Urological applications

Abstract

Botulism was first described in the early 19th century as a life-threatening, paralytic illness associated with sausage intake (1). The botulinum toxin (BTX) was subsequently isolated in 1897 by van Ermengem and has been since identified as the most potent biological toxin known to exist (2). In the last decades, BTX has emerged as a powerful therapy in the treatment of a variety of medical disorders. Certainly, the introduction of BTX within the field of urology has transformed the treatment of urological disorders. It can be argued that in no other medical specialty does BTX offer the promise for treatment of such a wide range of disorders. © 2007 Humana Press Inc.