464 research outputs found

    Comparison between "In-bore" MRI guided prostate biopsy and standard ultrasound guided biopsy in the patient with suspicious prostate cancer: Preliminary results.

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    OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the detection rate of prostate cancer (PCa) in patients who underwent to "in bore" Magnetic Resonance Imaging -guided prostate (MRI-GB) biopsy compared to the standard transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy (TRUS-GB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2017 and March 2015 a cohort of 39 consecutive patients was prospectively enrolled. All the patients underwent an "in-bore" guided MRI prostatic biopsy and subsequently ultrasound-guided standard prostate biopsy. RESULTS: Median age of patients was 65.5 years (SD \ub1 6.6), median total PSA serum level was 6.6 ng/ml (SD \ub1 4.1), median prostate total volume was 51.1 cc (SD \ub1 26.7). Thirty of 39 (76.9%) were biopsy-na\uefve patients while 7/39 (17.9%) had at least one previous negative random TRUS-GB; 2/39 (5.1%) patients were already diagnosed as PCa and were on active surveillance. In 18/39 (53.8%) men Pca was diagnosed; as regards the MRI-GB results related to the PI-RADS score, biopsies of PIRADS 3 lesions were positive in 5/18 cases (27.8%), while the number of positive cases of PI-RADS 4 and 5 lesions was 7/11 (63.6%) and 6/10 (60%)respectively. At the histological examination, 4/39 (10.3%) had a PCa ISUP grade group 1, 11/39 (28.2%) had a ISUP 2, 6/39(15.4%) had a ISUP grade group 3 and 2/39 (5.1%) had a ISUP 4-5. CONCLUSIONS: MRI-GB represents a promising technique that may offer some of advantages compared to standard systematic TRUSGB. Our preliminary experience in MRI-GB resulted safe and feasible and represents a viable procedure for the diagnosis and characterization of PCa

    Mini-invasive robotic assisted pyelolithotomy: Comparison between the transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approach.

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    OBJECTIVE: To compare the retroperitoneal with the transperitoneal approach in a series of patients underwent to robotic-assisted pyelolithotomy (RP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2015 to December 2018 we evaluated 20 patients subjected to robotic pyelolithotomy; 11 patients were treated with retroperitoneal approach (RRP) and 9 with transperitoneal approach (TRP). For each patient intra and perioperative data were recorded: operative time (OT), blood loss (BL), length of hospital stay (LOS), stone clearance, post-operative complications and time to remove the drain. The presence of stone fragments < 4 mm was considered as stone free rate. RESULTS: The principal stone burden was greater in the TRP group than in the RRP group (48 ± 10 mm vs 32 ± 14 mm, p = 0.12). Preoperative hydronephrosis was present in 7 (64%) patients in RRP group and a mild hydronephrosis in 3 of TRP group (p = 0.04). The average operative time was higher in the RRP group than in the TRP group (203 ± 45 min vs 137 ± 31 min, p = 0.002). The average blood loss was 305 ± 175 ml in the RRP group versus 94 ± 104 ml in the TRP group (p = 0.005). The stone free rate was similar between the two groups, 36% (4 patients) in the RRP group and 44% (4 patients) in the TRP (p = 0.966). CONCLUSIONS: RP appears to be a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment for some patients with renal staghorn calculi or urinary tract malformations. The TRP may give lower operative time and better results in terms of blood loss and length of hospital stay

    An unusual pathological finding of chronic lymphocitic leukemia and adenocarcinoma of the prostate after transurethral resection for complete urinary retention: case report

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    BACKGROUND: We describe a patient who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate for urinary obstructive symptoms and had histological findings of adenocarcinoma of the prostate with prostatic localization of chronic lymphocitic leukemia (CLL).The contemporary presence of CLL, adenocarcinoma of the prostate and residual prostatic gland after transurethral resection has never been reported before and the authors illustrate how they managed this unusual patient. CASE PRESENTATION: A 79-years-old white man, presented with acute urinary retention, had a peripheral blood count with an elevated lymphocytosis (21.250/mL) with a differential of 65.3% lymphocytes and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value was 3.38 ng/mL with a percent free PSA of 8.28%. The transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) indicated an isoechonic and homogenic enlarged prostate of 42 cm(3 )and the abdomen ultrasound found a modest splenomegaly and no peripheral lymphadenophaty. The patient underwent transurethral resection of the prostate and had a pathological finding of adenocarcinoma in the prostate with a Gleason Score 4 (2+2) of less than 5% of the material (clinical stage T1a), associated with a diffused infiltration of chronic lymphocitic leukemia elements. CONCLUSIONS: The incidental finding of a prostatic localization of a low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma does not modify eventually further treatments for neither prostate cancer nor lymphoma. The presence of a low-grade and low-stage lymphoma, confirmed by a hematological evaluation, and the simultaneous evidence of an adenocarcinoma after transurethral resection of the prostate for acute urinary retention do not require any immediate treatment due to its long-term survival rate and the follow-up remains based on periodical PSA evaluation and complete blood count

