The effect of transobturator tape surgery on female sexual function: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: We aimed to review the literature regarding the effects of trans obturator tape surgery (TOT) on sexual functions in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) to reveal compact data and to reach more consistent and reliable results. METHODS: PRISMA statement was used in the current review. The databases of PubMed (Medline), Science Direct, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were detected independently. We evaluated the studies comparing the preoperative and postoperative sexuality parameters related to the TOT procedure in females. Studies presenting the mean and standard deviation(SD) of global and sub-item Female Sexual Function Index(FSFI) were included in the current study. RESULTS: We identified 783 studies in full publications or abstract forms using the methodology above and the search terms. Finally, eight studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled analysis of the mean difference demonstrated that the total sexual function scores of the patients improved after TOT surgery. CONCLUSION: The data collected from the current meta-analysis suggest that TOT surgery improves female sexual function.

Is varicocoelectomy indicated in infertile men with isolated teratozoospermia? a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical palpable varicocoeles in conjunction with isolated teratozoospermia are rarely observed. Therefore, the effects of varicocoelectomy on sperm morphology are not clear. The aim of this meta-analysis is to compile studies that assess the effectiveness of varicocoelectomy in isolated teratozoospermia to reach a more consistent and reliable conclusion. MATERIAL-METHODS: The present meta-analysis was registered to PROSPERO (CRD42023467933). We utilized the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guideline to report the outcomes. Articles published before 1 October 2023 were included in the study. The search terms used were teratozoospermia, isolated teratozoospermia, varicocoelectomy for isolated teratozoospermia, and semen analysis after varicocoelectomy in isolated teratozoospermia. RESULTS: We identified 1,013 studies in full publications or abstracts using the methodology and the search terms. Five studies were included for systematic review, while four were included for meta-analysis. The five studies (10-14) included 348 patients aged 18-44 years. The pooled analysis revealed a significant improvement in sperm morphology in isolated teratozoospermia patients undergoing varicocoelectomy (Q = 199.42, p < 0.0001; I2  = 98.49%). The pooled analysis revealed no significant improvement in sperm concentration in isolated teratozoospermia patients undergoing varicocoelectomy (Q = 5.69, p = 0.058; I2  = 64.85%). Three of the examined studies provided information regarding pregnancy rate and it was high in all studies. According to the Newcastle-Ottowa scale (NOS) assessment, the total quality score of all studies was 7. The funnel plot test demonstrated a visible asymmetry, and Begg and Mazumdar's rank correlation test confirmed the publication bias (p = 0.04). DISCUSSION: Varicocoelectomy can be an effective and reliable treatment option in patients with isolated morphology abnormalities and clinically palpable varicocoele. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis reported that varicocoelectomy may increase pregnancy rates by improving semen parameters in infertile men with isolated teratozoospermia, although this conclusion requires further evidence.

Is There a Link Between Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Benign Prostate Hyperplasia/Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis.

Background: Prostatic growth has been thought to be the systemic manifestation of some metabolic derangements in recent studies. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, might be closely linked with benign prostate hyperplasia and lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS). Several studies have been conducted regarding NAFLD and BPH/LUTS association. However, the results are yet to reach a clear conclusion. We aimed to gather these studies' results to make a more robust analysis through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: We systematically searched Pubmed-Medline, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct databases. We excluded all experimental studies, case reports, and reviews. Our search was restricted to the English language. We used standard mean difference for BPH/LUTS-related parameters. We identified the study qualities by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We conducted a publication bias analysis. Results: A total of six studies involving 7089 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis revealed that patients with NAFLD have larger prostate volume [0.553 (0.303-0.802), P ˂ 0.001; Q = 97.41; P-value for heterogeneity = P < 0.0001; I2 = 94.86%]. However, the summary effect size of the other parameters of BPH/LUTS (prostate-specific antigen and international prostate symptom score) computed in our meta-analysis did not yield significant results. Conclusions: The prostate size was larger in patients with NAFLD, but the meta-analysis did not reach a significant result for LUTS among the studies. These results should be tested with well-designed studies, in particular, to clarify the association of LUTS with NAFLD.

Differentiating renal pelvic cancer from renal cell carcinoma with 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: The differential diagnosis of pelvis renalis cancer (PRC) from renal cell cancer (RCC) is difficult. Because of that, in this study, we compared the standardized uptake value (SUV) with positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) of the RCC and PRC. METHODS: Twenty-one patients (12 males, 9 females; age range: 33-74 years; mean age ± standard deviation [SD]: 57.14 ± 17.6) with suspected primary renal cell cancer as Group 1 and 8 patients (6 male, 2 female; age range, 61-81; mean age ± SD, 71.5 ± 5.65) with suspected renal pelvis cancer as Group 2 detected by conventional imaging techniques (CT, magnetic resonance [MR] imaging, ultrasound, intravenous urogram, CT urography, MR urography) underwent fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT imaging between August 2010 and October 2012. RESULTS: Mean age is 57.14 (33-74) years in Group 1 and 71.5 (61-81) years in Group 2, respectively. The mean maximum SUV (SUVmax) value was 4.6 ± 2.1 in RCC group and 16.6 ± 6.9 in PRC group. At the 18-FDG PET/CT scanning, SUVmax value higher in patients with PRC than in the patients with RCC. It was statistically different (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We suggested that PET/CT can be used for the differential diagnosis of renal pelvis tumor and RCC. However, further studies with larger patient number are needed to confirm our suggestion. To clarify the mechanisms of underlying these differences, molecular advanced molecular studies are needed.

