Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism and Safety of Perioperative Subcutaneous Heparin During Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk factors, postoperative VTE, and to assess the morbidity of perioperative pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis in men undergoing inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 215 patients undergoing IPP surgery between July 2017 and June 2019. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyzes were performed to assess pre-operative Caprini risk score and compare post-operative day 0 scrotal drain output, scrotal hematoma formation, and VTE in men who received subcutaneous heparin (SqH) vs those who did not receive SqH. RESULTS: Of 215 IPP patients, 84% were classified as high or highest risk for VTE utilizing the Caprini risk score. A total of 119 (55%) received perioperative SqH with or without additional anti-thrombotics. Post-operative day 0 scrotal drain output was higher in those who received SqH compared to those who did not receive SqH, 99.9 mL vs 75.6 mL, respectively (P = .001). Minor scrotal hematomas occurred in similar rates in patients who received perioperative SqH vs those who did not, 3.8% vs 6.3%, respectively (P = .38). Similar results were found on subgroup analysis when eliminating patients who received SqH concurrently with other anti-thrombotics. The overall rate of postoperative VTE was 0.9%. No post-operative infections occurred. CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing IPP surgery are at elevated risk for VTE. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing SqH use in the perioperative IPP surgery setting is safe when used in conjunction with a scrotal drain. Preoperative VTE risk stratification may be performed and can be used to guide clinical decision making regarding pharmacologic prophylaxis.

Sexual function in the penile cancer survivor: a narrative review.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the penis is a rare malignancy among men in North America and Europe with an incidence of <1 per 100,00 men. Of all genitourinary cancers, penile carcinoma has the potential to jeopardize sexual function the most. The treatment modalities of penile carcinoma span the gamut from organ-sparing treatments such as topical therapy, laser therapy, radiotherapy, glansectomy, wide-local excision and partial or total penectomy. There is a relative paucity of data in the medical literature describing the impact of penile cancer treatment on sexual function. The majority of available studies use retrospective data from small samples utilizing heterogeneous study tools such as patient interviews and non-validated questionnaires. The most commonly used validated instrument to evaluate sexual outcomes is the International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire (IIEF), but is limited in that it does not assess patients who perform self-stimulation or achieve sexual stimulation by any means other than penetrative intercourse. Though advances in clinical research continue; large, well-designed comparative studies using validated instruments are elusive. The sexual outcomes after penile cancer are reviewed from the available published data to better assist the patient and the treating physician with medical decision making. With a detailed assessment of sexual outcomes, the physician is better equipped in providing patient centered care to achieve outcomes meaningful for each patient.

Predictive Risk Factors for Continued Smoking after the Diagnosis of a Genitourinary Malignancy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for continued smoking following a diagnosis of a genitourinary (GU) malignancy. Smoking is a well established risk factor in the development of cancers involving the GU tract. Unfortunately, a large percentage of patients continue to smoke or relapse after cancer diagnosis; by doing so, there is an increased risk of recurrence, poor survival rates, treatment complications, secondary primary cancers, and other chronic smoking related illnesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and five patients who presented to a Urologic Oncology clinic at a single tertiary treatment center were given smoking cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy, as well as a questionnaire which was used to identify smoking status, demographics, and behavioral/psychosocial characteristics. Patients were followed for a minimum of 1 year with a median length of follow up for 13 months. RESULTS: 91% of patients enrolled in the study continued smoking at survey completion. After accounting for age, ethnicity, education and cigarettes consumed/day, 5 variables were independently associated with an increased risk of continued smoking: smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day, less than 2 prior quit attempts, anxiety and/or depression, fear of cancer recurrence, and home secondhand smoke exposure. CONCLUSION: The role of the urologist is imperative for encouraging smoking cessation. While every patient should receive adequate counseling regarding smoking at the time of a GU malignancy diagnosis, identifying patients with the risk factors noted in this study and augmenting smoking cessation efforts may result in stronger efforts to quit and prevention of long-term complications.

Low diagnostic sensitivity of cystoscopy and cystography of surgically confirmed vesicoenteric fistulae.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of cystoscopy and cystography, as compared to other diagnostic studies, in identifying vesicoenteric fistulae (VEF) in a contemporary series of patients with surgically confirmed VEF. METHODS: With institutional review board approval, we performed a single-center retrospective review of surgically confirmed VEF between 2002 and 2018. Demographic data, comorbidities, symptoms, and diagnostic evaluation were reviewed. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of cystoscopy in diagnosis of VEF were compared to cross-sectional imaging. RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 51 patients with surgically confirmed VEF secondary to diverticular disease. Diagnostic evaluation included cross-sectional imaging with CT (94%), colonoscopy (82%), cystoscopy (75%), cystography (53%), and barium enema (26%). Cystoscopic evaluation definitively demonstrated evidence of VEF in 34% of patients, while 55% of patients had nonspecific urothelial changes on cystoscopy without definitively demonstrating VEF. Comparatively, the sensitivity of VEF was 25% for cystography and 84% for CT. CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice, the diagnostic work-up of VEF is variable. In the modern era of managed care, inclusion of cystoscopy and cystography in the evaluation of VEF does not contribute a substantial additive benefit over standard cross-sectional imaging. Cystoscopy and cystography could potentially be eliminated from the diagnostic evaluation of VEF, in the absence of a concern for malignancy, in an effort to minimize unnecessary invasive testing as well as health care expenditures.