    Does Exist a Differential Impact of Degarelix Versus LHRH Agonists on Cardiovascular Safety? Evidences From Randomized and Real-World Studies

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    The main systemic therapy for the management of hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (PC) is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), with the use of long-acting luteinizing hormone releasing-hormone (LHRH) agonists considered the main form of ADT used in clinical practice to obtain castration in PC. The concomitant administration of antiandrogens for the first weeks could reduce the incidence of clinical effects related to the testosterone flare-up in the first injection of LHRH. On the contrary, Gonadotropin Rh (GnRH) antagonists produce a rapid decrease of testosterone levels without the initial flare-up, with degarelix commonly used in clinical practice to induce castration in PC patients. Even if no long-term data are reported in terms of survival to define a superiority of GnRH or LHRH, for oncological efficacy and PC control, data from randomized clinical trials and from real-life experiences, suggest a difference in cardiovascular risk of patients starting ADT. The age-related decline in testosterone levels may represent a factor connected to the increase of cardiovascular disease risk, however, the role of ADT in increasing CV events remains controversial. For these reasons, the aim of the paper is to synthesize the difference in cardiovascular risk between LHRH and degarelix in patients undergoing ADT. A difference in cardiovascular risk could be indeed an important parameter in the evaluation of these two forms of castration therapy. The Randomized trials analyzed in this paper sustain a possible protective role for degarelix versus LHRH agonists in reducing the rate of new CV events and interventions in the short-term period. On the contrary, real-word data are contradictory in different national experiences and are strongly conditioned by huge differences between the LHRH agonists group and the degarelix group

    SACRAL NEUROMODULATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF LOWER URINARY TRACT DYSFUNCTIONS: A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL EVALUATION

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    Hypothesis / aims of study Currently, sacral neuromodulation (SNM) stands as the single licensed second-line treatment for the management of intractable overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). SNM can be considered a promising, potential solution to bladder dysfunctions which have a serious impact on patients\u2019 health status and quality of life, in carefully selected patients. However several questions are still unanswered, regarding the following topic: patient selection, prognostic factors, mechanism of action, complications and revision rates, effects on central and peripheral nervous system. Neurophysiology studies could be employed to provide more evidence on SNM mechanism of action and peripheral effect. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and neurophysiologic characteristics of patients with lower urinary tract dysfunctions (LUTD) undergone SNM implant trying to better understand neurophysiologic modification pre- and post-implant, defining responders\u2019 pre-implant neurophysiological characteristics. Study design, materials and methods Data (demographics, medical history,urologic investigations, and diagnosis) from all patients attending our institution from February 2006 to September 2009 for a SNM implant were collected. All patients underwent a pre-implant neurophysiologic evaluation as follows: Pudendal Nerve Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (PN-SSEPs); bilateral external anal sphincter electromyography (EAS-EMG); evaluation of the bilateral pudendal-anal reflex (PAR); Electromyographic and neurographic studies of lower limbs. A post-implant neurophysiological evaluation was performed in all implant removal candidates. For comparison Student's t test was used. Results A total of 22 consecutive patients (mean age 63.1 years) attending our institution (19 women and 3 men), with refractory overactive bladder (OAB) (54.5%), non-obstructive urinary retention (UR) (27.3%), mixed urinary incontinence (9.1%); chronic pelvic pain (CPP) (9.1%) underwent a permanent SNM implant. At a mean follow-up of 3.5 months (range 2-24 months), half of the patients have their implants removed (tables I-II). Table III shows pre- and post-implant PN-SSEPs findings in patients with durable beneficial from SNM. In patients undergone implant removal, values of PN-SSEPs, EAS-EMG and PAR were normal apart one case with an increase in bilateral pudendal nerve latency. Figure I shows pre-implant EAS-EMG findings in patients having beneficial from SNM. Pre-implant EAS-EMG findings were normal in 90.9% of patient undergone implant removal. Table IV summarizes pre- and post-implant R1 and R2 latencies of PAR in patients with effective SNM implant. Interpretation of results The greater effectiveness of SNM has been observed in patients with neurological damage neurophysiologically documented. To date there are no definitive data about the exact mechanism of action of SNM although it is conceivable a modulation on the somato-sensory afferents as well as a secondary effect on both somatic (pudendal nerve) and autonomic efferent motor pathways. Concluding message Our results suggest that the neurophysiologic exploration of the pelvic floor is an important step for the identification of suitable candidates for treatment with SNM. Further well-designed trials are needed in order to better define the role of neurophysiology in SNM, not just in identifying appropriate candidates for intervention, but also to guide the surgeon in more accurate positioning of the electrodes, using intraoperative monitoring, and to change the parameters of stimulation in patients unresponsive to treatment. Table I. Characteristics of patients undergon

