Laparoscopic Stone Surgery With the Aid of Flexible Nephroscopy

PURPOSE: To report the outcome of laparoscopic pyelo- and ureterolithotomies with the aid of flexible nephroscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in 71 patients with complex renal stones or large and impacted proximal ureteral stones. Patients underwent laparoscopic pyelo- or ureterolithotomies with or without the removal of small residual stones by use of flexible nephroscopy between July 2005 and July 2010. Operative success was defined as no residual stones in the intravenous pyelogram at 12 weeks postoperatively. Perioperative results and surgical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 54.7+/-13.7 years, and 53 males (74.6%) and 18 females (25.4%) were included. The mean maximal stone size was 19.4+/-9.4 mm. A total of 47 cases were complex renal stones and 24 cases were impacted ureteral stones. Mean operative time was 139.0+/-63.7 minutes. Stones were completely removed in 61 cases (85.9%), and no further ancillary treatment was needed for clinically insignificant residual fragments in 7 cases (9.9%). For complex renal stones, the complete stone-free rate and clinically significant stone-free rate were 80.9% and 93.6%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the use of flexible nephroscopy for complex renal stones can reduce the risk of residual stones. A major complication occurred in one case, in which open conversion was performed. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic stone surgery is a safe and minimally invasive procedure with a high success rate, especially with the aid of flexible nephroscopy, and is not associated with procedure-specific complications.

Impact of Prostate Size on Pathologic Outcomes and Prognosis after Radical Prostatectomy

PURPOSE: We investigated prostate size and its correlation with final pathologic outcomes and prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1993 to 2009, 830 consecutive patients who underwent radical prostatectomy with follow-up duration of 12 months or more were included in this study. Patients were categorized according to prostate size as follows: group 1, prostate size 40 g (n=472). Preoperative parameters and postoperative pathologic outcomes were compared between groups. Multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify the pathologic and clinical factors affecting biochemical recurrence. RESULTS: Patients in group 1 had higher pathologic T stage (pT2a=17.7% vs. 23.9%, pT2b=1.1% vs. 0%, pT2c=40.4% vs. 39.8%, pT3a=29.5% vs. 21.0%, pT3b=10.7% vs. 13.2%, p=0.003) and higher positive surgical margin (40.3% vs. 33.1%, p=0.033) than did patients in group 2. Pathologic Gleason score was not significantly different between the two groups. The 5-year biochemical-recurrence-free survival was 62.3% for patients in group 1 and 73.2% for patients in group 2 (p=0.005). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that prostate size of 40 g or less (hazard ratio [HR], 1.378; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.027 to 1.848; p=0.032), extracapsular extension (HR, 1.592; 95% CI, 1.147 to 2.209; p=0.005), positive surgical margin (HR, 2.348; 95% CI, 1.701 to 3.242; p<0.001), and pathologic Gleason sum (HR, 1.507; 95% CI, 1.292 to 1.758; p<0.001) were independent predictors of biochemical recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Smaller prostate size was associated with increased risk of higher pT stage and positive surgical margin after radical prostatectomy. Also, prostate size less than 40 g was an independent prognostic factor for biochemical recurrence.

Impact of Prostate Size on Pathologic Outcomes and Prognosis after Radical Prostatectomy

PURPOSE: We investigated prostate size and its correlation with final pathologic outcomes and prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1993 to 2009, 830 consecutive patients who underwent radical prostatectomy with follow-up duration of 12 months or more were included in this study. Patients were categorized according to prostate size as follows: group 1, prostate size 40 g (n=472). Preoperative parameters and postoperative pathologic outcomes were compared between groups. Multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify the pathologic and clinical factors affecting biochemical recurrence. RESULTS: Patients in group 1 had higher pathologic T stage (pT2a=17.7% vs. 23.9%, pT2b=1.1% vs. 0%, pT2c=40.4% vs. 39.8%, pT3a=29.5% vs. 21.0%, pT3b=10.7% vs. 13.2%, p=0.003) and higher positive surgical margin (40.3% vs. 33.1%, p=0.033) than did patients in group 2. Pathologic Gleason score was not significantly different between the two groups. The 5-year biochemical-recurrence-free survival was 62.3% for patients in group 1 and 73.2% for patients in group 2 (p=0.005). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that prostate size of 40 g or less (hazard ratio [HR], 1.378; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.027 to 1.848; p=0.032), extracapsular extension (HR, 1.592; 95% CI, 1.147 to 2.209; p=0.005), positive surgical margin (HR, 2.348; 95% CI, 1.701 to 3.242; p<0.001), and pathologic Gleason sum (HR, 1.507; 95% CI, 1.292 to 1.758; p<0.001) were independent predictors of biochemical recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Smaller prostate size was associated with increased risk of higher pT stage and positive surgical margin after radical prostatectomy. Also, prostate size less than 40 g was an independent prognostic factor for biochemical recurrence.

Analysis of Octyl-2-Cyanoacrylate as a Dressing Material after Pediatric Urological Procedures

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Octyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Dermabond(TM)) as a topical skin adhesive for pediatric urologic open surgery. METHODS: From August 2010 to August 2011, we retrospectively evaluated pediatric patients who underwent urologic open surgery at our institution. A total of 128 pediatric patients with 210 incisions used Dermabond(TM) for skin closure. RESULTS: We divided the 128 patients into 3 groups according to type of surgery. Group 1 underwent hydrocelectomy (55 cases, 41.3%), Group 2 underwent orchiopexy (43 cases, 32.3%), Group 3 underwent penoplasty (35 cases, 26.4%). One hundred and twenty eight patients who underwent 133 surgeries in total, with a total of 210 incisions visited our outpatient department postoperatively, and a total of 5 wound complications (2.3%) occurred, but were simple inflammations and no dehiscence was observed. When analyzed according to groups, no wound problems occurred in Group 1 (0/55, 0%), one occurred in Group 2 (1/43, 2.3%) and four cases occurred in Group 3 (4/35, 11.4%) respectively. When re-analyzed according to wound locations, one occurred in an inguinal wound (1/120, 0.83%), none occurred in scrotal wounds (0/55, 0%), and four occurred in penile wounds (4/35, 11.4%). In Group 3, the incidence of penile wounds was significantly increased compared to other groups (P=0.008). All 5 wound problems were inflammatory and healed at an average of 13.8 days (13-15 days) with antibiotic ointment application only. CONCLUSION: Dermabond(TM) is feasible and safe topical skin adhesive alternative to standard skin suture in pediatric urologic surgery. However, further research about its efficacy and safety could be valuable in the future.