Gabapentin for Postoperative Pain Control and Opioid Reduction in Scrotal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: To assess the safety and efficacy of gabapentin in reducing postoperative pain among patients undergoing scrotal surgery for male infertility by conducting a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, healthy men undergoing scrotal surgery with a single surgeon were randomized to receive either (1) gabapentin 600 mg given 2 hours preoperatively and 300 mg taken 3 times a day postoperatively for 3 days, or (2) inactive placebo. The primary outcome measure was difference in postoperative pain scores. Secondary outcomes included differences in opioid usage, patient satisfaction, and adverse events. RESULTS: Of 97 patients screened, 74 enrolled and underwent randomization. Of these, 4 men were lost to follow-up, and 70 were included in the final analysis (35 gabapentin, 35 placebo). Both differences in initial postoperative mean pain score (-1.14, 95% CI -2.21 to -0.08, P = .035) and final mean pain score differences (-1.27, 95% CI -2.23 to -0.32, P = .0097) indicated lower gabapentin pain compared to placebo. There were no statistically significant differences in opioid usage, patient satisfaction, or adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that perioperative gabapentin results in a statistically and clinically significant decrease in pain following scrotal surgery. While there was no evidence of an impact on opioid usage or patient satisfaction, given the low risk of adverse events, it may be considered as part of a multimodal pain management strategy.

Successful cryptozoospermia management with multiple semen specimen collection.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of sperm suitable for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in fresh ejaculated semen samples provided by men scheduled for a microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) procedure. Secondary objectives included an evaluation of the effect of a short abstinence period on semen quality and ICSI outcomes for men with cryptozoospermia. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENTS: All men were scheduled to undergo a mTESE procedure by a single, high-volume surgeon at an academic center from September 1, 2015, to May 1, 2021. INTERVENTION: Presence of sperm suitable for ICSI in the ejaculate on the day of scheduled mTESE. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of sperm suitable for ICSI in the ejaculate among previously diagnosed men with azoospermia. Secondary outcomes included changes in semen parameters, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate. RESULTS: Of 727 planned mTESE procedures, 69 (9.5%) were canceled because sperm suitable for ICSI were identified in a fresh ejaculated sample produced on the day of scheduled surgery (typically one day before oocyte retrieval). Overall, 50 men (50/727, 6.9%) used these rare, ejaculated sperm for ICSI. Semen samples obtained with <24 hours of abstinence were more likely to have better motility than the sample initially provided on the day of the planned mTESE. The live birth rate per ICSI attempt using these rare, ejaculated sperm was 36% (19/53). CONCLUSION: Providing a fresh ejaculated semen sample on the day of mTESE allows nearly 10% of men with azoospermia to avoid surgery with satisfactory ICSI outcomes. Providing multiple ejaculated samples over a short period of time does not adversely affect sperm concentration and may enhance sperm motility in men with cryptozoospermia.

Can semen parameters predict pregnancy outcomes?

Semen analysis is an integral component of the evaluation and management of men with infertility. Although it is important for patient counseling and clinical decision making, a conventional semen analysis cannot reliably predict the chance of pregnancy or differentiate fertile vs. infertile men (except in the most extreme cases). Advanced, nonstandard sperm functional tests may provide additional discriminatory and prognostic power; however, further research is needed to determine how to best incorporate these tests into modern clinical practice. Therefore, the primary applications of a conventional semen analysis should be to judge the severity of infertility, estimate the effects of future therapy, and measure the response to current therapy.

Sperm DNA fragmentation and its interaction with female factors.

High levels of sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation have been associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, including low natural and assisted pregnancy rates, abnormal embryonic development, and recurrent pregnancy loss. These poor outcomes are likely caused by unrepaired DNA damage exceeding a critical repair threshold, adversely affecting normal embryo development. In these cases, DNA repair mechanisms of the oocyte may play a significant role in compensating for sperm DNA damage, preserving normal embryo development, and enhancing reproductive outcomes.

