The History of Urology at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System

Abstract Objective The Section of Urology at the Minneapolis Veteran's Affairs (VA) Medical Center has a long history of contributions to Urology including the Gleason Score, Fuhrman Grading system, testicular tumor marker development and the birth of Endourology. The objective of this manuscript is to compile and present the Urologic history of the Minneapolis VA. Methods The Urologic literature and institutional records originating from the Minneapolis VA Medical Center from 1946-2017 were reviewed and presented herein. Results The Minneapolis VA Health Care System originated in 1921 and currently employs 5 Urologist who serve over 16,000 veterans per year. Historic achievements from the Minneapolis VA Section of Urology include the development of the Veteran's Affairs Cooperative Research Group (VACURG) which was instrumental to development of the Gleason grading system for prostate cancer in 1965. Additional urologic oncology achievements originating from the Minneapolis VA Section of Urology included the development of the diagnostic utility of tumor markers in testis cancer in 1976 and The Fuhrman Grading System in 1982. Perhaps the greatest contribution to the field of Urology was the birth of Endourology at the Minneapolis VA in the late 1970s under the direction of Dr. Paul Lange. Currently the Minneapolis VA is a premier center for Evidence Based Urology by housing Cochrane Urology and the U.S. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation network (US GRADE). Conclusion Since 1946, the section of Urology at the Minneapolis VA has contributed basic science, clinical technique and evidence based medicine to the field of Urology while providing care to the nation's veterans.