Botulinum toxin injection: a review of injection principles and protocols

Despite the favorable outcomes seen using botulinum toxin (BTX) for voiding dysfunction using BTX, a standardized technique and protocol for toxin injection is not defined. We reviewed the current literature on intravesical BTX injection for DO (detrusor overactivity). Specific attention was placed on defining optimal injection protocol, including dose, volume, and injection sites. In addition, we sought to describe a standard technique to BTX injection

Surgical technique using AdVance™ Sling placement in the treatment of post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence

OBJECTIVES: To describe and illustrate a new minimally invasive approach to the treatment of male stress urinary incontinence following prostatectomy. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Our initial experience consisted of four patients treated with the Advance sling for post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence. Sling placement involves the following steps: 1. Urethral dissection and mobilization, 2. Identification of surgical landmarks, 3. Placement of needle passers through the obturator foramen, 4. Mesh advancement, 5. Mesh tensioning and fixation, 6. Incision closure. COMMENTS: Based on our initial experience, we believe that the Advance Male Sling System may be a safe technique for the treatment of male stress urinary incontinence. This technique is easy to perform and may offer a reproducible, transobturator approach. Further patient accrual is ongoing to assess the safety and reproducibility of this technique. Also, additional study will focus on efficacy standards and complication rates

Practice patterns in the diagnosis and treatment of fecal incontinence with sacral neuromodulation: Can urologists impact this gap in care?

ObjectiveThe prevalence of fecal incontinence (FI) is 8% in the United States. Many patients will not seek treatment and the condition is underdiagnosed. Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is effective in treating FI, and so urologists can play a key role in its treatment. We examine the practice patterns and treatment of FI with SNM in our institution.Material and methodsThe electronic medical record was queried for the proportion of patients seen for FI in the institution, the urology department, and among the female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) urologists. The patients who underwent SNM for FI were evaluated for progression to second stage procedure.ResultsThe proportion of patients seen for FI is 0.96% in the institution as a whole, 7.9% in the urology department, and 17.9% among FPMRS urologists. Fourteen patients underwent first stage SNM for FI or dual urinary/fecal incontinence, and they all progressed to a second stage procedure. Thirteen of these were performed by FPMRS urologists.ConclusionIn our institution, the proportion of patients seen for FI was lower than the prevalence of this condition. Because patients with urinary incontinence are more likely to have FI, urologists are in a unique position to identify these patients and offer treatment that can improve their quality of life. We acknowledge a gap in care of the patients with FI and an opportunity for urologists to help patients with this devastating yet treatable condition

Long-Term Follow-up of Polypropylene Bone Anchored Slings

Introduction The transvaginal bone anchored polypropylene sling (BAS) has proven to be a successful treatment for patients with SUI. However, there is limited data on long-term outcomes following BAS with polypropylene mesh. We report our series of patients who had at least 3 years of follow-up after placement of BAS. Materials and Methods A retrospective review of prospectively collected data of patients undergoing BAS for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) with minimum 3 year follow-up was performed. Outcomes and complications were determined from annual mailed post-operative questionnaires. Results 142 patients who had undergone BAS and had answered post-operative questionnaires at a minimum of 3 years were identified. Average follow-up was 58 months (range 36-97 months). The overall success rate was 71% with a dry rate of 27%. Complications occurred in 9% of patients, more commonly in patients without a history of anti-incontinence procedure. Conclusions Although less commonly used, BAS with polypropylene mesh is associated with an acceptable success rate at long term follow-up but a low completely dry rate

“Beyond the Bump” – Insight Into the Postpartum Women's Experience of Pelvic Organ Prolapse as Expressed on Reddit