Success of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy based on CT texture analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to evaluate whether computerised tomography texture analysis (CTTA) based on non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) has predictive value for the success of extracorporeal-shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) in upper urinary tract stones (UUTS). METHODS: This study included 156 of 356 patients undergoing ESWL for UUTS sized 0.5-2 cm from 2015 to 2019. Patients with congenital kidney anomalies, radiolucent stones, multiple stones, treated for upper urinary tract stones previously and lower pole stones were excluded from study. The number of ESWL sessions of the patients was as follows: 78 (50%) patients had 1 session, 30 (19.2%) patients had 2 sessions and 48 (30.8%) patients had >2 sessions. First- and second-order CTTA properties of patients' UUTS were evaluated using texture analysis software (LIFEx Software). Other clinical features such as Hounsfield Unit (HU), initial stone size, body-mass index (BMI) and skin to stone distance (SSD) was recorded. The patients were divided into two groups according to ESWL success. Cases with residual stones larger than 4 mm were considered failed cases. RESULTS: BMI, the standard deviation of HU, SSD, skewness, kurtosis, entropy and all second-order statistics were found to be statistically different between the two groups except for correlation (P < .05). Multivariate analysis showed longer SSD and four new parameters of CTTA (kurtosis, entropy, dissimilarity and energy by the distribution of pixel grey levels in the UUTS) to be significant predictors for unsuccessful ESWL outcomes. SSD and second-order CTTA properties (dissimilarity and energy) had an area under ROC curve of 0.802, 0.850 and 0.824 at a 95% confidence interval. ESWL success rate in all patients was 76.9%. CONCLUSION: CTTA can help select patients who will undergo ESWL for upper urinary tract stones. Thus, we can reduce treatment costs and ESWL complications by preventing unnecessary ESWL applications.

The efficacy and reliability of VI-RADS in determining candidates for repeated transurethral resection in patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Our study aims to evaluate the efficiency and reliability of Vesical Imaging Reporting Data System (VI-RADS) in prospectively identifying the patients to undergo RE-TURBT in the management of patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive Bladder Cancer(HR-NMIBC).The secondary objective was to evaluate the performance of the VI-RADS scoring system in differentiating between muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer(NMIBC) prospectively. METHODS: The study included 330 patients who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumour(TURBT) for Bladder Cancer (BC) in our clinic. All patients underwent multiparametric-magnetic resonance imaging (Mp-MRI) before the operation and VI-RADS scoring was administered. The cut-off value of VI-RADS was accepted as three and above. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for the differentiation between NMIBC and MIBC distinction in all patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of the VI-RADS scoring system. In the second phase of the study, patients with MIBC and low-risk NMIBC (LR-NMBIC) were excluded and 158 patients with HR-NMIBC were included, and their sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV values were measured. ROC analysis was performed. RESULTS: In all patients, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV values of the VI-RADS scoring in the differentiation of MIBC and NMIBC were 91.3, 91.8, 81.7 and 96.3 respectively. The AUC value was 0.934 (95%CI: 0.903-0.964). Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV values were found to be 87, 91.8, 74.1, 95.2 in the evaluation specifically made for patients with HR-NMIBC. The AUC value was 0.900 (95% CI:0.843-0.957). Inter-reader agreement was excellent (Ƙ = 0.90, 95% CI:0.71-0.95). CONCLUSIONS: The VI-RADS scoring system is an effective and reliable method in determining the patients who will undergo RE-TURBT and in differentiating MIBC and NMIBC.

Influence of 3D-Calculated Parenchymal Volume Loss on Renal Function After Partial Nephrectomy.