    ROBOT-ASSISTED LAPAROSCOPIC HYSTEROSACROPEXY FOR PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE

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    Introduction Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery can be performed either transperineally or transabdominally. The individual woman\u2019s surgical history and goals, as well as her individual risk for surgical complications, prolapse recurrence and de novo symptoms impact the selection of surgical route. Transabdominal repairs are the most common surgical procedures for POP and are associated to recurrence rates up to 10%, whereas transperineal approaches are reported to be a source of higher recurrence rates. Transabdominal procedures can be performed either by laparotomy or by laparoscopy. Recently several series have reported that laparoscopic approach to treat POP (with or without robotic assistance) is feasible and safe with good short and intermediate-term results, comparable to open approaches. This paper describes the technical aspects of robot-assisted laparoscopic hysterosacropexy (RALHSP) using the da Vinci surgical system. Design Since 2006, 10 consecutive patients with POP (mean age 54.5 years), who wished to preserve the uterus, underwent RALHSP as single reconstructive procedure. Two surgeons performed all procedures with the same technique. All complications were collected at a 90-day follow-up using the standardised Clavien classification system. The following outcomes were evaluated: operative time, blood loss, complications, in hospital stay, catheterization time, cure rate. The surgical steps were: bilateral dissection of the perimetrium; identification and extraperitonealization of the uterine cervix; incision of the peritoneum at presacral level and distal to the cervix; placement of a 20 x 2.5 cm polypropylene mesh, willing to embrace the cervix, secured to the anterior longitudinal sacral legament with 0 Tycron stitches; mesh extraperitonealization. Results Al procedures were performed successfully using the Robot-assisted approach. No additional reconstructive procedures were thought to be necessary at the end of surgery. The mean operative time was 103 minutes; the mean blood loss was 18 mL. Neither intra- nor major post-operative complications occurred. According to the Clavien classification system, 4 patients (40%) had grade 1 early complications (two nausea episodes, two electrolyte disturbance); and one patient (10%) had grade 2 complication (diarrhoea). At a mean follow-up of 9.3 months all patients declared themselves satisfied with the anatomical and functional results achieved. Conclusion RALHSP represents an effective option for the management of POP in selected women who wish to preserve the uterus. Moreover da Vinci robotic system allows performing similar procedures to those performed by standard laparoscopy or laparotomy without increasing the morbidity rate when compared to standard laparoscopy, and allows the same functional results

    SACRAL NEUROMODULATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF REFRACTORY LOWER URINARY TRACT DYSFUNCTION: RESULTS FROM A MULTICENTER STUDY

