Laparoscopic Management of Adrenal Lesions Larger Than 5 cm in Diameter

Introduction: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy remains a controversial procedure for large tumors. The incidence of adrenocortical carcinoma increases and technical difficulty of adrenalectomy increases as the size increases. We examined the outcome and complications of laparoscopic adrenalectomy for such lesions. Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine patients underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy, of whom 19 had tumors larger than 5 cm in diameter, having a median tumor size of 7.0 cm. They were compared with patients whose adrenal tumors were smaller than 5 cm. Results: Patients with small tumors (< 5 cm) had a significantly shorter median operative time of 90 minutes as compared to 145 minutes in those with large tumors (> 5 cm). There was no significant difference in the median hemoglobin drop (1.05 g/dL versus 1.30 g/dL), time for starting oral intake (24 hours in both groups) or hospital stay (3.5 days versus 4.0 days) between patients with small and large tumors, respectively. There were no intra-operative complications except for 1 incidence of supraventricular tachycardia in a patient with a large pheochromocytoma. There were no major complications seen in any of the patients and no open conversions. Histopathology of large tumors revealed 16 benign tumors (8 pheochromocytomas, 4 adenomas, 2 ganglioneuromas, 1 pseudocyst, and 1 myelolipoma) and 3 malignancies, of which 1 was primary adrenocortical carcinoma and 2 were metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Conclusion: In experienced hands, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is safe and feasible for large functioning adrenal tumors. Large adrenal tumors suspicious of harboring malignancy with no peri-adrenal involvement can be tackled laparoscopically

Spontaneous perirenal hematoma - foreshadowing of an impending renal cell carcinoma - does it need close surveillance? A case report and literature review

Renal cell carcinoma classically presents as a triad of hematuria, loin pain, and a palpable mass. Sometimes it may present as an incidental finding, whereas spontaneous renal hemorrhage or Wunderlich syndrome is a rare presentation of renal cell carcinoma. We present a clinical case of 51 years old gentleman who presented with right flank pain with no other significant history. Computed tomography scan showed right perirenal hemorrhage with no abnormality in the kidney. A drain was placed and the hematoma was evacuated. The patient was discharged. On follow-up at 6 months, he was asymptomatic but found to have a renal lesion on ultrasound, which was evaluated with computed tomography scan and partial nephrectomy was done and histopathology was suggestive of papillary renal cell carcinoma. Renal cell carcinoma being an aggressive tumor, any spontaneous perirenal hemorrhage with unknown etiology mandates a strict follow-up with prompt imaging for concerns of impending renal cell carcinoma

Migration of double J stent into the inferior vena cava and the right atrium

Migration of a ureteric double J stent down into the bladder or up into the kidney is a well known complication. We recently encountered a case where the stent migrated into the vascular system following attempted ureteroscopy for a lower ureteric calculus. The patient required open surgical exploration for stent retrieval

Staghorn classification: Platform for morphometry assessment

Introduction: The majority of staghorn classifications do not incorporate volumetric stone burden assessment. Accurate volumetric data can easily be acquired with the ever-increasingly available computerized tomography (CT) scan. This manuscript reviews the available staghorn stone classifications and rationalizes the morphometry-based classification. Materials and Methods: A Pubmed search was performed for articles concerning staghorn classification and morphometry. Twenty abstracts were shortlisted from a total of 43 published abstracts. In view of the paucity of manuscripts on staghorn morphometry (4), older staghorn classifications were analyzed with the aim to determine the most optimum one having relevance to the percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) monotherapy outcome. Results: All available staghorn classifications are limited with non-widespread applicability. The traditional partial and complete staghorn are limited due to non-descript stone volumetric data and considerable overlap of the intermediate ones in either group. A lack of standardized definition limits intergroup comparison as well. Staghorn morphometry is a recent addition to the clinical classification profiling of a staghorn calculus. It comprises extensive CT volumetric stone distribution assessment of a staghorn in a given pelvi-calyceal anatomy. It allowsmeaningful clinical classification of staghorn stones from a contemporary PCNL monotherapy perspective. Conclusions: Morphometry-based classification affords clinically relevant nomenclature in predicting the outcome of PCNL for staghorn stones. Further research is required to reduce the complexity associated with measuring the volumetric stone distribution in a given calyceal system

Evaluating graft function in pediatric recipients for living donor renal transplantation: Is laparoscopic donor nephrectomy safe?

