Robot-Assisted Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma in a Patient with an Ileal Conduit.

Background: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma remains an uncommon disease that is clinically difficult to identify early and surveil. Open nephroureterectomy is the gold standard for patients with high-grade disease, especially for patients in whom surveillance is complicated such as those with prior cystectomies/ileal conduits. This report presents a case of a patient with a history of radical cystectomy and ileal conduit construction who underwent a successful minimally invasive robotic surgery for treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Case Presentation. The patient is a 72-year-old Caucasian male with a history of recurrent superficial bladder tumors treated with cystoscopies with fulguration, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, and a robot-assisted cystectomy with ileal conduit diversion presenting with recurrent urinary tract infections and hematuria secondary to a ureteral stricture. The patient was admitted previously for urosepsis during which time a percutaneous nephrostomy tube was inserted on the right side. Upon presentation, imaging revealed a lesion extending from the lower pole of the right kidney into the renal pelvis. The presence of a nephrostomy and urostomy allowed the surgical team to utilize a minimally invasive approach to remove the diseased kidney and ureter with visualization enhanced by indocyanine green. Conclusion: Minimally invasive robot-assisted approaches to treating upper tract urothelial carcinomas may offer an alternative to the open cases typically employed in cases of patients with prior ileal conduit. Furthermore, utilizing indocyanine green may expand the applicability of such approaches to uro-oncologic cases with greater complexity.

Open transperitoneal partial nephrectomy in a horseshoe kidney.

We report the case of a 50-year-old Tibetan man who presented to an outpatient urology clinic after abdominal ultrasound for poorly defined abdominal pain demonstrated horseshoe kidney (HK) with a right moiety ~3.7 cm mass further characterised using contrast-enhanced CT scan (CECT). This dedicated imaging confirmed HK with a heterogeneously enhancing right upper pole 3.1 cm×3.7 cm×2.7 cm mass. Due to suspicion for aberrant vasculature on CECT, renovascular angiography was performed, which revealed recruitment of a right paravertebral vessel alongside two right renal moiety arteries and multiple right renal moiety veins. Based on vascular complexity and the surgical exposure required for arterial clamping, open transperitoneal right partial nephrectomy was preferred to minimally invasive techniques. Postoperative course was complicated by ileus, which resolved with standard management. Pathologic analysis revealed complete resection of a 5.0 cm Fuhrman grade II clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Distal Ureteral Calculus or Deflux Calcification?

Background: There have been >50,000 dextranomer-hyaluronic acid implants performed since 2001, and each has the potential to calcify. Although they are most often asymptomatic, these calcifications may mimic large distal ureteral calculi and are often misidentified on CT performed for suspected urolithiasis or other complaints. Case Presentation: We report the case of a 21-year-old woman who presented with symptoms consistent with obstructive uropathy who was reported to have bilateral ureteral-vesicular junction calculi on abdominal CT evaluation. On further questioning she relayed the history of a vague urologic procedure as a child but was unable to characterize it further. On the basis of her relatively mild symptoms, urinalysis and renal ultrasonography were obtained demonstrating bilateral ureteral jets and she was diagnosed with nonobstructing bilateral dextranomer-hyaluronic acid calcifications and a presumed urinary tract infection that resolved with empiric antibiotic therapy. Conclusion: Accurate diagnosis of implant calcification is critical to effective therapy and avoiding unnecessary radiation or anesthesia. This diagnosis should be suspected with radiologically demonstrated large ureteral calculi but relatively mild presenting symptoms. As dextranomer-hyaluronic acid implantation is routinely performed in young patients it is also possible that this relevant history will not be reported.

Percutaneous and Endoscopic Management of Nephrolithiasis in a Patient with Five Native Ureters (Trifid Right and Bifid Left Collecting System).

Triplication of the ureter is a rare urologic finding that has been well described in the literature. Patients can present with urinary tract infections, incontinence, and calculi. We present the case of a patient with extensive stone burden with right trifid and left bifid collecting systems. Stone management was performed with a multimodal approach using a combination of endoscopic and percutaneous approaches. Our systematic and staged approach highlights a method for efficacious stone treatment in a complex endourologic case.

