Computed tomography-determined stone-free rates for ureteroscopy of upper-tract stones.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Most series on ureteroscopy for urolithiasis use postoperative plain radiography of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder (KUB) or intravenous urography (IVU) to determine outcomes. These imaging modalities, however, are not very sensitive and may overestimate stone-free rates (SFRs). The aim of our study was to assess SFRs after ureteroscopy for urolithiasis using CT follow-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 92 patients underwent 113 ureteroscopic procedures for either renal or ureteral stones. Success of ureteroscopy was then determined by the absence of any stone fragments (stone-free). Stone-clearance rates (SCRs) were also calculated for < or = 2 mm and < or = 4 mm residual stone fragments. RESULTS: Each renal unit contained a mean of 1.87 stones with a mean stone diameter of 8 +/- 6 mm. The overall SFR was 50.4%. SFRs were significantly higher for ureteral stones (80%) than renal stones (34.8%) (P = 0.0001). Renal units with multiple stones were less likely to be stone free than those with single stones (P = 0.011). No difference in SFRs was found between lower pole and non-lower-pole stones. CONCLUSIONS: Overall SFRs by CT were lower than SFRs reported by radiography of the KUB or IVU criteria. Further studies to identify the clinical significance and natural history of residual stone fragments on CT scan after ureteroscopy are needed.

The effect of patient arrival time on overall wait time and utilization of physician and examination room resources in the outpatient urology clinic.

Introduction and objective. We examined patient waiting times, physician utilization, and exam room utilization in order to identify process improvements that may improve patient satisfaction. Methods. Time patient arrived to clinic, time patient was placed in the exam room, time the physician arrived in the exam room, and time physician discharged the patient from the exam room were prospectively recorded for 226 outpatient visits. Results. Overall, 63.2% of patients were on time for their scheduled appointment with 14.8% patient "no-shows." On-time patients were found to have a longer wait time once in the exam room for the physician than those that were late (14.8 +/- 9.2 minutes versus 11.0 +/- 8.4 minutes, P = .005); however, those patients spent a significantly longer time with the physician (10.7 +/- 6.0 minutes versus 8.9 +/- 5.8 minutes, P = .041). Exam room utilization was lower for late patients (28.9% versus 44.7%, P = .03) with physician utilization lower in clinics with 3 or more late patients when compared to clinics with 2 or fewer (59.7% versus 68.7%, P = .004). Conclusions. Late patients had significantly less time with the physician than on-time patients. Late patients also decreased the overall efficiency of the clinic; therefore, measures to reduce late patients are vital to improve clinic efficiency.

Complications following urethral reconstructive surgery: a six year experience.

PURPOSE: We present a single institutional experience over 6 years of intra and postoperative complications following urethral reconstructive surgery, and the impact of these complications on overall results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2000 through May 2006, 153 consecutive urethral reconstructive procedures were performed on 128 patients by one surgeon (CMG). Complication rates were determined, and subgroups were categorized based on stricture etiology, patient age, length of stricture, location of stricture, type of repair, and presence of various co-morbid conditions. RESULTS: Overall, 23 of 153 cases (15%) had an intra or postoperative complication with a mean follow-up time of 28.3 months (range 3 to 74). The most common complications were related to infection (n = 9). Other complications included repair breakdown (n = 4), bleeding (n = 4), fistulae (n = 3), thromboembolic (n = 2), positioning-related (n = 2), and Foley catheter malfunction (n = 1). Complication rates for anastomotic and substitution urethroplasty were 9.1% (4/44) and 17% (19/109), respectively. The number of patients with at least one year of follow-up who had a complication and eventual stricture recurrence was 20% (4/20), while only 7.4% (7/95) of those who did not have a complication recurred (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Complications following reconstructive surgery for urethral stricture disease were mostly related to infection or repair breakdown in the immediate postoperative period. It does not appear that an intra or postoperative complication following urethral reconstructive surgery impacts the chance of eventual stricture recurrence at intermediate follow-up.

Complications following urethral reconstructive surgery: a six year experience

PURPOSE: We present a single institutional experience over 6 years of intra and postoperative complications following urethral reconstructive surgery, and the impact of these complications on overall results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2000 through May 2006, 153 consecutive urethral reconstructive procedures were performed on 128 patients by one surgeon (CMG). Complication rates were determined, and subgroups were categorized based on stricture etiology, patient age, length of stricture, location of stricture, type of repair, and presence of various co-morbid conditions. RESULTS: Overall, 23 of 153 cases (15 percent) had an intra or postoperative complication with a mean follow-up time of 28.3 months (range 3 to 74). The most common complications were related to infection (n = 9). Other complications included repair breakdown (n = 4), bleeding (n = 4), fistulae (n = 3), thromboembolic (n = 2), positioning-related (n = 2), and Foley catheter malfunction (n = 1). Complication rates for anastomotic and substitution urethroplasty were 9.1 percent (4/44) and 17 percent (19/109), respectively. The number of patients with at least one year of follow-up who had a complication and eventual stricture recurrence was 20 percent (4/20), while only 7.4 percent (7/95) of those who did not have a complication recurred (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Complications following reconstructive surgery for urethral stricture disease were mostly related to infection or repair breakdown in the immediate postoperative period. It does not appear that an intra or postoperative complication following urethral reconstructive surgery impacts the chance of eventual stricture recurrence at intermediate follow-up.

