Live surgical demonstrations: An endangered species.

Despite the increasing controversy surrounding live surgical demonstrations, they remain an incredibly valuable tool for urologic education. Live surgery is the most effective means to demonstrate certain surgical techniques and intraoperative decision making. The many potential benefits far outweigh the potential concerns when live surgical events are performed in a thoughtful regulatory framework. Appropriate patient and surgeon selection is integral to successful live surgical events. Under these circumstances, live surgery should remain safe for the patient and instructive for the urologist.