OnabotulinumtoxinA is now an important tool for managing pediatric neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction.

Initial urologic management of pediatric neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) includes clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) regimen and use of anticholinergic or beta3 agonist medications. Historically, NLUTD that did not respond to these initial management strategies received open surgical procedures such as augmentation cystoplasty (AC) to increase bladder capacity and create a lower-pressure reservoir. Since its first reported use in 2002, intradetrusor onabotulinumtoxinA (BTX-A) injections has developed an emerging role in management of pediatric NLUTD, culminating in its recent FDA-approval in 2021. In this review, the current evidence regarding the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of BTX-A use in pediatric NLUTD will be summarized. Additionally, we will attempt to define the current role of BTX-A in the management of patients with NLUTD, discuss limitations to the current body of literature, and suggest future avenues of study.

First in Human Subjects Testing of the UroMonitor: A Catheter-free Wireless Ambulatory Bladder Pressure Monitor.

PURPOSE: Urodynamics is the standard method of diagnosing bladder dysfunction, but involves catheters and retrograde bladder filling. With these artificial conditions, urodynamics cannot always reproduce patient complaints. We have developed a wireless, catheter-free intravesical pressure sensor, the UroMonitor, which enables catheter-free telemetric ambulatory bladder monitoring. The purpose of this study was twofold: to evaluate accuracy of UroMonitor pressure data, and assess safety and feasibility of use in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven adult female patients undergoing urodynamics for overactive bladder symptoms were enrolled. After baseline urodynamics, the UroMonitor was transurethrally inserted into the bladder and position was confirmed cystoscopically. A second urodynamics was then performed with the UroMonitor simultaneously transmitting bladder pressure. Following removal of urodynamics catheters, the UroMonitor transmitted bladder pressure during ambulation and voiding in private. Visual analogue pain scales (0-5) were used to assess patient discomfort. RESULTS: The UroMonitor did not significantly alter capacity, sensation, or flow during urodynamics. The UroMonitor was also easily inserted and removed in all subjects. The UroMonitor reproduced bladder pressure, capturing 98% (85/87) of voiding and nonvoiding urodynamic events. All subjects voided with only the UroMonitor in place with low post-void residual volume. Median ambulatory pain score with the UroMonitor was rated 0 (0-2). There were no post-procedural infections or changes to voiding behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The UroMonitor is the first device to enable catheter-free telemetric ambulatory bladder pressure monitoring in humans. The UroMonitor appears safe and well tolerated, does not impede lower urinary tract function, and can reliably identify bladder events compared to urodynamics.

Inconsistent Adoption of World Health Organization V (2010) Semen Analysis Reference Ranges in the United States Eight Years After Publication.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the percentage of laboratories in the United States that have adopted the World Health Organization 2010 (WHO 5) semen analysis (SA) reference values 6years after their publication. METHODS: Laboratories were identified via 3 approaches: using the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) website, the CDC's 2015 Assisted Reproductive Technology Fertility Clinical Success Rate Report, and automated web searches. Laboratories were contacted by phone or email to obtain de-identified SA reports and reference ranges. RESULTS: We contacted 617 laboratories in 46 states, of which 208 (26.7%) laboratories in 45 states were included in our analysis. 132 (63.5%) laboratories used WHO 5 criteria, 57 (27.4%) used WHO 4 criteria, and 19 (9.1%) used other criteria. WHO 5 criteria adoption rates varied by geographic region, ranging from 87.5% (35/40) in the Midwest to 50.0% (33/66) in the West. There was a greater adoption rate of WHO 5 reference values in academic affiliated (23/26, 88.5%) compared to non-academic affiliated laboratories (110/182, 60.4%) (P = .028). CONCLUSION: While the majority of laboratories have adopted WHO 5 criteria following its release 6years ago, a large percentage (36.5%) use what is now considered outdated criteria. This variability could result in the characterization of a male's semen values as being "within reference range" at one center and "outside of reference range" at another. This inconsistency in classification may result in confusion for the both patient and physician and potentially shift the burden of infertility evaluation and treatment to the female partner.

