Iliac Artery-Uretero-Colonic Fistula Presenting as Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage and Hematuria: A Case Report.

Background: The experience with uretero-arterial fistulas has been limited. However, the aggressive treatment of pelvic tumors with surgical resection and radiotherapy, along with liberal use of ureteral catheters, has been attributed to an increase in their incidence. Unless they are promptly diagnosed and treated, uretero-arterial fistulas are associated with considerably high rates of morbidity and mortality. Urologists need maintain a high degree of suspicion for uretero-arterial fistula in high-risk patients. We herein present the clinical course of an iliac artery-uretero-colonic fistula. Case Presentation: A 67-year-old woman with a history of colon cancer who underwent laparoscopic high anterior resection in July 2010. A ureteral stent inserted to right ureteral stricture, which developed as a result of local recurrence of the tumor in September 2010. She had undergone chemoradiotherapy, but the lesion had slowly increased in size. During the replacement of the ureteral stent in April 2016, she immediately experienced bladder tamponade, bloody bowel discharge, and hypotension. Contrast CT revealed a complex fistula between the right distal ureter and the right internal iliac artery. Furthermore, contrast medium flowed into the intestinal tract through the tumor. The patient was therefore diagnosed with internal iliac artery-uretero-colonic fistula. Arteriography revealed a right uretero-internal iliac artery fistula, and the embolization of the right internal iliac artery was performed. The right ureteral stent was removed. Her hematuria and bloody bowel discharge disappeared, but right nephrostomy was performed because she presented with acute pyelonephritis to ureteral obstruction. Conclusion: In the present case, the uretero-arterial fistula was caused by the long use of an indwelling stent, chemoradiotherapy, infection, and an increase in the size of the lesion. When a suspected uretero-arterial fistula is accompanied by bloody bowel discharge, we should consider the possibility of traffic to the intestinal tract.

Outcomes of Ureteral Stent Placement for Hydronephrosis in Patients with Gynecological Malignancies.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the outcomes of patients undergoing ureteral stent placement for hydronephrosis that occurred during treatment for gynecological malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2004 to December 2009, we enrolled 33 patients with 45 ureters undergoing ureteral stent placement for hydronephrosis which occurred during treatment for gynecological malignancies. We examined the outcomes of the patients after stent placement. RESULTS: The causes of hydronephrosis were obstruction of the urinary tract by a tumor (n = 22), obstruction due to lymph node swelling (n = 6), ureteral stenosis after radiation therapy (n = 4), and others (n = 1). The ureteral stent was inserted into both ureters in 12 cases, and into one ureter in 21 cases. Ureteral stents were replaced 1-26 times during the observation period (median 3 times). Eighteen (40%) ureteral stents were removed. The reasons for ureteral stent removal were hydronephrosis improvement (11 ureters, 24.4%), a change to nephrostomy (cystectomy: 1 ureter, progression of ureteral stenosis: 2 ureters), renal atrophy (3 ureters), and ureteral dilatation (1 ureter). All of the cases in which ureteral stent withdrawal due to hydronephrosis improvement were cases in which the ureter was compressed by a tumor and were lower ureteral obstructions. Twenty-one patients (64%) died due to cancer after stent placement. The periods from the first stent placement to death ranged from 1 to 58 months (median 18 months). CONCLUSION: Ureteral stent placement was associated with a poor prognosis in patients with gynecological malignancies. There were a few cases in which stent withdrawal became possible due to the improvement of hydronephrosis. In such cases, the withdrawal rate varied according to the cause and obstructive level.

[PROCEDURE AND FEASIBILITY OF LAPAROSCOPIC RENAL BIOPSY].

OBJECTIVES: Recently, laparoscopic surgery is the standard procedure in urological field. We report the experience of laparoscopic renal biopsy for 4 patients who have contraindication of ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal biopsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the patients who underwent laparoscopic renal biopsy (LRB) from March 2010 to June 2013 in our hospital. Four female with mean age of 54.5 years old underwent LRB. Two patients had solitary kidney and the other 2 patients had bleeding tendency. All the biopsy was performed retroperitoneal approach. We used 18-gauge biopsy needle to take renal cortical tissue in all cases. In addition, one patient underwent small wedge biopsy with a cold knife. RESULTS: Mean operative time, pneumoperitoneal time, and estimated blood loss was 63.0 min (range 48-92 min), 37.5 min (range 22-75), and 11.25 ml (range 0-30 ml), respectively. No perioperative complication was observed. In all cases, we can diagnose pathologically by LRB. CONCLUSIONS: LRB is safe, effective, and feasible procedure for the patients in whom ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal biopsy is contraindication.

Is the eGFR formula adequate for evaluating renal function before chemotherapy in patients with urogenital cancer? A suggestion for clinical application of eGFR formula.

BACKGROUND: Accurate evaluation of renal function is required before cancer chemotherapy. Various kinds of formula have been developed for estimating creatinine clearance (Ccr) or glomerular filtration rate (GFR) conveniently. We retrospectively examined the reliability of the GFR estimating formula using the renal function data in cancer chemotherapy. METHODS: Clinical data of 12 patients with urogenital cancer from 1998 to 2013 in Saga University Hospital were reviewed. Patients were treated with 6-21 (median 10.5) courses of chemotherapy and those patients underwent 9-29 (median 14.5) times of 24hrCcr tests before and during chemotherapy. We compared estimated GFR (eGFR) with 24hrCcr. In addition, we developed a novel method to estimate the Ccr using the patient-inherent 24hrCcr/eGFR ratio, which is calculated from initial 3 or 4 determinations of 24hrCcr and the corresponding eGFR. Those estimated Ccrs were also compared with 24hrCcr. RESULTS: The dissociation between 24hrCcr and eGFR was not constant, and a large dissociation was observed in some cases. The newly devised estimated Ccr demonstrated less dissociation from 24hrCcr compared with eGFR. CONCLUSIONS: The eGFR formula is not adequate for the clinical use in cancer chemotherapy. The absolute value of eGFR is not reliable, but clinical use of eGFR as relative value seems to be acceptable. To avoid troublesome 24hrCcr measurement in long-term cancer chemotherapy, eGFR formula can be used for estimating Ccr in combination with the specific inherent 24hrCcr/eGFR ratio, which is obtained from 3 or 4 times of actual 24hrCcr measurements.

Usefulness of Blocksom vesicostomy in elderly men with chronic urinary retention and severe dementia.

AIM: In the present article, we present the usefulness of Blocksom vesicostomy in elderly men with chronic urinary retention. METHODS: We carried out Blocksom vesicostomy in four patients between January 2011 and September 2013. We followed up all patients over 6 months. We checked their general and urinary condition based on interviews with their family members. RESULTS: The etiology of urinary retention included prostate cancer and neurogenic bladder. All of the patients had severe dementia. We successfully managed the urinary treatment of all patients, although their general conditions gradually deteriorated. CONCLUSIONS: In general, this type of vesicostomy is not a popular urinary treatment; however, Blocksom vesicostomy can be useful for treating elderly men with chronic urinary retention and severe dementia.