Safety and efficacy of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy with manual specimen morcellation for stage cT1 renal-cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Specimen morcellation during laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for renal-cell carcinoma is controversial, and supporting literature remains sparse. We seek to evaluate the safety and efficacy of morcellation for specimen removal after laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for management of renal lesions of malignant potential at a single institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients who underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy at Northwestern Memorial and Evanston Hospital from 2001 to 2006. Twenty-two patients were identified who underwent specimen morcellation for extraction after laparoscopic nephrectomy that was performed for enhancing solid or cystic renal masses. RESULTS: Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy was performed on all the patients. Patient age ranged from 36 to 96 years old. All patients were clinical stage T(1)N(0)M(0). The specimen was mechanically morcellated within Cook Lap Sac under direct and laparoscopic vision. Average tumor size after morcellation was 3.0 cm. On histologic review of the morcellated specimen, 18 patients were confirmed to have renal-cell carcinoma, 2 had an oncocytoma, and 2 had benign cysts. One patient with renal-cell carcinoma had a pathologic upgrade to stage T(3b). Average operating time was 268 minutes (range 110 to 389 min). With the exception of the patient who became anephric after nephrectomy, average hospital stay was 2.6 days. A mean clinical and radiographic follow-up of 434 days failed to show any known disease progression or port site recurrence in patients with renal-cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Intracorporeal, mechanical morcellation after laparoscopic radical nephrectomy appears to be safe and effective in clinical stage T1 renal-cell carcinoma. This study adds to current literature that promotes the use of morcellation as an alternative for intact specimen removal in properly selected patients. Further prospective studies are necessary to show long-term oncologic outcomes.

Pathologic outcomes during the learning curve for robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: We report our initial experience with 62 patients undergoing robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), focusing on the primary parameter of positive surgical margins. The authors demonstrate that excellent oncologic outcomes can be attained with a less steep learning curve than previously hypothesized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The first 62 patients undergoing RALP by a single physician (DPD) at our institution between November 2005 and August 2007 were retrospectively assessed. Surgical pathology records were reviewed for Gleason score, pathologic tumor stage, nodal status, location of prostate cancer within the specimen, extracapsular extension, surgical margin status, presence of perineural invasion, tumor volume, and weight of the surgical specimen. Margin status was determined using surgical specimens only, and not intraoperative frozen sections. All cases in this series were completed using the four-arm da Vinci Robotic System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, California). RESULTS: Sixty-one patients had prostate cancer on their final surgical pathology specimens. Pathologic stage T2 and stage T3 patients were 88.7% and 9.7% of all cases, respectively. The pathologic Gleason score was 7 or greater in 62.3%. Our overall positive surgical margin rate was 3.3%. Patients with pathologic T2 and T3 disease had a positive surgical margin rate of 1.8% and 16.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that RALP can have equal if not better pathologic outcomes compared to open radical prostatectomy even during the initial series of cases. We argue that the learning curve for RALP is shorter than previously thought with respect to oncologic outcomes, and concerns asserting that lack of tactile feedback leads to poor oncologic outcomes are unfounded.

Pathologic outcomes during the learning curve for robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE: We report our initial experience with 62 patients undergoing robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), focusing on the primary parameter of positive surgical margins. The authors demonstrate that excellent oncologic outcomes can be attained with a less steep learning curve than previously hypothesized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The first 62 patients undergoing RALP by a single physician (DPD) at our institution between November 2005 and August 2007 were retrospectively assessed. Surgical pathology records were reviewed for Gleason score, pathologic tumor stage, nodal status, location of prostate cancer within the specimen, extracapsular extension, surgical margin status, presence of perineural invasion, tumor volume, and weight of the surgical specimen. Margin status was determined using surgical specimens only, and not intraoperative frozen sections. All cases in this series were completed using the four-arm da Vinci Robotic System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, California). RESULTS: Sixty-one patients had prostate cancer on their final surgical pathology specimens. Pathologic stage T2 and stage T3 patients were 88.7 percent and 9.7 percent of all cases, respectively. The pathologic Gleason score was 7 or greater in 62.3 percent. Our overall positive surgical margin rate was 3.3 percent. Patients with pathologic T2 and T3 disease had a positive surgical margin rate of 1.8 percent and 16.7 percent, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that RALP can have equal if not better pathologic outcomes compared to open radical prostatectomy even during the initial series of cases. We argue that the learning curve for RALP is shorter than previously thought with respect to oncologic outcomes, and concerns asserting that lack of tactile feedback leads to poor oncologic outcomes are unfounded.

Characteristics of prostate cancer detected by digital rectal examination only.

