Advances in the studies of concealed penis / 中华男科学杂志

Concealed penis is usually found in children, which affects the patients both physiologically and psychologically. Some of the patients are wrongly treated by circumcision, which may bring about serious consequences to the sexual life of the patients in their adulthood. In the recent years, this disease has been receiving more and more attention from both doctors and parents. However, controversies remain as to its classification, pathogenesis, pathology, and treatment. This paper focuses on the understanding and advances in the studies of concealed penis.

Application of tunica dartos flap coverage to tubularized incised plate urethroplasty / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the application of tunica dartos flap coverage to the prevention of urinary fistula in tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study included 140 cases of hypospadias following TIP urethroplasty, aged 1.9-22 (mean 5.6) years. Of the total number, 85 cases of the distal type were treated by coverage of the neourethra with the longitudinal ventrolateral pedicled-dartos penile skin flap, while the other 55 cases of the proximal type with the pedicled-dartos flap of arteriae scrotales anteriories.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Urethrocutaneous fistula occurred in 12 of the patients, including 7 cases of distal and 6 cases of proximal hypospadias.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>For distal hypospadias, the longitudinal ventrolateral pedicled-dartos penile skin flap can be used, while for proximal urethroplasty, the pedicled-dartos flap of arteriae scrotales anteriories can be applied in coverage of the neourethra, which can effectively reduce the incidence of fistula.</p>

Diagnosis and treatment of epididymal obstructive azoospermia by microsurgery / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of epididymal obstructive azoospermia (OA) by microsurgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We performed surgical scrotal exploration for 57 cases of OA whose obstruction was suspected to be in the epididymis. Those confirmed to be epididymal OA cases and with motile sperm in the epididymis underwent longitudinal-2-suture intussusceptive vasoepididymostomy (LIVES). And for those with sperm in the epididymal head only or with bilateral obstruction or absence of the vas deferens in the distal epididymis, the sperm were collected and subjected to cryopreservation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). After surgery, the patients were followed up for observation of the semen parameters and the rate of pregnancy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the total number of patients, 53 (92.9%) were diagnosed with epididymal OA by scrotal exploration, 47 (82.5%) underwent microsurgery, and the other 10 (17.5%) received sperm cryopreservation. At 1 to 18 months after surgery, motile sperm were found in the ejaculate in 46.8% of the cases (22/47), natural pregnancy in 10.6% (5/47), and ICSI pregnancy in 18.5% (6/32).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>With the development of microsurgery, non-invasive means should be the first choice for the diagnosis of OA. And surgical exploration can be employed to determine the location of obstruction and the option for treatment.</p>

Chronic prostatitis and cytokines / 中华男科学杂志

Chronic prostatitis (CP) is a common disease in men, and its pathogenesis remains to be clarified. The precise regulation of cytokines is involved in all types and all stages of CP. The interaction of inflammation, inflammatory cells and cytokines leads to the development and progression of CP. With further understanding of the immunological and molecular biological mechanisms of the disease and more inflammatory cytokines used in its detection, it is of special significance to apply cytokines in the classification and treatment of CP. This review outlines the roles of cytokines in the pathogenesis of CP, particularly chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), their relationship with CP, and their significance in the classification and diagnosis of CP/CPPS.

Indwelling the anterior urethral stent: a good treatment option for anterior urethral stricture / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the clinical effect of indwelling the anterior urethral stent in the treatment of anterior urethral stricture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We included 38 patients with anterior urethral stricture in the treatment group, and another 38 in the control, the former treated by indwelling the anterior urethral stent, and the latter by urethral dilatation. Then we analyzed the clinical results by comparing the Qmax, urinary hesitancy and numbers of urethral dilations between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the controls, the patients of the treatment group showed an obvious increase in Qmax, a significant decrease in the number of urethral dilatations, and a marked improvement of the quality of life. Six months after the stent removal, there were significantly more patients with Qmax > 15 ml/s in the treatment group than in the control (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Indwelling the anterior urethral stent is a desirable option for the treatment of anterior urethral stricture, which is simple, safe, effective and reliable, and can be applied to general clinical practice.</p>