To qualitatively analyze the biopsychological experiences of postpartum women regarding pelvic organ prolapse (POP) as expressed on Reddit, a widely used internet platform for anonymous discussion and information sharing. POP is a prevalent condition in postpartum women, yet personal experiences are often not discussed due to social stigma. “Beyondthebump,” a Subreddit forum for postpartum mothers with >57,000 subscribers, was queried for “prolapse” to collect postings on POP in August 2018. Posts were analyzed qualitatively by 2 independent researchers. The principles of grounded theory were applied and preliminary themes were generated. These themes were used to derive emergent concepts. We analyzed 28 unique posts with 390 responses from 2014 to 2018. Qualitative analysis yielded 3 preliminary themes. (1) Women were unaware POP could occur postpartum and frustrated by the lack of prenatal discussion. (2) Women expressed a need for supportive, comprehensive, and immediate care. (3) Attributed symptoms of POP included pain and discomfort, causing difficulty with daily life. Three emergent concepts were derived. (1) POP is a difficult, debilitating condition with mental and physical effects. (2) Women with POP were self-driven and actively sought help. (3) There was motivation to increase POP awareness. Postpartum women's perspectives on POP focused on the difficulty of continuing life routines, self-drive for improvement, and motivation to raise awareness for others. Through learning from women's self-reported experiences, physicians can better meet women's needs and improve care for POP

A Rapid Method to Preoperatively Assess Frailty for Older Patients with Pelvic Floor Conditions

Purpose: Assessment of frailty can help surgeons predict perioperative risk and guide preoperative counseling. However, current methods are often cumbersome in the clinical setting. We prospectively compared the effectiveness of a rapid picture based Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS-9) assessed by patient and surgeon against reference standard Fried Frailty Index in older patients with pelvic floor conditions. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 71 patients between March 2018 and June 2019. Frailty assessment using CFS-9 (scale ranging from very fit to terminally ill) was performed followed by the Fried Frailty Index, a validated tool of 5 measures (shrinking, physical energy, activity, grip strength, walking speed). Correlations and agreement between Fried Frailty Index and CFS-9 scores from the treating surgeon, a second surgeon (surgeon 2) and patient were analyzed using sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve and Cohen's Kappa. Results: The patient cohort was mostly female (97.2%), with a mean age (+/- SD) of 73.0 (+/- 5.9) years and 23.9% were frail using the Fried Frailty Index. Compared to the Fried Frailty Index, CFS-9 scores of the treating surgeon, surgeon 2 and patient had AUC values (95% CI) of 0.86 (0.77-0.86), 0.91 (0.84-0.91) and 0.88 (0.79-0.88), respectively. As assessed by Cohen's Kappa the CFS-9 scores all had substantial (surgeon 2, Kappa 0.66, 95% CI 0.46-0.85 or moderate (all other CFS9 measures, Kappa 0.44 to 0.58) agreement with the Fried Frailty Index scores. Conclusions: Rapid and effective validated tools to screen for frailty are needed in the clinical setting. CFS- 9 is an excellent predictor of frailty compared to the Fried Frailty Index for patients with pelvic floor conditions

Age- and Population-Adjusted Trends in Inpatient Surgical Management of Vaginal Prolapse, Rectal Prolapse, and Concurrent Vaginal and Rectal Prolapse Surgery

ObjectiveTo report age- and population-adjusted trends in the prevalence of inpatient vaginal prolapse (VP), rectal prolapse (RP), and concurrent VP/RP surgical procedures in women in Washington State over a 12-year period. MethodsThe Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System, an inpatient claims database, was queried for female patients aged 20 years or older with a diagnosis of VP and/or RP and associated surgical procedures from 2008 to 2019. Rates for female patients were adjusted by age and population based on census results. ResultsBetween 2008 and 2019, inpatient admissions for concurrent VP/RP surgery remained stable, with adjusted rates ranging from 1.42 to 3.38 per 100 000, with a majority performed in patients < 80 years old. The population-adjusted rate of inpatient RP repairs remained stable at 3.12 to 5.14 per 100 000. The population-adjusted rate of inpatient VP repairs decreased dramatically, from 81.79 to 6.96 per 100 000. ConclusionsThe rate of inpatient RP and combined RP/VP surgical procedures was low and remained stable, while inpatient VP surgical repairs decreased substantially. Since the dataset is limited to inpatient surgery, this trend may reflect a shift to outpatient settings for VP surgeries. Nationally in the United States, there has been a trend toward multidisciplinary surgical management of concurrent VP/RP. However, this same trend does not appear to be reflected in Washington State, suggesting that nationwide trends may not be reflective of trends within each state. Further study is needed to understand how and why local trends in the management concurrent VP/RP may differ from national trends, and potentially improve concurrent VP/RP management using multidisciplinary approaches