for further research.

The detrusor muscle tissue bank has over 120 specimens of bladder muscle biopsies collected from patients with normal bladders, bladder outlet obstruction, neurogenic and non-neurogenic overactive bladder and hypocontractile bladders.

This is a collaboration with the CHAMP epidemiological study investigating urinary functional changes in older community dwelling men now with over 10 years of follow-up data.  The urological component has resulted in seven publications including prevalence of urinary incontinence and Quality Of Life, urinary symptoms and falls risk and impact of elevated postvoid residual in the elderly. The urological projects from CHAMP have supported a PhD and MPH candidates and has a current MPhil Candidate.

The unit has internationally recognised expertise in functional urology and pelvic floor imaging. A large part of our reconstructive urology work involves management of urinary / pelvic floor dysfunction in patients who have had pelvic cancer treatment. As such we have an active clinical research program in pelvic floor dysfunction in both men and women. The philosophy of our unit has been to utilise our in-house subspecialty skills, equipment and ambulatory care services to facilitate clinical research. We have a state of the art 3D/4D ultrasound machine in our unit for our pelvic floor imaging research and are developing a functional pelvic floor imaging protocol for pre and postoperative pelvic floor assessment of men with prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy surgery. 

The SLHD Robotic urology research program is a prospective cohort study of men with prostate cancer undergoing robotic assisted radical prostatectomy. A unique aspect of the program is that all patients undergo full urinary/pelvic floor assessment at Concord Urology both before and after surgery with the aim of identifying features that can predict urinary continence outcome and guide pre and perioperative treatment. 

The male 2D/3D functional pelvic floor ultrasound imaging component of the project (with around 200 patients) is the largest study of its kind in the world and our program is supporting a PhD and MPhil candidate. 

A separate project, the RoboSling randomised controlled trial of a surgical technique aimed at improving early continence after radical prostatectomy, is also in progress and the functional assessments for this study are conducted at Concord Hospital.

There are ongoing oncological projects which revolve around the intravesical therapy (BCG) service for high risk superficial bladder cancer. There are collaborative studies with the Uro-oncology trials group (BCG/mitomycin study) and with the CxBladder (Pacific Edge, NZ) urine test (urinary RNA biomarkers for bladder cancer).

Functional urology research projects include studies on long term outcomes of the female mid urethral sling, use of mesh in pelvic organ prolapse repair in the elderly, male transobturator sling for postprostatectomy incontinence, and female bladder outlet obstruction treated by mesh excision.