The Influence of Indentation Deformity on Outcomes With Intralesional Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum Monotherapy for Peyronie's Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To identify patient-specific factors associated with patient-reported improvements in functional outcomes after intralesional Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) for Peyronie's Disease (PD). METHODS: We retrospectively explored our prospectively maintained CCH registry. We sought to identify patient-specific factors that prevented the need for surgical straightening and/or improved ability to engage in penetrative intercourse. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients underwent CCH monotherapy and had objective follow-up data available. Mean PD symptom duration was 25 months (SD 44) and baseline curvature was 65o (SD 24). Prominent indentation/hourglass deformities (defined as girth discrepancy >10%) were present in 40 patients (47%). Mean objective curve improvement was 19o (SD 20), and 60% achieved improvement ≥15o. Greater baseline curvature was associated with greater absolute improvements in curvature, although there was no association between baseline curvature and relative (%) improvement. Three of 40 patients (8%) with indentation achieved girth improvement. Patients with baseline indentation/hourglass were less likely to report that CCH prevented the need for surgery (35% vs 64%, P = .018). Patients with curve improvement <15o were also less likely to report that CCH prevented the need for surgery (25% vs 63%, P = .0086) or improved penetration (54% vs 89%, P = .018). There were no differences in outcomes based on age, BMI, symptom duration, and presence of biplanar curvature. CONCLUSION: Baseline indentation/hourglass deformity and curve improvement <15o are associated with less favorable functional improvements such as preventing the need for surgery and improving penetration.

Metastatic Thyroid Cancer Presenting as Renal Cortical Mass.

The authors present a rare case of primary diagnosis of metastatic, differentiated thyroid cancer presenting as a solitary, large renal mass. Renal cortical masses which represent metastatic primary malignancies are often small, multifocal, and in the setting of active malignancy. Surgical excision of this patient's renal mass demonstrated the unexpected diagnosis and subsequent endocrine surgical intervention.

Penoscrotal approach for IPP: still up-to-date after more than 40 years?

Inflatable penile prosthesis is the definitive operative intervention utilized for treatment of erectile dysfunction. There are a handful of surgical approaches to perform this operation in a safe and efficient manner. The aim of this review article is to discuss the surgical approaches described in the literature, and describe the preferred approach of authors. Ultimately, the surgical approach utilized by the prosthetic surgeon depends upon their training, patient factors, and surgeon preference.

Cutaneous metastasis of bladder urothelial carcinoma.

Cutaneous metastases of genitourinary malignancies are an extremely rare phenomenon. Few cases of skin metastasis from urothelial carcinoma of the bladder have been reported. We report a case of 71-year-old female with primary bladder transitional cell carcinoma who presented with the initial presentation of cutaneous skin lesions that covered the entire lower abdominal wall.

Collagen organization of renal cell carcinoma differs between low and high grade tumors.

BACKGROUND: The traditional pathologic grading for human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has low concordance between biopsy and surgical specimen. There is a need to investigate adjunctive pathology technique that does not rely on the nuclear morphology that defines the traditional grading. Changes in collagen organization in the extracellular matrix have been linked to prognosis or grade in breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, but collagen organization has never been correlated with RCC grade. In this study, we used Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) based imaging to quantify possible differences in collagen organization between high and low grades of human RCC. METHODS: A tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed from RCC tumor specimens. Each TMA core represents an individual patient. A 5 µm section from the TMA tissue was stained with standard hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Bright field images of the H&E stained TMA were used to annotate representative RCC regions. In this study, 70 grade 1 cores and 51 grade 4 cores were imaged on a custom-built forward SHG microscope, and images were analyzed using established software tools to automatically extract and quantify collagen fibers for alignment and density assessment. A linear mixed-effects model with random intercepts to account for the within-patient correlation was created to compare grade 1 vs. grade 4 measurements and the statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Both collagen density and alignment differed significantly between RCC grade 1 and RCC grade 4. Specifically, collagen fiber density was greater in grade 4 than in grade 1 RCC (p < 0.001). Collagen fibers were also more aligned in grade 4 compared to grade 1 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Collagen density and alignment were shown to be significantly higher in RCC grade 4 vs. grade 1. This technique of biopsy sampling by SHG could complement classical tumor grading approaches. Furthermore it might allow biopsies to be more clinically relevant by informing diagnostics. Future studies are required to investigate the functional role of collagen organization in RCC.

Urethral Foreign Bodies: Clinical Presentation and Management.

OBJECTIVE: To review a single institution's 15-year experience with urethral foreign bodies, including evaluation, clinical findings, and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 27 patients comprising 35 episodes of inserted urethral foreign bodies were reviewed at Cook County Hospital between 2000 and 2015. Retrospective chart review was performed to describe the clinical presentation, rationale for insertion, management, recidivism, and sequelae. RESULTS: Median patient age was 26 (range 12-60). Twenty-six patients (97 %) were male, 1 was female (3%). Items inserted included pieces of plastic forks, spoons, metal screws and aluminum, pieces of cardboard or paper, staples, writing utensils such as pens and pencils, as well as coaxial cable and spray foam sealant. Reported reasons for insertion were self-stimulation, erectile enhancement, and attention seeking. Presenting symptoms included dysuria, gross hematuria, urinary retention, urinary tract infection, and penile discharge. The most common technique for removal was manual extraction with extrinsic pressure (n = 19, 54%). Other methods include endoscopic retrieval (n = 8, 23%), open cystotomy (n = 1, 3%), and voiding to expel the foreign body (n = 7, 20%). Postremoval complications included urinary tract infection (n = 7), sepsis (n = 4), urethral false passage (n = 5), laceration (n = 5), and stricture (n = 1). CONCLUSION: We present the largest single-institutional series of urethral foreign bodies to date. Urethral foreign body insertion is a relatively rare occurrence and, commonly, is a recurrent behavior. Urethral trauma related to foreign body insertion is associated with significant risk of infection and urethral injury with long-term sequelae.