Real-world data and treatment patterns of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia in Germany:an observational study using health insurance claims data

Purpose Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), representing one of the most common urological conditions. However, insights into the actual healthcare of this patient cohort in Germany are scarce. We aimed to retrospectively analyse management patterns of patients with LUTS in Germany using health insurance claims databases. Methods A retrospective, longitudinal cohort analysis was conducted obtaining claims data from the German InGef health insurance database containing approximately five million member-records from over 60 nationwide statutory health insurances. First, a cross-sectional prevalence analysis was performed on all individuals with a diagnosis on LUTS (ICD-10 GM N40) in 2018. Second, a longitudinal analysis of individuals with either a newly started BPH medication or initial BPH surgery who were indexed in 2014 and followed-up for 4 years. Results In 2018, 132,386 (6.7%) prevalent BPH patients were identified from 1,979,916 continuously insured males. A potential overcoding bias could not be assessed which may influence the outpatient sector estimation. 10,361 (0.7%) patients were identified with incident BPH medication and 1768 (0.1%) patients with incident BPH surgery out of 1,575,604 males (2013-2018). Alpha-blockers were the drug of choice (95.6%) in the first year. Half of patients received specific BPH medications four years after index, while almost 98% of initial BPH surgeries were performed within the inpatient setting. TURP was the most frequent surgical intervention (76%). Conclusions A widespread diffusion of alternative individualized minimally invasive approaches in the outpatient sector might address pharmacotherapy discontinuation and patient-access barriers to other treatments

Does the Identification of a Minimum Number of Cases Correlate With Better Adherence to International Guidelines Regarding the Treatment of Penile Cancer? Survey Results of the European PROspective Penile Cancer Study (E-PROPS)

Background: Penile cancer represents a rare malignant disease, whereby a small caseload is associated with the risk of inadequate treatment expertise. Thus, we hypothesized that strict guideline adherence might be considered a potential surrogate for treatment quality. This study investigated the influence of the annual hospital caseload on guideline adherence regarding treatment recommendations for penile cancer. Methods: In a 2018 survey study, 681 urologists from 45 hospitals in four European countries were queried about six hypothetical case scenarios (CS): local treatment of the primary tumor pTis (CS1) and pT1b (CS2); lymph node surgery inguinal (CS3) and pelvic (CS4); and chemotherapy neoadjuvant (CS5) and adjuvant (CS6). Only the responses from 206 head and senior physicians, as decision makers, were evaluated. The answers were assessed based on the applicable European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines regarding their correctness. The real hospital caseload was analyzed based on multivariate logistic regression models regarding its effect on guideline adherence. Results: The median annual hospital caseload was 6 (interquartile range (IQR) 3–9). Recommendations for CS1–6 were correct in 79%, 66%, 39%, 27%, 28%, and 28%, respectively. The probability of a guideline-adherent recommendation increased with each patient treated per year in a clinic for CS1, CS2, CS3, and CS6 by 16%, 7.8%, 7.2%, and 9.5%, respectively (each p < 0.05); CS4 and CS5 were not influenced by caseload. A caseload threshold with a higher guideline adherence for all endpoints could not be perceived. The type of hospital care (academic vs. non-academic) did not affect guideline adherence in any scenario. Conclusions: Guideline adherence for most treatment recommendations increases with growing annual penile cancer caseload. Thus, the results of our study call for a stronger centralization of diagnosis and treatment strategies regarding penile cancer

Does the Identification of a Minimum Number of Cases Correlate With Better Adherence to International Guidelines Regarding the Treatment of Penile Cancer? Survey Results of the European PROspective Penile Cancer Study (E-PROPS)

Background: Penile cancer represents a rare malignant disease, whereby a small caseload is associated with the risk of inadequate treatment expertise. Thus, we hypothesized that strict guideline adherence might be considered a potential surrogate for treatment quality. This study investigated the influence of the annual hospital caseload on guideline adherence regarding treatment recommendations for penile cancer. Methods: In a 2018 survey study, 681 urologists from 45 hospitals in four European countries were queried about six hypothetical case scenarios (CS): local treatment of the primary tumor pTis (CS1) and pT1b (CS2); lymph node surgery inguinal (CS3) and pelvic (CS4); and chemotherapy neoadjuvant (CS5) and adjuvant (CS6). Only the responses from 206 head and senior physicians, as decision makers, were evaluated. The answers were assessed based on the applicable European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines regarding their correctness. The real hospital caseload was analyzed based on multivariate logistic regression models regarding its effect on guideline adherence. Results: The median annual hospital caseload was 6 (interquartile range (IQR) 3–9). Recommendations for CS1–6 were correct in 79%, 66%, 39%, 27%, 28%, and 28%, respectively. The probability of a guideline-adherent recommendation increased with each patient treated per year in a clinic for CS1, CS2, CS3, and CS6 by 16%, 7.8%, 7.2%, and 9.5%, respectively (each p < 0.05); CS4 and CS5 were not influenced by caseload. A caseload threshold with a higher guideline adherence for all endpoints could not be perceived. The type of hospital care (academic vs. non-academic) did not affect guideline adherence in any scenario. Conclusions: Guideline adherence for most treatment recommendations increases with growing annual penile cancer caseload. Thus, the results of our study call for a stronger centralization of diagnosis and treatment strategies regarding penile cancer

Prospects and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science for the Future of Urology