Real-world practice in Peyronie's disease management: Results from a national survey of urologists.

BACKGROUND: Despite many available treatments for Peyronie's disease (PD), practice patterns of available therapeutics are not well characterized. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a national survey of urologists to characterize real-world practice patterns of PD management and to characterize the use of therapies discouraged by the American Urological Association guidelines on PD management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 34-item survey was distributed via RedCap to urologists who treat patients with PD in all American Urological Association sections. Questions elicited demographic information as well as practices in the diagnosis and treatment of PD. Comparisons were made with Pearson's chi-squared test. The primary outcome was reported use of therapies discouraged by the American Urological Association guidelines on PD. RESULTS: A total of 145 respondents completed the survey, of whom 19% were fellowship trained in andrology/sexual medicine, 36% practiced in an academic setting, and 50% had at least 20 years in practice. Only 60% of respondents reporting performing in-office curvature assessment prior to commencing intralesional injection or surgical treatment, with higher prevalence in andrology/sexual medicine fellowship-trained versus non-fellowship-trained urologists (85% vs. 54%, p = 0.003). The most popular treatment modalities were collagenase clostridium histolyticum (61% of respondents), phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (54%), and penile traction (53%). Twenty-one percent of respondents reported currently using a treatment that is explicitly discouraged by the American Urological Association guidelines (extracorporeal shockwave therapy for curvature, L-carnitine, omega-3 fatty acids, or vitamin E). DISCUSSION: Patients seeking PD treatment may be offered different therapies, some of which are not evidence-based, depending on the treating urologist. This study is limited by self-selection and response bias. Its strength is that it represents a cross-sectional overview of real-world practice patterns in PD management, which has not been previously described. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of urologists reported PD management practices that are not evidence-based and not guideline-supported.

Sperm DNA Damage and Its Relevance in Fertility Treatment: A Review of Recent Literature and Current Practice Guidelines.

Sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage has recently emerged as one of the most controversial topics in male reproductive medicine. While level I evidence indicates that abnormal sperm DNA damage has substantial adverse effects on reproductive outcomes (including chance of pregnancy and risk of miscarriage), there is limited consensus on how sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) testing should be performed and/or interpreted in clinical practice. In this article, we review: (1) how SDF is assessed, (2) cumulative evidence regarding its impact on reproductive outcomes, (3) methods for mitigating high SDF, and (4) the most recent practice guidelines available for clinicians regarding the use and interpretation of SDF testing.

Trends in Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Surgery From a Large National Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in antibiotic prophylaxis for inflatable penile prosthesis surgery following publication of the American Urological Association (AUA) Best Practice Statement in April 2008. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Premier Healthcare Database was queried for inflatable penile prosthesis surgeries from January 2000 to March 2020. The primary outcome was administration of an AUA-adherent antimicrobial regimen and secondary outcome was 90-day explant. Piecewise linear regression was used to compare antimicrobial trends before vs after guideline publication. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed for primary and secondary outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 26,574 patients who underwent inflatable penile prosthesis surgery were identified, of whom 17,754 (67%) received AUA-adherent antibiotics. After guideline publication, there was a 42% relative increase in AUA-adherent regimen usage, with an increase in the usage trend on piecewise linear regression (from 0.1% to 0.8% of encounters per quarter, R2 = 0.75, P < .001). Increased usage trends were also observed for gentamicin (from 0.0% to 1.0% of encounters per quarter, R2 = 0.84, P < .001) and vancomycin (0.1%-0.7%, R2 = 0.77, P < .001). On multivariable regression, odds of AUA-adherence increased after guideline publication (OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.54-1.80, P < .001) and with surgery by a high-volume surgeon (OR: 2.21, 95% CI: 2.07-2.35, P < .01). Nonadherence to an AUA-recommended regimen with use of nonstandard antibiotics (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.78-1.71, P = .5) or excess antibiotics (OR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.62-1.30, P = .6) was not independently associated with increased risk of 90-day explant. CONCLUSIONS: Publication of the AUA Best Practice Statement was associated with subsequent increases in the usage of guideline-adherent antibiotic regimens, particularly vancomycin and gentamicin, despite absence of level-1 evidence supporting this combination.

