The Management of Reno-Ureteral Lithiasis - from Emergency Presentation to Definitive Treatment.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to retrospectively evaluate the stone-free rate after the second intervention for every performed procedure (semirigid ureteroscopy, flexible ureteroscopy, semirigid plus flexible ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy). Materials and methods: A total of 149 patients, who came to the emergency room of "Saint John" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania, with acute renal pathology suggesting the presence of renal and/or ureteral lithiasis confirmed by imagining (x-ray, ultrasonography or computer tomography), were included in this retrospective study, which was conducted between September 2021 and September 2022. All selected patients had an indication of emergency surgical intervention that consisted of a double-J stent mounting. We analyzed the stone-free rate after the secondary intervention, which was one of the following procedures: semirigid ureteroscopy, flexible ureteroscopy, combined semirigid and flexible ureteroscopy (F-URS), and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Patients came back for the secondary intervention and were reevaluated using imaging techniques. Results:Endoscopic procedures were performed by 14 surgeons over a time period of two to six weeks after the initial stenting procedure. Encrusted stents were encountered in four cases and in five cases the patients were admitted with obstruction of previously inserted stents. From the total of 149 patients, 68 (45,6%) subjects underwent semirigid ureteroscopy, with a stone-free rate of 86% (59 cases), 32 (21,4%) F-URS, with a stone-free rate of 90,6% (30 cases), 41 (27,5%) combined flexible and semirigid ureteroscopy, with a stone-free rate of 90,24% (37 cases), and eight (5,3%) patients received PCNL, with a stone-free rate of 75% (six cases). Overall stone-free rate for all procedures was 90,06%. The mean operative time was 23 minutes. No major incidents or complications occurred during the procedures. Conclusion:The emergency pre-stenting before the definitive treatment of reno-ureteral lithiasis is a safe procedure. Flexible ureteroscopy was the most successful secondary intervention, with the highest rate of achieving stone-free status.

Ureteroscopy Versus Double J Stenting in Emergency Treatment of Obstructive Lithiasis.

Objective: Ureteroscopy (URS) is a commonly used procedure for the management of ureteral stones. While elective URS has been extensively studied, the literature on emergency URS remains limited. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy and safeness of URS performed in emergency settings and to determine the ideal candidates for this type of intervention. Methods:Patients who underwent URS for ureteral stones in a single healthcare unit, "Saint John" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania, were included in a retrospective investigation between April 2022 and March 2023. The study group was divided into two subgroups: group A (138 patients who underwent semirigid URS in an emergency setting) which was subdivided into group A1 (95 patients with stone on the distal ureter) and group A2 (43 patients with stone on the proximal ureter), and group B (151 patients who underwent a double J stent insertion). The success rate defined as stone fragmentation and resolution of renal obstruction, along with intraoperative and postoperative complications were assessed. A URS procedure was considered unsuccessful if either the instrument could not be passed to access the stone or it was deemed unsafe to perform the URS. In such cases, patients were managed by inserting a ureteric stent and scheduled for a subsequent procedure. Results:It could be observed that most complications occurred in emergency ureteroscopy on distal ureter (95 cases) and the most severe ones on proximal ureter (two cases - Clavien 4). Double J stenting provided a reduced number of complications (51 cases). It should be mentioned that patients with emergency semirigid ureteroscopy had more complications than those with double J stent for every group of BMI, while most of the complications were observed in the groups with the highest BMI. The success of the URS procedure was determined based on complete stone fragmentation and extraction, and it was of 91.3% for cases with emergency ureteroscopy. Conclusion:Patients who underwent URS for ureteral stones at a single facility, "Saint John" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania, were included in a retrospective investigation. The success rates and complication rates of emergency URS were comparable to those of elective URS, providing valuable insights for clinical decision-making.

NBI - plasma vaporization hybrid approach in bladder cancer endoscopic management.