Background: Our study aims to evaluate the influence of potential determinants of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decrease after partial nephrectomy (PN), including renal parenchymal loss and other clinical, tumoral, and surgical factors. Materials and Methods: Eighty-six patients who had undergone PN and for whom preoperative and postoperative computerized tomography scans were available were selected. We calculated the preoperative total kidney volumes, tumor volumes, and postoperative total kidney volumes 1 year after surgery using a three-dimensional (3D) volume segmentation method. Factors that may be potential determinants of percent GFR decrease were also evaluated, including patient age, type of procedure (laparoscopic vs. open), comorbidity index, preoperative GFR, tumor size and volume, RENAL nephrometry score, warm ischemia time, and 3D calculated renal parenchymal loss. Clinical, surgical, and tumor parameters potentially associated with renal parenchymal loss were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 58 years, the mean tumor diameter was 3.6 cm, and the mean tumor volume was 11.7 cc. The mean percent of renal parenchymal loss was 22.3%, and the mean percent of GFR loss was 17.3%. The renal parenchymal loss was strongly associated with age (r = 0.702, P = .02), Charlson comorbidities index (r = 0.768, P < .001), and RENAL nephrometry score (r = 0.812, P < .001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age, higher Charlson comorbidities index, higher percent renal parenchymal loss, and higher RENAL nephrometry score were independently associated with higher percent of GFR loss. Conclusion: Of all the factors analyzed, RENAL score and Charlson comorbidities index were the most accurate predictors of postoperative parenchymal loss. Also, the percent decrease in GFR at late time points was associated with renal volume preservation and quality of the remnant parenchyma.

Systemic immune inflammation index is a promising non-invasive marker for the prognosis of the patients with localized renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic implications of a preoperative novel index, systemic immune inflammation index (SII) in patients undergoing surgery due to renal cell carcinoma. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 176 patients who underwent radical nephrectomy and diagnosed with RCC was carried out. Systemic immune inflammation index, which is calculated by neutrophil x platelet/lymphocyte, and other inflammation indexes such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte were included. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was plotted, and the groups were compared using a log-rank test. The ROC curve for the aforementioned inflammation indexes was plotted. RESULTS: SII (× 109/l) for lower and higher T stage group were 743.70 ± 587.55 and 907.06 ± 631.96, respectively, which is statistically significant (p = 0.01). Patients with higher Fuhrman grade (G3 and G4) were found to have higher SII (p = 0.001). SII 830 was demonstrated as the best cut-off value for overall survival. The optimal cut-off point for SII was defined as 850 for disease-specific survival. High SII scores were associated with poor overall survival in RCC patients (p = 0.034). However, no significant association was found for disease-specific survival (p = 0.29). CONCLUSIONS: Systemic immune inflammation index was found to be associated with increased TNM stage and poor prognosis of RCC patients udergoing radical nephrectomy.

The safety and effectiveness of percutaneous nephrolithotomy in solitary kidney aging male patients: our single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in aging male patients with a solitary kidney. METHODS: Among the patients undergoing PCNL between December 2009 and September 2014, 16 patients with solitary kidney (group 1) over the age of 40 were included in the analysis. Twenty patients with bilateral kidney patients (group 2) were included in the analysis, which constituted an age-matched control group. The patients' characteristics, stone characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative outcomes, including bleeding and transfusion rates, operative time, complications, hospital stay, stone-free rates (SFR) and renal function were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients in groups 1 and 2 were 63.7 (range 48-73) and 64.8 (range 48-77). Mean stone size was 814 ± 390 mm2 in group 1, and 820 ± 405 mm2 in group 2 with no statistical significance (p = .35). The final SFR in the solitary kidney and bilateral kidney group was 87.5 and 90% (p = .07). Bleeding requiring transfusion, prolonged leakage from nephrostomy tract, mean operation time and access number were comparable between two groups (p > .05). However, the nephrostomy removal and hospital stay time were longer in the solitary kidney group (p < .05). The rate of perioperative DJ insertion was also higher in solitary kidney patients. A significant improvement was detected in creatinine and glomerular filtration rate levels in the sixth months after surgery in solitary kidney patients (p < .05). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that PCNL is a safe and effective method in aging male patients with a solitary kidney.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is safe and effective in aging male patients: a single center experience.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous nephrolithotomy in aging male patients. METHODS: Two hundred eighty-three male patients over the years of forty undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy between December 2009 and September 2014 were evaluated, retrospectively. The patients were stratified by four age groups [40-49 (group-1), 50-59 (group-2), 60-69 (group-3), ≥70 years (group-4)]. The groups were compared regarding stone size, mean operation time, mean access number, mean nephrostomy removal time, hospitalization duration, stone-free rate, and complications rate. The patients were also evaluated with regard to glomerular filtration rate levels preoperatively and in the sixth month after surgery. RESULTS: Mean stone size was 810 ± 490 mm2 in group-1, 840 ± 500 mm2 in group-2, 845 ± 480 mm2 in group-3, and 800 ± 460 mm2 in group-4 (p = .02). There was no statistical difference between the four groups in terms of mean operation time, access number, hemorrhage, nephrostomy removal time, and hospital stay duration (p > .05). After additional interventions; no significant difference was detected for final stone-free rates among the groups (p = .12). A significant improvement was detected in glomerular filtration rate levels in the sixth month after surgery in all groups (p < .05). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that percutaneous nephrolithotomy is a safe and effective method in aging male patients.