Purpose!#!To review and discuss the literature regarding iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm and investigate the precise clinical indications of all three different approaches for their application in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment.!##!Materials and methods!#!The PubMed-Medline and Cochrane Library databases were screened to identify recent English literature relevant to iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm therapies. The surgical technique and clinical results for each approach were summarized narratively.!##!Results!#!iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm are safe and effective minimally invasive procedures for the symptomatic relief of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to BPH. iTIND requires the results of ongoing prospective studies, a long-term follow-up and a comparison against a reference technique to confirm the generalizability of the first pivotal study. Urolift provides symptomatic relief but the improvements are inferior to TURP at 24 months and long-term retreatments have not been evaluated. Rezūm requires randomized controlled trials against a reference technique to confirm the first promising clinical results. However, clinical evidence from prospective clinical trials demonstrates the efficacy and safety of these procedures in patients with small- and medium-sized prostates.!##!Conclusions!#!Although iTIND, Urolift, and Rezūm cannot be applied to all bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) cases resulting from BPH, they provide a safe alternative for carefully selected patients who desire symptom relief and preservation of erectile and ejaculatory function without the potential morbidity of more invasive procedures

Retropulsion force in laser lithotripsy—an in vitro study comparing a Holmium device to a novel pulsed solid-state Thulium laser

Purpose!#!To investigate retropulsion forces generated by two laser lithotripsy devices, a standard Ho:YAG and a new pulsed solid-state Thulium laser device.!##!Materials and methods!#!Two different Dornier laser devices were assessed: a Medilas H Solvo 35 and a pulsed solid-state Thulium laser evaluation model (Dornier MedTech Laser GmbH, Wessling, Germany). We used a 37 °C water bath; temperature was monitored with a thermocouple/data-logger. Representative sets of settings were examined for both devices, including short and long pulse lengths where applicable. For each setting, ten force values were recorded by a low-force precision piezo sensor whereby the laser fibre was either brought into contact with the sensor or placed at a 3 mm distance.!##!Results!#!The mean retropulsion forces resulting from the new Tm:YAG device were significantly lower than those of the Ho:YAG device under all pulse energy and frequency settings, ranging between 0.92 and 19.60 N for Thulium and 8.09-39.67 N for Holmium. The contact setups yielded lower forces than the distance setups. The forces increased with increasing pulse energy settings while shorter pulse lengths led to 12-44% higher retropulsive force in the 2.0 J/5 Hz comparisons.!##!Conclusion!#!The Tm:YAG device not only significantly generated lower retropulsion forces in all comparisons to Holmium at corresponding settings but also offers adjustment options to achieve lower energy pulses and longer pulse durations to produce even lower retropulsion. These advantages are a promising add-on to laser lithotripsy procedures and may be highly relevant for improving laser lithotripsy performance

In vitro fragmentation performance of a novel, pulsed Thulium solid-state laser compared to a Thulium fibre laser and standard Ho:YAG laser

The aim of this work was to compare the fragmentation efficiency of a novel, pulsed Thulium solid-state laser (p-Tm:YAG) to that of a chopped Thulium fibre laser (TFL) and a pulsed Holmium solid-state laser (Ho:YAG). During the fragmentation process, we used a silicone mould to fixate the hemispherical stone models under water in a jar filled with room-temperature water. Each laser device registered the total energy applied to the stone model to determine fragmentation efficiency. Our study examined laser settings with single pulse energies ranging from 0.6 to 6 J and pulse frequencies ranging from 5 to 15 Hz. Similar laser settings were applied to explicitly compare the fragmentation efficiency of all three devices. We experimented with additional laser settings to see which of the three devices would perform best. The fragmentation performance of the three laser devices differed statistically significantly (p &amp;lt; 0.05). The average total energy required to fragment the stone model was 345.96 J for Ho:YAG, 372.43 J for p-Tm:YAG and 483.90 J for TFL. To fragment the stone models, both Ho:YAG and p-Tm:YAG needed similar total energy (p = 0.97). TFL's fragmentation efficiency is significantly lower than that of Ho:YAG and p-Tm:YAG. Furthermore, we found the novel p-Tm:YAG's fragmentation efficiency to closely resemble that of Ho:YAG. The fragmentation efficiency is thought to be influenced by the pulse duration. TFL's shortest possible pulse duration was considerably longer than that of Ho:YAG and p-Tm:YAG, resulting in Ho:YAG and p-Tm:YAG exhibiting better fragmenting efficiency

Reasons for new MIS. Let's be fair: iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm

Purpose!#!To review and discuss the literature regarding iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm and investigate the precise clinical indications of all three different approaches for their application in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment.!##!Materials and methods!#!The PubMed-Medline and Cochrane Library databases were screened to identify recent English literature relevant to iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm therapies. The surgical technique and clinical results for each approach were summarized narratively.!##!Results!#!iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm are safe and effective minimally invasive procedures for the symptomatic relief of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to BPH. iTIND requires the results of ongoing prospective studies, a long-term follow-up and a comparison against a reference technique to confirm the generalizability of the first pivotal study. Urolift provides symptomatic relief but the improvements are inferior to TURP at 24 months and long-term retreatments have not been evaluated. Rezūm requires randomized controlled trials against a reference technique to confirm the first promising clinical results. However, clinical evidence from prospective clinical trials demonstrates the efficacy and safety of these procedures in patients with small- and medium-sized prostates.!##!Conclusions!#!Although iTIND, Urolift, and Rezūm cannot be applied to all bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) cases resulting from BPH, they provide a safe alternative for carefully selected patients who desire symptom relief and preservation of erectile and ejaculatory function without the potential morbidity of more invasive procedures