OBJECTIVES: To examine clinical and pathologic features and postoperative survival outcomes of men with prostate cancer detected by digital rectal examination (DRE) alone, elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level alone, or abnormalities in both. METHODS: From 1989 to 2001, approximately 36,000 men participated in a prostate cancer screening study. We recommended biopsy for a PSA level greater than 4.0 ng/mL (until 1995) or greater than 2.5 ng/mL (after 1995) or DRE findings suspicious for cancer. The clinical and pathologic features were compared between patients with cancer detected by DRE alone and those with cancer detected by an elevated PSA level, regardless of DRE findings. We also evaluated progression-free survival, overall survival, and cancer-specific survival. RESULTS: Overall 303 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer by DRE alone, 1426 because of PSA level alone, and 504 by abnormal results on both tests. Of the cancers detected by DRE alone, 60 (20%) were non-organ-confined and 56 (20%) had a Gleason score of 7 or higher. Prostate cancers detected because of abnormalities in both PSA level and DRE results were significantly more likely to have adverse pathologic features, as well as lower rates of progression-free survival, overall survival, and cancer-specific survival than those detected by either test alone (all P <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of prostate cancers detected by DRE at PSA levels less than 4 ng/mL have features associated with clinically aggressive tumors. The omission of DRE from screening protocols might compromise treatment outcomes because many of the cancers detected by DRE alone are potentially curable but may have worse outcomes by the time PSA also reaches a higher level.

Exogenous IL-10 overexpression reduces perforin production by activated allogenic CD8+ cells and prolongs cardiac allograft survival.

Perforin is a cytolytic mediator produced by cytotoxic T cells (CD8(+) cells) and natural killer cells. We previously reported that ex vivo IL-10 gene therapy induced apoptosis of allogenic infiltrative CD8(+) cells and significantly prolonged cardiac allograft survival. To further test the hypothesis that localized IL-10 overexpression in cardiac allografts may also effect the alloreactive CD8(+) T cell function by downregulating its perforin production, we used a rabbit functional heterotopic allograft heart transplant model. Human recombinant IL-10 gene complexed with liposome was intracoronary delivered into the cardiac allografts ex vivo. The percentage of apoptotic infiltrative CD8(+) cells in cardiac allografts was increased 6-fold in the gene therapy group vs. the control group, whereas the percentage of perforin-positive CD8(+) cells was decreased 2.9-fold (P < 0.01). Perforin expression level in the allograft myocardium of the gene therapy group was deceased 3.2-fold (P < 0.01). The amount of infiltrative perforin-positive CD8(+) cells and perforin expression level were inversely correlated with IL-10 transgene and protein expression level in the myocardium of cardiac allografts (P < 0.01), the percentage of apoptotic cardiac myocytes (P < 0.01), and the peak left ventricular systolic pressure of cardiac allografts (P < 0.01) but significantly correlated with the infiltrative T cell cytotoxicity (P < 0.01) and allograft rejection score (P < 0.01). These results suggest that localized IL-10 gene therapy prolongs cardiac allograft survival, at least in part, through downregulation of perforin production by activated allogenic CD8(+) T cells. Reduction of cytolytic function of cytotoxic effector cells prevents the apoptosis of cardiac myocytes.

Metastatic Crohn's of the genitalia in a child.

The pediatric urological involvement of Crohn's disease is not widely appreciated. We report a case of prolonged genital edema in a child with Crohn's disease who presented with genital edema prior to the diagnosis of Crohn's.

Predictors of metastatic disease in men with biochemical failure following radical prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: We determined clinical and pathological predictors of positive bone scans and computerized tomography (CT) in patients with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients treated with RP at West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center was performed to identify men with biochemical recurrence. All postoperative bone scans and pelvic CT following recurrence and prior to the initiation of hormone ablation therapy were reviewed. Preoperative clinical variables, pathological findings, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) at postoperative imaging and postoperative PSA doubling time were compared between patients with positive and negative imaging study results. RESULTS: A total of 128 patients with biochemical recurrence after RP who had postoperative pelvic CT or bone scans available were identified. A total of 97 bone scans were obtained, of which 11 (11%) were positive, and 71 CT scans were obtained, of which 5 (7%) were positive. Men with PSA doubling time less than 6 months were at increased risk of a positive bone scan (26% vs 3%) or positive CT (24% vs 0%) relative to men with longer PSA doubling time. In men with PSA doubling time less than 6 months the risk of a positive study highly depended on PSA at the time of imaging. In men with PSA less than 10 ng/ml the incidence of a positive study was 0% for pelvic CT and 11% for bone scan. In men with PSA greater than 10 ng/ml the risk of a positive study was 57% for pelvic CT and 46% for bone scan. In men with PSA doubling time greater than 6 months no clear relationship to PSA was seen, although the number of patients with a positive study was extremely low (positive bone scans 3% and positive CT 0%). However, none of the 6 imaging studies performed in men with PSA doubling times greater than 6 months and a markedly elevated PSA of 20 to 90 ng/ml was positive. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of detecting metastatic disease by bone scan or pelvic CT in men with biochemical recurrence following RP with PSA doubling time greater than 6 months is low despite marked PSA increases up to 90 ng/ml. In men with PSA doubling time less than 6 months the risk of detecting metastatic disease markedly increases when PSA is greater than 10 ng/ml. These results have important implications for the timing of imaging in patients with biochemical recurrence following RP.