Objective: To evaluate the surgical and functional outcomes of laparoscopic graft procurement in pediatric patients undergoing renal transplantation. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review of the cohort records of 54 pediatric living donor renal transplant recipients from 1985 through June 2006 was performed. We compared results of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN, n = 15) and open donor nephrectomy (ODN, n = 39). Parameters analysed included donor technique and morbidity, operative complications, immediate postoperative renal function, the incidence of early and delayed graft function, and long-term graft survival. Results: The mean age of these recipients was 14.8 years (5-18) in the LDN group and 13.9 years (8-18) in ODN group. Serum creatinine (mg/dl) was 1.5 ± 0.7 vs 1.8 ± 1.3 at day 1 (P = 0.20), 1.0 ± 0.3 vs 1.4 ± 1.3 at day 2 (P = 0.12), 1.1 ± 0.9 vs 1.3 ± 1.0 at day 7 (P = 0.25), 1.2 ± 0.5 vs 1.6 ± 1.8 (P = 0.20) at day 14, 1.1 ± 0.7 vs 1.2 ± 1.4 (P = 0.39) at 1 month in LDN vs ODN groups, respectively. Early graft function was 35.7 vs 46.4% in the respective groups. There were two delayed graft function and one graft nonfunction in ODN group. Over all graft and patient survival at 1 year was 86.67 and 82.22% (P = 0.34) in LDN and ODN groups, respectively. Conclusion: Pediatric recipients of the LDN grafts have outcomes comparable to those of ODN graft recipients. Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy is safe and efficacious for graft procurement for pediatric recipients

Comparative performance of high-fidelity training models for flexible ureteroscopy: Are all models effective?

Objective: We performed a comparative study of high-fidelity training models for flexible ureteroscopy (URS). Our objective was to determine whether high-fidelity non-virtual reality (VR) models are as effective as the VR model in teaching flexible URS skills. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one trained urologists without clinical experience of flexible URS underwent dry lab simulation practice. After a warm-up period of 2 h, tasks were performed on a high-fidelity non-VR (Uro-scopic Trainer TM ; Endo-Urologie-Modell TM ) and a high-fidelity VR model (URO Mentor TM ). The participants were divided equally into three batches with rotation on each of the three stations for 30 min. Performance of the trainees was evaluated by an expert ureteroscopist using pass rating and global rating score (GRS). The participants rated a face validity questionnaire at the end of each session. Results: The GRS improved statistically at evaluation performed after second rotation (P<0.001 for batches 1, 2 and 3). Pass ratings also improved significantly for all training models when the third and first rotations were compared (P<0.05). The batch that was trained on the VR-based model had more improvement on pass ratings on second rotation but could not achieve statistical significance. Most of the realistic domains were higher for a VR model as compared with the non-VR model, except the realism of the flexible endoscope. Conclusions: All the models used for training flexible URS were effective in increasing the GRS and pass ratings irrespective of the VR status

The relative cost-effectiveness of PCNL and ESWL for medium sized (2 cms) renal calculi in a tertiary care urological referral centre

There is a paucity of cost-effectiveness studies in India comparing PCNL and ESWL in the treatment of renal cal-culi. We are dependent on costing studies from western literature, although the nature of expenses in developed countries is quite different from those in India. This study compares the two procedures with regards to cost-effec-tiveness & efficacy in clearing medium-sized renal calculi (2.0 cms) at our institute. All costs borne by the patient & the institute were taken into account, including equip-ment costs, stay charges & cost of travel incurred, for re-peat visits to the institute. The groups compared had similar stone characteristics & were from our early experience with the two methods. All costing was done at 1998 rates by submitting case sheets to a fresh billing. PCNL, was significantly more efficient at clearing calculi (94% vs 69%) than ESWL, but patients needed hospitalization. The re-quirement of ancillary procedures was significantly less with PCNL than ESWL (1 vs 35) and ESWL was more expensive although the difference was not statistically sig-nificant. High initial cost of a lithotripter along with the need for repeated visits to the hospital for clearance of the calculus contribute to the increased cost of ESWL. PCNL ensures clearance of calculi at a single hospital admission with minimal morbidity

Laparoscopic versus open nephrectomy for xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: An outcome analysis

Context: Current literature suggests that laparoscopic nephrectomy (LN) in patients with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is associated with high conversion and complication rate. Aims: To report contemporary outcome of patients with XGP, managed with either open nephrectomy (ON) or LN. Settings and Design: In this retrospective study, medical records of 37 patients with histopathologically confirmed XGP from January 2001 to October 2009 were reviewed. Materials and Methods: The clinical presentation, preoperative course, intraoperative findings, postoperative recovery and complications in ON and LN were analyzed. Statistical Analysis: Student′s t test was used to perform statistical comparison between the LN and ON groups. Values are expressed as mean ΁ standard deviation. Results: In 37 patients, 20 underwent ON and 17 underwent LN. One patient in the LN group required conversion. He had ectopic pelvic kidney, and the vascular pedicle could not be identified because of dense adhesions. There were no intraoperative complications. The mean blood loss was 257.5 ΁ 156.67 ml and 141.18 ΁ 92.26 ml in ON and LN groups, respectively. Mean hospital stay was 15.45 ΁ 7.35 days and 9.71 ΁ 4.55 days in ON and LN groups, respectively. Postoperative complications were classified according to Clavien grading for surgical complications. Grade 2 complications were seen in 40% and 29.4% of patients in ON and LN groups, respectively. One patient in LN required secondary suturing of specimen retrieval site. Conclusions: LN in patients with XGP is often challenging and requires considerable experience in laparoscopy. In properly selected patients, all benefits of minimally invasive surgery can be availed with LN