Robotic Ureteral Reconstruction Using Buccal Mucosa Grafts: A Multi-institutional Experience.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive treatment of long, multifocal ureteral strictures or failed pyeloplasty is challenging. Robot-assisted buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty (RBU) is a technique for ureteral reconstruction that avoids the morbidity of bowel interposition or autotransplantation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate outcomes for RBU in a multi-institutional cohort of patients treated for revision ureteropelvic junction obstruction and long or multifocal ureteral stricture at three tertiary referral centers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective study involved data for 19 patients treated with RBU at three high-volume centers between October 2013 and July 2016. SURGICAL PROCEDURE: RBU was performed using either an onlay graft after incising the stricture or an augmented anastomotic repair in which the ureter was transected and re-anastomosed primarily on one side, and a graft was placed on the other side. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables and outcomes were assessed. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The onlay technique was used for 79%, while repair was carried out using the augmented anastomotic technique for the remaining cases. The reconstruction was reinforced with omentum in 95% of cases. The ureteral stricture location was proximal in 74% and mid in 26% of cases. A prior failed ureteral reconstruction was present in 53% of patients. The median stricture length was 4.0cm (range 2.0-8.0), operative time was 200min (range 136-397), estimated blood loss was 95ml (range 25-420), and length of stay was 2 d (range 1-15). There were no intraoperative complications. At median follow-up of 26 mo, the overall success rate was 90%. CONCLUSIONS: RBU is a feasible and effective technique for managing complex proximal and mid ureteral strictures. PATIENT SUMMARY: We studied robotic surgery for long ureteral strictures using grafts at three referral centers. Our results demonstrate that robotic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty is a feasible and effective technique for ureteral reconstruction.

Fournier's Gangrene: A Review and Outcome Comparison from 2009 to 2016.

Objective: The outcome of Fournier's gangrene (FG) may be affected by comorbidities, demographics, and choice of treatment modality. We sought to evaluate our institution's management protocol of FG measured by mortality rate (MR) and length of hospital stay (LHS) in a retrospective cohort study. Approach: A database of 20 FG cases at our institution throughout the 2009-2016 study period was assembled by a retrospective review of medical records. A Fournier's Gangrene Severity Index Score (FGSIS) was calculated for each case. Data were analyzed for statistical significance using logistic regression. Results: The most common presentation of FG at our institution was a hyperglycemic diabetic male in his fifth decade of life with a second risk factor such as recent surgery or active malignancy. The average FGSIS was 9 overall and 14 for the mortalities. An increased FGSIS was predictive of having an increased MR or hospital stay above the median (>25 days) (p = 0.0194). The average LHS was 32 days overall, 22 days for patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and 40 days for patients treated with tangential hydrosurgery. Overall MR was 15%. Innovation: This is the second known study to characterize usage of tangential hydrosurgery in the management of FG. Conclusion: Treatment outcomes at our institution are comparable to those reported in recent literature, a significant decline from the historical MR of 50-60%.

Hyper IgE Syndrome and Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Hyper IgE Syndrome (HIES) is an immunodeficiency disorder characterized by increased serum levels of IgE, eczema, and recurrent cutaneous and pulmonary infections. In this report, we present, to our knowledge, the first documented case of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) found in a patient with HIES. The patient received infectious disease clearance prior to obtaining a partial nephrectomy which revealed clear cell histology. Both HIES and RCC have an immunological basis for their pathophysiology and may involve common pathways. Further studies may provide insight into any possible link and clinicians should be mindful of immunocompromised patients who present with risk factors for genitourinary malignancy.

Prostatectomy for benign prostate disease: open, laparoscopic and robotic techniques.

INTRODUCTION: Prostatectomy for benign disease, also known as a 'simple prostatectomy', is neither simple in indication nor approach. In the post-Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms (MTOPS), NCT00021814 trial era, the medical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and consequent bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) has shifted surgical intervention to those patients who are medical-non responders, present with advanced signs of BOO and obstructive uropathy, and those with prostate gland volumes beyond the size normally approachable with standard transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Simple prostatectomy through an open surgical approach is associated with improvements in BOO and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) but at the expense of considerable surgical and perioperative morbidity. Advances in technology have made it possible for patients to be offered standard open surgical approaches as well as transurethral approaches with photon-based energy sources (i.e. laser prostatectomy) and laparoscopic simple prostatectomy. A review of the historical challenges of BPH and the standard-of-care of open prostatectomy will put into perspective the potential advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic and robotic prostatectomy for the treatment of benign BOO due to BPH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A careful review of the literature was performed utilizing PubMed and ClinicalKey searches to identify relevant articles. Search terms 'simple prostatectomy', 'robotic simple prostatectomy' and 'laparoscopic simple prostatectomy'. RESULTS: Over 14 series of open simple prostatectomies and over 20 minimally invasive series were identified and used as a reference. Additionally, several review articles were identified and incorporated. CONCLUSIONS: Simple prostatectomy may be performed safely in appropriately selected patients utilizing either open or minimally invasive approaches. Clinical criteria should be used to determine the appropriateness of either retropubic versus transvesical approach.