Optimizing outcomes for men with severe infertility.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To evaluate recent evidence related to optimizing outcomes for men with severe infertility, including effect of ejaculatory abstinence interval on semen parameters and assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes, and impact of cryopreservation on surgically retrieved testicular sperm obtained from men with nonobstructive azoospermia (also referred to as azoospermia due to spermatogenic dysfunction). RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence strongly suggests that a short abstinence interval improves sperm motility and ART outcomes. Similarly, recent studies have concluded that using fresh vs. frozen testicular sperm results in higher live birth rates. SUMMARY: Although the World Health Organization currently recommends a 2- to 7-day ejaculatory abstinence period, this interval is based more on the need to standardize semen parameters than clinical outcomes. In fact, recent evidence suggests that shorter abstinence consistently improves sperm motility and ART outcomes for infertile men. Similarly, recent studies have reported an improvement in live birth rates with fresh (vs. frozen) testicular sperm, though their retrospective design and lack of intention to treat analyses makes it difficult to draw strong conclusions. Although additional, well designed studies are needed, providers may be able to leverage these techniques in their practice to improve outcomes for some infertile men.

Microsurgical Management of Male Infertility: Compelling Evidence That Collaboration with Qualified Male Reproductive Urologists Enhances Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Outcomes.

A male factor plays a significant role in a couple's reproductive success. Today, advances in reproductive technology, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), have allowed it to be possible for just a single sperm to fertilize an egg, thus, overcoming many of the traditional barriers to male fertility, such as a low sperm count, impaired motility, and abnormal morphology. Given these advances in reproductive technology, it has been questioned whether a reproductive urologist is needed for the evaluation and treatment of infertile and subfertile men. In this review, we aim to provide compelling evidence that collaboration between reproductive endocrinologists and reproductive urologists is essential for optimizing a couple's fertility outcomes, as well as for improving the health of infertile men and providing cost-effective care.

Microsurgical Excision of a Supernumerary Testis: A Novel Technique to Avoid Iatrogenic Injury to the Adjacent Testis.

INTRODUCTION: In this report, we discuss the evaluation of a patient with chronic scrotal pain found to have a supernumerary testis (SNT), as well as a novel microsurgical approach to safely removing this testis. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS: To avoid any iatrogenic injury to the adjacent testis, we used an operating microscope to visualize the cord structures of both testes and carefully remove the smaller, atrophic, supernumerary testis. The surgery was successfully completed without any intraoperative or postoperative complications. Total operative time was 2 hours. While the patient had not yet attempted to conceive at the time of follow-up, given our careful dissection, we expect him to have normal testicular function and fertility in the future. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates a novel microsurgical approach to excising a supernumerary testis that avoids injury to the blood supply, epididymis, and vas deferens associated with the normal testis.