High-Risk of Adverse Pathologic Features in Patients With Clinical T1 High-Grade Bladder Cancer Undergoing Radical Cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Radical cystectomy (RC) is used to treat select patients with T1 high-grade (T1HG) bladder cancer. However, population-level utilization trends and outcomes for these patients are not well-known. We sought to evaluate treatment patterns and clinicopathologic outcomes of RC for T1HG bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) for 1998-2012, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with clinical T1HG bladder cancer. The prevalence of RC used to treat T1HG bladder cancer from 1998-2012 was determined. For years 2010-2012, demographic and cancer-related factors were described and regression analysis was used to examine associations with RC. Oncologic outcomes of RC were described and related to mortality using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Treatment of T1HG bladder cancer with RC nearly doubled, from 5.5% during 1998-2000 to 9.9%, during 2010-2012. For 2010-2012, 18,277 patients with T1HG bladder cancer were analyzed. Patients who underwent RC were younger, had fewer comorbidities, and were more often treated at an academic center than those who did not undergo RC. At the time of RC, 41% of patients with T1HG bladder cancer were upstaged (pT2 or greater) and 12.7% had lymph node metastases. The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 0.89 and 0.68, respectively. Extravesical (T3+) disease at RC had the strongest independent hazard (hazard ratio [HR], 2.32; 95% CI, 1.72-3.11) of death other than age of 82 years or older (HR, 3.40; 95% CI, 2.28-5.07). CONCLUSIONS: The use of RC for T1HG bladder cancer has increased in prevalence in recent years but is still not widely used. There are concerning pathologic outcomes in patients with clinical T1HG bladder cancer treated with RC, including high rates of pathologic upstaging and nodal metastases. Future studies are necessary to better risk-stratify patients with T1HG bladder cancer to best select those who will benefit from aggressive therapy with RC.

Predicting Patients with Inadequate 24- or 48-Hour Urine Collections at Time of Metabolic Stone Evaluation.

PURPOSE: We aimed to understand the characteristics of patients who are less likely to submit adequate urine collections at metabolic stone evaluation. METHODS: Inadequate urine collection was defined using two definitions: (1) Reference ranges for 24-hour creatinine/kilogram (Cr/24) and (2) discrepancy in total 24-hour urine Cr between 24-hour urine collections. There were 1502 patients with ≥1 kidney stone between 1998 and 2014 who performed a 24- or 48-hour urine collection at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and who were identified retrospectively. Multivariate analysis was performed to analyze predictor variables for adequate urine collection. RESULTS: A total of 2852 urine collections were analyzed. Mean age for males was 54.4 years (range 17-86), and for females was 50.2 years (range 8-90). One patient in the study was younger than 17 years old. (1) Analysis based on the Cr 24/kg definition: There were 50.7% of patients who supplied an inadequate sample. Females were nearly 50% less likely to supply an adequate sample compared with men, P<0.001. Diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.42 [1.04-1.94], P=0.026) and vitamin D supplementation (OR 0.64 [0.43-0.95], P=0.028) predicted receiving an adequate/inadequate sample, respectively. (2) Analysis based on differences between total urinary Cr: The model was stratified based on percentage differences between samples up to 50%. At 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% differences, inadequate collections were achieved in 82.8%, 66.9%, 51.7%, 38.5%, and 26.4% of patients, respectively. Statistical significance was observed based on differences of ≥40%, and this was defined as the threshold for an inadequate sample. Female sex (OR 0.73 [0.54-0.98], P=0.037) predicted supplying inadequate samples. Adequate collections were more likely to be received on a Sunday (OR 1.6 [1.03-2.58], P=0.038) and by sedentary workers (OR 2.3 [1.12-4.72], P=0.023). CONCLUSION: Urine collections from patients during metabolic evaluation for nephrolithiasis may be considered inadequate based on two commonly used clinical definitions. This may have therapeutic or economic ramifications and the propensity for females to supply inadequate samples should be investigated further.

Predictors of urinary continence following tethered cord release in children with occult spinal dysraphism.

