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INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: We performed a shamcontrolled, randomized prospective trial in men with ED using an electrohydraulic shockwave device FDA cleared for connective tissue activation and improved blood flow. METHOD(S): This single-blind study was performed in men with ED naive to acoustic wave and shockwave therapy. Patients were randomized to treatment and assigned to active low intensity shockwave therapy (LiSWT) (4 Hz, 0.12 mJ/mm2) or sham treatment, 2:1. Arm 1 consisted of 3 treatments of 5000 shocks every 3 weeks. Arm 2 consisted of 5000, 3000, and 3000 shocks during weeks 1, 2, and 3, respectively, followed by an identical cycle of treatment 3 weeks later. Doppler ultrasound and grayscale imaging with a 15.4 MHz probe were performed under pharmacologic erection at weeks 20 and 32. Subjects completing sham treatment were unblinded and crossed over to the opposite arm for active treatment. Post-treatment end diastolic velocity (EDV) and peak systolic velocity (PSV) were measured, and visual grading scores were used to assess extent of hypoechoic regions in the corpora cavernosa. Data were analyzed by 2-way repeated measures ANOVA with Geisser-Greenhouse correction. Pairwise comparisons were performed to baseline used Dunnett's multiple comparison test. Missing data were imputed by "last observation carried forward". RESULT(S): Although powered for 60, recruitment was limited due to COVID and 36 subjects (22 active, 14 sham) were randomized. Sham treatments showed no significant changes in outcome measures. The number of subjects with improved visual grading scores in the proximal region was consistently higher in active LiSWT vs sham (Arm 1=88.9% vs. 11.1%;Arm 2=40.0% vs. 20.0%, respectively) with statistical significance in Arm 1 at weeks 20 (p=0.005) and 32 (p=0.001). Sham subjects rolled over to active LiSWT also had improved grayscale ratings (Arm 1=33.3% vs. 11.1%;Arm 2=40.0% vs. 20.0%). After LiSWT, greater numbers of patients had higher PSV, lower EDV, or no worsening of blood flow parameters relative to baseline. Decrease in EDV was statistically significant in active treatment Arm 2 at Week 32 (p=0.003). Mean IIEF-EF scores were nominally higher in subjects in active treatment who had improved visual grading scores vs those with no improvement. Adverse events were transient. CONCLUSION(S): Flaccid penile LiSWT appears to be safe and efficacious for treating ED based on statistically significant changes from baseline between sham and active treatments in primary outcome measures.
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Aim: The aim of the article was to emphasize the need for a fetal medicine unit at tertiary care hospitals. Background: The incidence of Rh-negative in India is 5–10%. The issue of Rh incompatibility arises when the mother is Rh-negative and the fetus is Rh-positive. Rh alloimmunization can lead to fetal anemia, hydrops fetalis, and even intrauterine death. It leads to perinatal loss of 1–2.5%. Fetal anemia is a serious complication in pregnancy and is associated with perinatal morbidity and mortality. Intrauterine transfusion (IUT) is a good treatment option for fetal anemia due to Rh incompatibility. Intravascular transfusion offers the best chance of survival to fetuses severely affected with Rh isoimmunization, overall survival exceeding 80%. In the cases with detectable antibodies, prenatal monitoring of maternal antibody titers and fetal middle cerebral arterial-peak systolic velocity (MCA-PSV) Doppler ultrasound assessment helps to plan fetal blood sampling and IUT procedures. Thus, the establishment of fetal medicine unit at tertiary care centers in India is need of the hour. Case description: We report a case of 32-year-old G4P3L1END1IUD1 with Rh-negative sensitized pregnancy with fetal anemia, managed successfully with IUT. Clinical significance: Early diagnosis of fetal anemia by serial MCA-PSV measurements and referral to fetal medicine unit are important for improving the outcome in Rh-negative sensitized pregnancies. Conclusion: Establishment of fetal medicine unit at tertiary care centers is the need of the hour to improve the fetal outcome in high-risk pregnancies like Rh-negative pregnancy.
