The Effects of Vasopressin and Desmopressin on the Contractile and Relaxation Responses of Rabbit Cavernosal Smooth Muscle / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of vasopressin and desmopressin on the contractile and relaxative responses of rabbit cavernosal smooth muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Isometric tension studies were conducted to investigate the effects of vasopressin(10(-14)-10(-8)M) and desmopressin(10(-14)- 10(-8)M) on the contraction and relaxation responses of rabbits cavernous muscle strips in an organ bath. The effects of pretreatment with phenylephrine(10(-5)M), L-NAME(10(-5)M) and indomethacin(10(-5)M) on the contraction and relaxation responses of the vasopressin and desmopressin were also investigated. The statistics were analyzed by Student's t-test and ANOVA. RESULTS: Vasopressin contracted the strips in a dose-dependent manner, while desmopressin did not. The phenylephrine-induced contraction was dose-dependently increased by vasopressin, but it was dose-dependently relaxed by desmopressin. L-NAME pre-treatment did not block the relaxation response, but indomethacin pre-treatment did. Vasopressin- induced contraction occurred the via V(1) receptor, while desmopressin- induced relaxation occurred via the V(2) receptor. CONCLUSIONS: Vasopressin, in pathophysiological circumstances, would worsen erectile dysfunction. On the contrary, desmopressin, which may induce an endothelium-dependent relaxation of the cavernous smooth muscles, would be good for erectile function.

Characteristics of Incidentally Detected Renal Cell Carcinoma / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: This study compared the clinicopathological features, diagnosis and prognosis of an incidental renal cell carcinoma with those of a symptomatic carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 140 renal cell carcinoma patients at our hospital between 1995 and 2004 were reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups: asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. The patients characteristics, radiologic studies, tumor stage, tumor size, nuclear grade, and survival rates were investigated. The data was analyzed using a chi-square test, Student's t-test and Kaplan-Meier survival curve. RESULTS: Of the 140 patients 57(41%) were asymptomatic and 83(59%) were symptomatic. The median tumor size was 5.2cm for incidental cancer and 8.1cm for symptomatic cancer. The 5-year cancer specific survival rate was significantly higher for the incidental tumors than the symptomatic tumors(78.9% versus 45.8%). When adjusted for stage, there was no difference in survival in those with stage I to IV disease between the 2 groups. Stage I, II lesions were present in 82.5% of patients in the incidental group and 39.7% in the symptomatic group. In contrast, a stage lesion was present in 17.5% of the patients in the incidental group compared with 60.3% in the symptomatic group. A higher tumor grade of symptomatic lesions was also noted. CONCLUSIONS: The incidental group showed a significantly lower stage and grade, and a higher 5-year survival rate. This result was attributed to the early detection of renal cell carcinoma before the onset of symptoms. Overall, early detection of renal cell carcinoma using radiologic tools will improve the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma.

Comparison of the Short Term Results of Monarc and TVT-O Transobturator-tape Procedures for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence

PUROPOSE: Transobturator sling is a new minimally invasive treatment for female stress urinary incontinence. We compared the efficacy and safety of the two procedures, Monarc and TVT-O. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 110 patients with stress urinary incontinence who underwent the Monarc (n=52) or TVT-O (n=58) procedure and followed up at least for 1 year. Preoperative evaluations, the indices of voiding and postoperative complication were investigated. They were analyzed by Student's t-test, Paired t-test and chi-square test. RESULTS: There were no significant difference in the preoperative patients' characteristics, postoperative complication and success rate between the two groups. The preoperative and postoperative storage symptoms between two groups had no significant difference but the patients of both groups had significant improvement in storage symptoms such as frequency and urgency after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The Monarc and TVT-O is equally effective and safe procedures as a treatment method of female stress urinary incontinence.

An Aggressive, Rapidly Increasing Angiomyxoma of the Scrotum / 대한비뇨기과학회지

Aggressive Angiomyxoma (AAM) is a recently discovered locally infiltrative tumor that occurs almost exclusively in the pelvic and perineal regions of relatively young females. However, reports of AAM in males are rare. We report here on a rare case of a huge AAM (16x15x11cm, 3,150gm) that developed in the scrotum of a Korean man. Despite the histological benign nature of this tumor, performing wide excision and strict postoperative control are recommended because of the risk of tumor recurrence.