OBJECTIVE: Children with occult spinal dysraphism represent a wide spectrum of patients. Previous studies assessing urologic outcomes have in part been deficient due to the inability to appropriately categorize these patients and gather long-term follow-up data. In this study, a uniform set of patients that had occult spinal dysraphism with magnetic resonance imaging findings of a fatty filum terminale (FF) and/or low-lying cord (LLC) was identified. Utilizing long-term follow-up data, predictors for achieving urinary continence following tethered cord release (TCR) were determined. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients with a diagnosis of tethered cord who underwent TCR from 1995 to 2005 was performed. Analysis was limited to patients who had primary TCR by one of two neurosurgeons within our multidisciplinary spina bifida clinic, who had greater than 1-year follow-up, and who were old enough to have continence status assessed (age > 6 years unless definitively toilet trained earlier). Patients with other associated forms of spinal dysraphism (lipomyelomeningeocele, spinal lipomas, sacral agenesis), anorectal malformations, and genitourinary anomalies were excluded. Pre- and post-TCR urodynamics, radiographic studies, functional orthopedic status, and urologic outcomes were assessed. Urodynamic results were categorized by three blinded urologists into one of three urodynamic patterns: (1) normal, (2) indeterminate, and (3) high risk. RESULTS: A total of 147 patients with FF and/or LLC that underwent TCR were reviewed. 51 patients were excluded because of another associated spinal dysraphism (15/51 patients) or an anorectal/genitourinary anomaly (36/51 patients). Fifty-nine of the remaining 96 patients had adequate long-term follow-up data to be included in the study. 20 patients were asymptomatic at the time of TCR while 39 presented with orthopedic and/or urologic symptoms. The average age at surgery was 59.3 months (range 2-277 months) with an average follow-up of 7.0 years (range 1-16 years). At latest follow-up, 47 (80%) patients were continent while 12 (20%) were either incontinent or utilizing clean intermittent catheterization (CIC). Statistical analysis revealed that age of untethering, type of cutaneous lesion, level of conus, presence of hydronephrosis, and high-grade vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) were not independent predictors of continence. In patients with a cutaneous lesion who were asymptomatic, 19/20 obtained continence post-TCR (*p = 0.036). In patients who were old enough to assess continence pre-TCR, 14/25 patients were continent pre-TCR and 11/25 were incontinent. Of the 14 who were continent pre-TCR, all remained continent post-TCR (*p = 0.002). Of the 11 who were incontinent pre-TCR, five (45%) eventually became continent post-TCR. Assessment of urodynamic data revealed that neither pre- nor post-TCR urodynamics predicted continence status. CONCLUSION: Isolated cutaneous lesions and preoperative continence status are positive predictors for post-TCR continence. While pre- and post-TCR urodynamics do not predict continence status, their utility in preoperative work-up, monitoring for retethering, and long-term urologic follow-up requires further examination.

Robot assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty in obese and non-obese patients.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether increased BMI has a negative impact in children undergoing robot assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RALP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of patients who underwent RALP were retrospectively reviewed and separated into healthy weight, overweight, and obese cohorts based on age-adjusted BMI percentile, and surgical and postsurgical outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 103 patients, there were 79 healthy weight and 24 overweight, with 10 of the 24 considered obese (BMI<85th, ≥85th, and ≥95th percentile for age, respectively). Cohorts were similar in respect to age, sex, laterality and symptoms. Operative time (234 min, 241 min, p=0.642; 254 min, p=0.324), EBL (7.1 ml, 10.5 ml, p=0.293; 6.8 ml, p=0.906), length of stay (1.2d, 1.2d p=0.545; 1.1d p=0.550), and narcotic administration (0.25 mg/kg, 0.25 mg/kg, p=0.545; 0.13 mg/kg, p=0.430) were similar between healthy weight, overweight, and obese cohorts, respectively. Complication rates were similar in regard to minor and major complications. There was no difference in decreased hydronephrosis (92.2%, 89.6%, p=0.440; 88.9%, p=0.730). Four patients (3.4%) required a reoperative procedure (three healthy weight, one overweight; p=NS). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the potential difficulties with surgery in overweight patients, our data indicate that robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty can be performed as safely and effectively in overweight or obese children as in healthy weight children.