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    Hypothesis / aims of study Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) has been used as a safe, effective treatment option for patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD). Several clinical studies demonstrated its positive effects on refractory urge incontinence, non-obstructive urinary retention, urgency frequency syndrome, as well as on other non urological disorders, such as faecal incontinence and chronic constipation. The aim of this research project was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sacral neuromodulation on the management of LUTD refractory to the standardised first line treatment options. Study design, materials and methods We retrospectively collected and evaluated data from patients undergoing SNM between September 2001 and November 2010 in 4 Urological Centres of Northeast Italy. The patients were affected by Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB) and non-obstructive Urinary Retention (UR). All the patients were evaluated with voiding diaries, before and after implantation. Patients included in the present evaluation were followed in a network of 4 Italian urological centres which participate to the Italian Clinical Service project - a national urological database and medical care project aiming at describing and improving the use of implantable urological devices in the Italian clinical practice. To evaluate the patient reported outcome (PRO) of the impact of SNM on refractory OAB, we retrospective revised files from all implanted patients who completed pre and post-operatively the King\u2019s Health Questionnaire (KHQ). KHQ is a specific assessment instrument of the heath related quality of life (HRQoL) for patients with OAB, and incontinence symptoms. It consists of 21 items distributed in nine dimensions: general health (GH), incontinence impact (II), role limitations (RLs), personal limitations (PLs), social limitations (SLs), personal relationship (PR), emotions (Em), sleep/energy (Slp/En), and severity measures (SMs). The score of each dimension ranges from 0 (lower OAB symptoms impact; better HRQoL) to 100 (higher OAB symptoms impact; worse HRQoL). Continuous normally distributed variables were reported as the mean value \ub1 standard deviation (SD). Continuous non-normally distributed variables were presented as the median values and an interquartile range (IQR). The t-test, the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests were used to compare continuous variables, as appropriate. A two-sided p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Overall, 135 patients underwent implantation of SNM during the period under review. Eighty-three out of 135 (61.5%) patients complained of OAB, and 52 (38.5%) of UR. In patients treated for OAB, we documented a statistically significant reduction in the mean number of: incontinence episodes/die, pads/die, daily micturitions, nocturnal micturitions and global micturitions (see table I). In patients treated for UR, we observed a statistically significant reduction in the mean post voiding residual volume and in the number of self catheterization (see table II). Concerning the impact of SNM on HRQOL from patients complaining of refractory OAB, only nineteen patients (17 female and 2 male), from a single centre, filled-in the KHQ pre- and/or postoperatively The median patients\u2019 age was 70 years (range 65-74) with a median follow-up of 42 months (range 17.5-48). Median and range of quality of life KHQ of general health and personal relationship pre- and post-operatively were reported in table III. Table I. SNM clinical outcomes in patients with refractory OAB Variable N Baseline FU P-value Incontinence episode/die, mean\ub1SD 48 4.1\ub12.7 1.5\ub12.1 <0.001\ub0 Pads/die, mean\ub1SD 44 3.4\ub12.4 1.3\ub11.4 <0.001\ub0 Voided volume, mean\ub1SD 45 143.6\ub169.9 206.7\ub188.5 <0.001* Daily micturition, mean\ub1SD 48 10.4\ub14.2 7.4\ub12.5 <0.001\ub0 Nightly micturition, mean\ub1SD 48 2.6\ub11.8 0.8\ub10.9 <0.001\ub0 Global micturition, mean\ub1SD 48 13.0\ub15.3 8.1\ub12.7 <0.001\ub0 *T-Test; \ub0 Wilcoxon test Table II. SNM clinical outcomes in patients with non-obstructive urinary retention Variabile N Baseline FU P-value Post void reisdual urine, mean\ub1SD 30 321.4\ub1153.5 87.2\ub196.9 <0.001\ub0 Catheterism/die, mean\ub1SD 30 3.8\ub11.4 1.3\ub11.3 <0.001\ub0 Daily micturition, mean\ub1SD 29 4.7\ub13.8 5.4\ub12.0 0.159\ub0 Nightly micturition, mean\ub1SD 29 0.7\ub11.3 0.7\ub11.1 0.886\ub0 Global micturition, ,mean\ub1SD 29 5.4\ub14.6 6.1\ub12.5 0.328\ub0 *T-Test; \ub0 Wilcoxon test Table III. Median and range of HRQoL assessed pre- and postoperatively by King\u2019s Health Questionnaire* of general health and personal relationship of patients underwent SNM for refractory OAB. Dimension pre-SNM median (rance) post-SNM median (range) p-Value Wilcoxon matched pairs test GH 50 (37.5-50) 50 (25-62.5) 1 II 100 (100-100) 100 (50-100) 0.063 RLs 83.3 (50-100) 50 (33.3-100) 0.102 PLs 83.3 (66.7-100) 33.3 (16.7-83.3) 0.026 SLs 77.8 (50-94.4) 0 (0-50) 0.017 PR 0 (0-25) 0 (0-33.3) 0.785 Em 77.8 (22.2-88.9) 33.3 (11.1-44.4) 0.14 Slp/En 50 (33.3-75) 50 (16.7-66.7) 0.109 SMs 58.3 (33.3-79.2) 66.7 (25-75) 0.671 *The score ranges from 0 (lower OAB symptoms, better HRQoL) to 100 (higher OAB symptoms, worse HRQoL). In comparison of the preoperative setting, patients after the implant showed a better scores in many KHQ dimensions. In particular for personal limitations (p=0.026), and social limitations (p=0.017). The length of follow-up did not significantly impact on HRQoL scores. Interpretation of results SNM offers objective benefits for people with refractory OAB and for those with urinary retention without structural obstruction. Concerning the PRO, because OAB symptoms in general may have a serious impact on a person\u2019s daily activities and social life, the effect of treatment on disease-specific HRQoL also reflects its efficacy. In our series we observe a significant improvement of HRQoL for the following KHQ items: personal limitations and social limitations. We observe a better, although not significant, HRQoL also for the following items: Incontinence Impact, Role Limitations, and Emotions. We did not found any correlation between the follow-up length and HRQoL. We should take great caution in interpreting these results because all the measures of the impact of SNM on the HRQOL comes from a small number of patients\u2019 perspective. Concluding message This multicenter research project confirmed the midterm safety and effectiveness of sacral neuromodulation in the treatment of refractory overactive bladder syndrome and non-obstructive urinary retention, showing high cure rates and low complication rates
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