Application of Yang-Monti Principle in Ileal Ureter Substitution: Is It a beneficial Modification?

Ureteric substitution using the Yang-Monti principle was reported as a modification of simple ileal ureter replacement. In this study, we evaluate its safety, surgical outcome and impact on renal function.

Sixteen patients underwent ileal ureter replacement using the Yang-Monti principle to overcome long ureteric defects. Exclusion criteria included patients with elevated serum creatinine > 1.8 mg/dL, inflammatory bowel syndrome or irradiated bowel. Antireflux implantation into the bladder was performed in 12 patients while 4 patients with intact healthy lower ureters underwent distal ileal-ureteral anastomosis. Follow-up protocol was carried out for up to 3 years in 9 patients.

No intra-operative or postoperative mortality or significant complications occurred. There were minor complications in the form of urinary leakage that necessitated prolonged ureteric stenting in one patient, superficial wound infection in another one and 3 patients developed treatable urinary tract infection without late harmful effects. During follow up, no excess mucus production or metabolic abnormalities were encountered. All patients had preserved renal function (improved in 13 patients and stabilized in 3) without any evidence of urinary obstruction.

The reconfigured ileal segment for ureteric substitution is a safe technique with an excellent outcome. It uses short ileal segments for reconstruction of an ileal tube of adequate length and optimal caliber that permits easy antireflux implantation into the bladder so it is not associated with excess mucus production or metabolic abnormalities and offers a durable preservation of renal function without urinary obstruction. .

Surgical and functional outcomes of sigmoid vaginoplasty among patients with variants of disorders of sex development

PURPOSE:To assess the use of sigmoid colon in vaginal reconstruction of some patients with disorders of sex development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 31 patients with disorders of sex development of various causes. All were reared as females. Female gender was decided for all cases after complete medical assessment. All patients underwent sigmoid vaginoplasty. Assessment of surgical and functional outcomes was carried out in a follow up period of up to 6 years. RESULTS: The preoperative diagnoses included mullerian aplasia (16 cases), androgen insensitivity syndrome (12 cases) and previous failed vaginoplasty (3 cases). Associated surgical procedures were gonadectomy in 5 cases and gonadectomy combined with clitoroplasty and vulvoplasty in 7 cases. No intra-operative or early postoperative complications occurred. A cosmetic neovagina with adequate size was achieved in all cases. Long term follow up showed introital stenosis in 4 cases (12.9 %). Two of them responded to vaginal dilatation. The third one needed y-v plasty while the fourth one presented by acute abdomen secondary to ruptured vagina and was submitted to urgent laparotomy. Mucosal prolapse occurred in 1 case (3.2%). Reoperation rate was 9.6%. Sexual satisfaction was achieved among 9 sexually active cases. The subjective satisfaction score of the surgical outcome was 8.03. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with disorders of sex development of various etiologies, sigmoid vaginoplasty is the preferred technique for vaginal replacement. It is a safe technique that provides the patient with a cosmetic neovagina of adequate caliber and a satisfactory functional outcome.

When prone position is contraindicated or not preferable, can supine percutaneous nephrolithotomy solve the problem?

PURPOSE: To assess safety and efficacy of supine percutaneous nephrolithotomy in patients for whom prone position or general anesthesia is contraindicated or not preferable due to associated comorbidities, overweight or ipsilateral upper ureteric calculi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty two patients (37 males and 15 females, mean age 33 ± 10.2 years) were included in this study. Supine position was selected due to anesthetic considerations (preexisting compromised cardiopulmonary status, morbid obesity (body mass index > 40 kg/m²) and/or other associated medical comorbidities), impossible prone position due to bone deformities or associated ipsilateral upper ureteric stone. Regional anesthesia was used in 24 patients while 28 patients underwent general anesthesia. After standard cystoscopy and retrograde ureteropyelography in the dorsal lithotomy position, the position was modified using 3 liters of saline bag below the ipsilateral upper flank. Percutaneous access to the pelvicalyceal system was performed through the posterior axillary line under fluoroscopic guidance. RESULTS: Successful renal puncture was achieved in all cases. Single access via the lower calyx was the most commonly used access (36 cases). Stone-free rate was 92.3%. Postoperative complications classified according to Clavien Dindo classification included bleeding requiring transfusion (3.8%), urinary leakage requiring ureteric stenting (5.8%), prolonged fever (7.7%), deep venous thrombosis (1.9%) [grade III in all] and urinary leakage requiring ureteric stenting (5.8%) [grade IIIa]. CONCLUSIONS: The modified supine position for percutaneous nephrolithotomy is a safe and effective option that offers several advantages with an excellent outcome. It can be performed safely for morbidly obese patients and those with cardiopulmonary compromise.

Improvement of steatosis after interferon therapy in HCV genotype 4 is related to weight loss.

Introduction Hepatic steatosis is common in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and its occurrence may be related to both host and viral factors. Relationship between improvement in steatosis and response to anti-viral treatment remains unclear. This study assessed the factors associated with steatosis in patients infected with genotype 4 HCV, and to correlate degree of changes in steatosis with host factors and response to treatment. Methods Records of 175 patients with chronic genotype 4 HCV infection, who had received interferon and ribavirin combination therapy, were reviewed retrospectively to extract data on body mass index (BMI), presence of diabetes mellitus, and liver histology findings. Paired BMI data and liver biopsies (pre- and 24-weeks post-treatment) were available in 86 patients. Baseline steatosis and its changes (before and after treatment) were the dependent variables in a univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Steatosis was found in 88/175 (50.3%) of baseline biopsies. Its presence was related to baseline BMI (r=0.33, P<0.01), but not with viral load, or grade of liver inflammation or fibrosis. On follow up, improvement in steatosis was significantly associated with degree of weight loss but not with response to anti-viral treatment. Conclusion Steatosis is common in genotype 4 HCV infection, and its presence appears to be related to high BMI, but not to viral load or degree of liver injury.

Bactericidal activity of human serum against strains of Klebsiella from some pathogenic sources

Ten strains of K. pneumoniae were isolated from 225 cases of urinary tract infections, respiratory tract infections and diarrhea [4.4 percent]. They were tested for sensitivity to pooled normal human serum and viable counts were done at 0, 60, 120, 180 minutes. Normal human serum was obtained by pooling the sera from twenty healthy adults who were not receiving antibiotics. Five strains [50 percent] were sensitive to human serum, three strains [30 percent] were resistant to human serum and two strains [20 percent] showed intermediate sensitivity to human serum. Thus the presence of bactericidal action of normal serum on klebsiella may explain the low incidence [4.4 percent] of Klebsiella isolates from different clinical samples

Effect of tonsillectomy on antistreptolysin O and C-reactive protein

Ninety three cases of tonsillitis were studied for antistreptolysin O titre and C-reactive protein before and 2 months after tonsillectomy. Marked reduction is seen in the level of antistreptolysin after tonsillectomy. Before operation the levels ranged between 1:1360 and 1:170. After operation they ranged between 1:480-1:120. Cases with strong positive C-reactive protein turned weak positive while those with weak positive reaction either remained weak positive or turned negative