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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Graft artery stenosis can have a significant shortand long-term negative impact on kidney graft function. We previously reported an unusual number of graft-arterial anomalies following kidney transplantation (KTx) in children during the first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic wave (Berteloot et al.) [1]. We report herein the 1-year follow-up of these patients. METHOD: In this retrospective study, we included all children who received a KTx at our centre from February to July 2020. We compared their outcome to that of paediatric recipients who were transplanted at our centre from 2015 to 2019 and presented an allograft vascular complication ('Historic' group) by querying our local data warehouse. RESULTS: Among the 9 children who received a KTx at our centre between February and July 2020 [8 boys, median age 10 years (3-17)], 8 presented Doppler features suggesting arterial stenosis, with an unusual extensive pattern (Figure 1) after a median delay of 13 days (8-113). For comparison, persistent spectral Doppler arterial anomalies were observed in only 5% of children following KTx at our centre over the previous 5-year period and were all focal anastomotic stenoses. In addition, five children had lymphoceles, which required surgical management as compared to only one patient in the 5 previous years (1%). We retrospectively diagnosed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-20 infection in 6/8 children with arterial stenosis on serologies performed at D0, including one boy with a history of positive real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) 120 days before KTx. None of the patients had reported any symptom suggestive of COVID-19. The remaining two patients had received a graft from an asymptomatic deceased adolescent donor with a positive serology at D0. These data led us to suspect immune post-viral graft vasculitis, triggered by SARS-CoV-2. At 1-year post-transplantation, the outcome was favourable in the 8 isolated KTx recipients. A total of 4/8 children had normal blood pressure and 4 had controlled high blood pressure on mono or bi-therapy. Doppler anomalies had resolved in 5/8 and persisted in 3/8 with a trend for improvement of peak systolic velocities and no severe consequences on kidney function and histology. Indeed, the median glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 91 mL/min/1.73 m2 (65-129), with unspecific and mild lesions on 4/8 protocol kidney biopsies (IFTA 1 or Cpt 1). One liver-kidney graft recipient had persistent hypertension and diffuse irregular inflammatory parietal thickening of the whole vascular graft associated with a parietal thrombus upstream of the birth of the two hepatic arteries (Figure 2);treated with anti-aggregation and prednisone 10 mg/d. CONCLUSION: Our case series suggests a risk of post-viral kidney graft vasculitis in children with recent SARS-CoV-2 infection in the recipient or donor. Pre-transplant vaccination against COVID-19 is mandatory in children > 5 years and their kidney donor candidates at our centre. We also strongly recommend vaccination of all people aged > 5 years in the household. (Figure Presented).
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Background: Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder which represents the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It is often triggered by an acute event, such as infections. SARS-CoV-2 binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), expressed mostly in the lungs but also in several endocrine organs like thyroid. Description of the Case: We report a case of a 49-years-old woman admitted to our Unit due to fever, tachycardia and worsening dyspnea. Nasopharyngeal swab test resulted positive for SARS-CoV-2 (PCR). Blood sample test for D-dimer resulted increased (1272 ug/l, normal value <500), and bilateral subsegmental embolism was found on CTAngiography. She reported palpitations, insomnia and weight loss in the past days. Past medical history included euthyroid nodular thyroid disease, hypertension and obesity. Laboratory tests revealed hyperthyroidism with positive thyroid antibodies with TSH<0.05 mU/l, FT4 32 ng/l and FT3 5.9 ng/l (normal value 8-17 and 2-4, respectively), and elevated AbTPO 137 KU/l (<34) and AbTSH-r 2.4 U/l (<2). Thyroid ultrasound showed an enlarged gland with heterogeneous echotexture and hyperechoic nodules;an hypervascular pattern with elevated peak systolic velocity in inferior thyroid artery (50-69 cm/s) was found at colorDoppler. A diagnosis of Graves' disease was established and treatment with thiamazole was started, achieving normal heart rate control and recovery of symptoms. Conclusions: In the absence of a clear trigger for our patient's thyroid storm, we suggest SARS-CoV-2 infection, in addition to CT iodinate contrast medium, might precipitate or worsen a latent Graves' disease.
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BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effects of COVID-19 infection on the ocular vascular structure including choroidal thickness and retrobulbar blood flow values in comparison with healthy subjects. METHODS: Ninety eyes of 90 patients were included in this study. Participants were divided into Group 1 (n = 30) with mild COVID-19 infection, Group 2 (n = 31) with moderate disease, and Group 3 with age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (n = 29). Choroidal thickness was measured at the subfoveal area and at 500-µm intervals nasal and temporal to the fovea up to a distance of 1500 µm, using the enhanced depth imaging (EDI) technique of spectral coherence tomography (SD-OCT). The peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), resistive index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI) values of the central retinal artery (CRA) and ophthalmic artery (OA) were evaluated with color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU). RESULTS: The choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in Group 1 and Group 2 than in Group 3 at all measurement points (p <0.001). This difference was not present between Group 1 and Group 2 who had COVID-19 disease of different severity (p>0.05).Among the retrobulbar blood flow parameters, OA PSV value was significantly lower in Group 1 and Group 2 compared to Group 3 (p = 0.025, p = 0.016, respectively). However, the CRA PSV and EDV and OA EDV values, and the CRA and OA PI and RI values were not statistically different between the groups (p> 0.05). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 infection may predispose patients to ocular vascular pathologies by affecting both choroidal and retrobulbar blood flow.