A Comparative Study between Standard and Tubeless Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical parameters and complications between standard and tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomies (PCNL). The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy, safety and morbidity of a tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 102 patients, who underwent a PCNL at our institution by one surgeon, were enrolled in this study. Of the 102 patients, 30 underwent a standard PCNL between January 2001 and July 2002, and 72 underwent a tubeless PCNL between July 2002 and March 2005. All the PCNL were performed using a balloon tract dilator and 30Fr. working sheath. In the standard PCNL group, a 12Fr. nephrostomy tube was inserted. In the tubeless PCNL group, no nephrostomy tube was inserted, with the skin sutured onto the site of the nephrostomy. The stone volume, operating time, amount of blood loss, complications and hospital stay were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in stone volumes, decrease in postoperative 1 day hemoglobin, transfusion rates and complication rates between the two groups. However, the postoperative hemoglobin (p=0.05) and hospital stay (p=0.001) were significantly less in the tubeless compared to the standard PCNL group. CONCLUSIONS: The tubeless PCNL was associated with no more bleeding or complications than the standard PCNL. Tubeless PCNL is a recommendable procedure in percutaneous renal stone surgery.

Colorectal Cancer with Sigmoidovesical Fistula that was Misdiagnosed as Bladder Cancer / 대한비뇨기과학회지

Sigmoidovesical fistula is a rare disease. Most of these patients have symptoms of chronic and recurrent urinary tract infection, pneumaturia and fecaluria. Furthermore, colorectal cancer with enterovesical fistula is very rare in the population. We have recently experienced a patient who had adenocarcinoma that originated colon along with sigmoidovesical fistula, and this was misdiagnosed as bladder cancer with urinary tract infection. We present here a case report of a 66-year-old woman who exhibited these diseases.

Precise Anatomical Location of the Autonomous Nerve from the Pelvic Plexus to the Corpus Cavernosum / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: We wanted to study the precise anatomical location of the branches of the pelvic plexus from the sacral root to the cavernous nerve. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed microdissection on the pelvises from 4 male formalin fixed cadavers under a Zeiss surgical microscope and we traced the location of the branches of the pelvic plexus at a magnification of 6x. RESULTS: The configuration of the pelvic plexus was an irregular diamond shape rather than rectangular. It was located retroperitoneally on the lateral wall of the rectum 8.2 to 11.5cm from the anal verge. Its midpoint was located 2.0 to 2.5cm from the seminal vesicle posterosuperiorly. A prominent neurovascular bundle (NVB) was located on the posterolateral portion of the apex and the mid portion of the prostate. The pelvic splanchnic nerve (PSN) joined the NVB at a point distal and inferior to the bladder-prostate (BP) junction. The PSN components joined the NVB in a spray-like distribution at multiple levels distal to the BP junction. The distance from the membranous urethra to the NVB was 0.5 to 1.2cm. We also found multiple tiny branches on the anterolateral aspect of the prostate apex. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the usual concept, the NVB was much wider above the mid portion of the prostrate and it supplied multiple tiny branches on the anterolateral aspect of the prostate. The PSN branches arose from the more posteroinferior area of the pelvic plexus. Therefore, we recommend a more anterior dissection of the lateral pelvic fascia for nerve sparing radical prostatectomy. If surgeons plan a nerve graft after radical prostatectomy, they should consider this neuroanatomy for obtaining a successful outcome.

Prognostic Significance of the Tumor Configuration in Superficial Bladder Tumor / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: The prognostic factors for superficial bladder tumor that affect tumor recurrence and progression have been studied for many years. They are stage, grade, size, multiplicity, microvessel invasion and etc. This study was performed to evaluate the influence of the tumor configuration on predicting its progression and recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 128 patients who initially presented with superficial bladder tumor (pTis, pTa and pT1) were retrospectively analyzed according to many factors such as stage, grade, size, multiplicity, microvessel invasion and tumor configuration for tumor progression and recurrence after primary transurethral resection. RESULTS: 48 patients (37.5%) experienced recurrent disease and 20 patients (15.6%) had progressive disease. The absence of stalk and microvessel invasion were the statistically significant factors for recurrence. Only microvessel invasion was a significant prognostic factor for progression. CONCLUSIONS: Only two factors, i.e., the absence of tumor stalk and microvessel invasion, were significant prognostic factors for tumor recurrence. Only microvessel invasion was a significant prognostic factor for tumor progression. When tumors are microvessel invasion positive without stalk after primary transurethral resection, these patients might then benefit from being treated with a more aggressive therapeutic modality.