Could the monocyte/HDL cholesterol ratio be an early marker of erectile dysfunction?

OBJECTIVE: Research evaluating the relationship between the Monocyte/HDL-C ratio (MHR) and ED is limited in number. We aimed for determining whether MHR could be an early marker of ED in our study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty-nine patients diagnosed with ED during the period of April 2018-November 2018 and 100 patients that did not have any systemic diseases and erectile dysfunction were included in our study. The presence of ED was evaluated with International Erectile Function Index (IIEF-5). Peripheral blood samples were collected from the patients for complete blood count and biochemical analyses. The relationship between ED and MHR was evaluated for both groups. RESULTS: Body mass indices (BMI) of the ED group and the control group were significantly different in statistical terms. While a significant difference was observed for fasting blood glucose, total testosterone, luteinizing hormone values between the ED group and the control group, and follicle stimulant hormone values were found to be similar with each other. MHR values of two groups were found to be significantly different. DISCUSSION: MHR can be used as a marker for the determination of ED's severity and for its monitoring. We also believe that a large series of clinical and research studies are required for it to be applicable in clinical practice. Being the first prospective study in literature, we believe that our study would provide important contributions to the literature.

Statins are effective in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with metabolic syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of statins and ɑ blockers drug therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). MATERIALS AND METHOD: A total of three hundred patients were randomly distributed into three groups of one hundred patients each. Group 1 received only ɑ-adrenoceptor antagonist (ɑ-blocker, AB) (Tamsulosin), group 2 received only statin (atorvastatin), and group 3 received AB plus statin (Tamsulosin + Atorvastatin). The efficacy measurement was assessed by analyzing the changes from baseline in the total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), disease-specific QoL question score and maximum urinary flow rate at the end of 6 months in each group and between the three groups. RESULTS: Pre-treatment and post-treatment value of triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and prostate volüme (PV) were not significantly different in AB group, while TG and PV were significantly lower in patients taking statin and combined therapy. The significant decrease was demonstrated in maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) in three groups. However, the most significant decrease was observed in the combination therapy group. IPSS, postvoid residual urine volüme (PVR), and Quality of Life score (QoL) significantly changed in three groups. CONCLUSION: We recommend of the use of statins in those men with BPH accompanied by MetS in which AB is ineffective alone.

Metabolic syndrome is associated worsened erectile function in patients undergoing TURP due to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

INTRODUCTION: Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is the gold standard method for surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). So, the complications of TURP is important, in which erectile dysfunction is the most important. The aim of the present study is to evaluate erectile dysfunction in patients undergoing TURP treatment for BPH and investigate the correlation between metabolic syndrome and erectile dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 120 patients who underwent surgery for BPH at Beylikdüzü State Hospital and Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital. IIEF-5 form was administered to the patients before the surgery and six months after the surgery. The Student's t-test, Wilcoxon, and chi-square test were used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The patients were investigated by IIEF-5 scoring into three groups (severe, moderate, and non-ED (erectyl disfunction)-mild). The statistical analysis of IIEF-5 form administered to 120 patients who underwent surgery did not show any significant difference before surgery and six months after surgery (p > 0.05). Metabolic syndrome and erectile dysfunction correlation were examined, and a significant correlation was obtained between metabolic syndrome and severe erectile dysfunction (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IIEF-5 results administered before and after surgery showed no significant difference. The study showed that patients with metabolic syndrome have a higher probability of having erectile dysfunction after TURP compared to patients without metabolic syndrome. Moreover, post-surgery, patients with metabolic syndrome seemed to be affected negatively regarding erectile dysfunction compared to patients with no metabolic syndrome.

The predictive value of red cell distribution width on erectile dysfunction.

Red cell distribution width (RDW), one of the biomarkers used to measure vascular ageing, is known to correspond with cardiovascular diseases. As coronary artery disease and erectile dysfunction (ED) are both caused by the same shared pathophysiology, in this study, we compared the RDW values of men diagnosed with ED and those of healthy controls. Ninety-nine patients who were diagnosed with ED were included in the study. The control group consists of 100 men who presented to our outpatient clinic. Patients' fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly higher in men diagnosed with ED. While the mean RDW value was 13.49 ± 1.52 in men with ED, it was 12.91 ± 1.13 in the control group. When RDW values were compared between the two groups, the RDW values of men with ED were found to be statistically significantly higher. Multivariate analyses showed that only the patients' body mass index, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL-C), TG/HDL-C ratio and RDW levels' relationship with ED was statistically significant. Although some studies have shown that RDW may be related to some diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer, this appears to be the first study demonstrating a relationship between RDW and ED. RDW can be utilised as a predictor for the determination of the presence and monitoring of the severity of ED.