Karyotypic abnormalities and Y chromosome microdeletions: How do these impact in vitro fertilization outcomes, and how common are they in the modern in vitro fertilization practice?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the outcomes of in vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF-ICSI) in couples in whom the male partner has a karyotypic abnormality or Y chromosome microdeletion (YCM). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Single infertility center. PATIENTS: Couples treated with IVF-ICSI from January 2014 to April 2019 with male factor infertility, sperm concentration of <5 × 106 sperm/mL, and results for karyotype and/or YCM panel. INTERVENTIONS: In vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In couples in whom the male partner had a karyotypic abnormality or YCM: live birth rate/ongoing pregnancy rate, lack of partner sperm for fertilization, complete fertilization failure, cycle cancellation, and no embryos for transfer. The prevalence of karyotypic abnormalities and YCMs in the IVF population was calculated. RESULTS: The live birth rate/ongoing pregnancy rate for those using partner sperm was 51.4% per transfer. However, 8.5% of cycles that intended to use partner sperm and 22.2% of cycles that intended to use surgically extracted partner sperm had no sperm available. Of cycles that created embryos with partner sperm, 12.5% had no embryo to transfer. The prevalence of karyotypic abnormalities was similar to previous reports (6.0%), while that of YCMs was lower (4.4%). Azoospermia factor a and b mutations were not represented in this population. CONCLUSIONS: It is reasonable to attempt IVF-ICSI with partner sperm in patients with genetic causes of male infertility. Patients should be counseled regarding the possibility of no sperm being available from the male partner, poor/failed fertilization, and genetic implications for potential offspring. Contingency plans, including IVF with donor sperm backup or oocyte cryopreservation, need to be made for these scenarios.

The Utility of Sperm Cryopreservation at the Time of Vasectomy Reversal.

PURPOSE: We retrospectively evaluated the utility of sperm cryopreservation at the time of vasectomy reversal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2016 through December 2018 a total of 26 men underwent vasectomy reversal. Sperm cryopreservation is routinely offered at the time of vasectomy reversal at our institution. We sought to assess utilization of cryopreserved sperm by those men with early or late vasectomy reversal failure. RESULTS: Of 26 patients presenting for vasectomy reversal 22 (85%) elected to cryopreserve sperm. Sperm were obtained for freezing from the vasal (7 patients) or epididymal fluid (3), or via testicular biopsy (12). Three patients were lost to followup postoperatively. Of the 23 who presented for post-procedure followup 19 either had semen analyses with motile sperm or a live birth (83% success rate). There were 4 early failures and 2 late failures; all patients with failures had elected to cryopreserve sperm at the time of initial reversal. Three of the 6 individuals (50%) with vasectomy reversal failure elected to use cryopreserved sperm for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection, with 2 of these (67%) resulting in live births. CONCLUSIONS: Of those patients who experienced vasectomy reversal failure 50% elected to use cryopreserved sperm that had been procured at the time of initial reversal. Given the potential for early or late failure, cryopreservation of sperm at the time of vasectomy reversal should be routinely offered as a means of avoiding the added expense and potential morbidity of future surgical sperm retrieval.

Sex and Racial Disparities in the Treatment and Outcomes of Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To identify racial and sex disparities in the treatment and outcomes of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) using a nationwide oncology outcomes database. METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer from 2004 to 2014. Treatments analyzed included no treatment, cystectomy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus cystectomy ("optimal treatment"), cystectomy plus adjuvant chemotherapy, and chemoradiation. Propensity matching compared mortality outcomes between sexes. Logistic models evaluated predictors of receiving optimal treatment, as well as mortality. RESULTS: Forty seven thousand two hundred and twenty nine patients were identified. Most patients were male (73.4%) and underwent cystectomy alone (69.0%). Propensity score matching demonstrated increased 90-day mortality in women vs men (13.0% vs 11.6%, P = .009), despite adjusting for differences in treatments between sexes. Logistic regression models showed no difference in receipt of optimal treatment between sexes (odds ratio [OR] 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83-1.22) although black patients were less likely to receive optimal treatment (OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.48). Logistic regression models confirmed increased 90-day mortality in female (OR 1.17, CI 1.08-1.27, P < .001) and black (OR 1.29, CI 1.11-1.50, P = .001) patients. Females had a lower overall survival on Cox regression analysis (Hazard Ratio 0.92, 95% CI 0.87-0.97). CONCLUSION: While there do not appear to be significant treatment disparities between sexes, women experience higher 90-day mortality and lower overall survival. Black patients are less likely to receive optimal treatment and have a higher risk of 90-day mortality. Additional research is needed to determine the variables leading to worse outcomes in females and identify impediments to black patients receiving optimal treatment.