OBJECTIVES: A prospective study was performed aiming to evaluate the surgical efficacy, perioperative safety profile, diagnostic accuracy and medium term results of a multi-modal approach consisting in narrow band imaging (NBI) cystoscopy and bipolar plasma vaporization (BPV) when compared to the standard protocol represented by white light cystoscopy (WLC) and transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT). MATERIALS & METHODS: A total of 260 patients with apparently at least one bladder tumor over 3 cm were included in the trial. In the first group, 130 patients underwent conventional and NBI cystoscopy followed by BPV, while in a similar number of cases of the second arm, classical WLC and TURBT were applied. In all non-muscle invasive bladder tumors' (NMIBT) pathologically confirmed cases, standard monopolar Re-TUR was performed at 4-6 weeks after the initial intervention, followed by one year' BCG immunotherapy. The follow-up protocol included abdominal ultrasound, urinary cytology and WLC, performed every 3 months for a period of 2 years. RESULTS: The obturator nerve stimulation, bladder wall perforation, mean hemoglobin level drop, postoperative bleeding, catheterization period and hospital stay were significantly reduced for the plasma vaporization technique by comparison to conventional resection. Concerning tumoral detection, the present data confirmed the NBI superiority when compared to standard WLC regardless of tumor stage (95.3% vs. 65.1% for CIS, 93.3% vs. 82.2% for pTa, 97.4% vs. 94% for pT1, 95% vs. 84.2% overall). During standard Re-TUR the overall (6.3% versus 17.4%) and primary site (3.6% versus 12.8%) residual tumors' rates were significantly lower for the NBI-BPV group. The 1 (7.2% versus 18.3%) and 2 (11.5% versus 25.8%) years' recurrence rates were substantially lower for the combined approach. CONCLUSIONS: NBI cystoscopy significantly improved diagnostic accuracy, while bipolar technology showed a higher surgical efficiency, lower morbidity and faster postoperative recovery. The combined technique offered a reduced rate of residual tumors at Re-TUR, both globally as well as for orthotopic tumors. Substantially lower recurrence rates were found at 1 and 2 years among the NBI-BPV cases.

NBI cystoscopy in routine urological practice - from better vision to improve therapeutic management.

OBJECTIVES: A single centre, retrospective trial was performed trying to assess the impact of NBI cystoscopy in cases of non-muscle invasive bladder tumors (NMIBT) by comparison to the standard approach. Our goal was to determine the superiority of the new method in terms of detection rates and subsequent postoperative treatment changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 320 NMIBT suspected consecutive cases were enrolled in the study. The inclusion criteria were represented by hematuria, positive urinary cytology and/or ultrasound suspicion of bladder tumors. All patients underwent WLC and NBI cystoscopy. Standard transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) was performed for all lesions visible in WL and NBI guided resection for solely NBI observed tumors. RESULTS: The overall NMIBT and CIS patients' detection rates were significantly improved for the NBI evaluation ((94.9% versus 88.1% and 95.7% versus 65.2%). Also, on a lesions' related basis, NBI cystoscopy emphasized a significantly superior diagnostic accuracy concerning the CIS, pTa and overall NMIBT formations ((95.2% versus 60.3%, 92.8% versus 83.9% and 94.1% versus 82%). Additional tumors were diagnosed by NBI in a significantly higher proportion of CIS, pTa, pT1 and NMIBT patients (56.6% versus 8.7%, 28% versus 10.3%, 30.3% versus 10.6% and 31.6% versus 9.4%). As a result of these supplementary findings, the postoperative treatment was significantly improved in a substantial proportion of cases (15.4% versus 5.1%). CONCLUSIONS: NBI cystoscopy represents a valuable diagnostic alternative in NMIBT patients, with significant improvement of tumor visual accuracy as well as detection rates. This approach provided a substantial amelioration to the risk category stratification and subsequent bladder cancer therapeutic management.

Bipolar plasma vaporization versus monopolar TUR and "cold-knife" TUI in secondary bladder neck sclerosis - an evidence based, retrospective critical comparison in a single center clinical setting.

INTRODUCTION: A long term, retrospective study was performed aiming to outline a critical comparison concerning the efficacy, safety and durability of the bipolar plasma vaporization (BPV), standard monopolar transurethral resection (TUR) and "cold-knife" "star" transurethral incision (TUI) in secondary bladder neck sclerosis (BNS) cases. MATERIALS & METHODS: Of the 126 patients included in the trial based on maximum flow rate (Qmax) below 10 mL/s and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) over 19, classical resection was performed in 46 cases, "cold-knife" TUI in 37 cases and bipolar vaporization in 43 patients. The evaluation protocol comprised IPSS, QoL (quality of life) score, Qmax and PVR (post-voiding residual urinary volume) assessment performed at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after the initial intervention. RESULTS: Significant intraoperative complications (capsular perforation - 8.7%; bleeding - 4.3%) occurred secondary to monopolar resection. "Star" TUI was the fastest technique, followed by plasma-button vaporization (7.2 and 11.4 versus 16.5 minutes). BPV and TUI patients benefitted from the shortest catheterization periods (0.75 and 1 versus 2.0 days) and hospital stays (1.0 and 1.25 versus 2.0 days). Immediate postoperative adverse events consisted of hematuria (6.5% of the TUR cases) and acute urinary retention (8.1% of the TUI group). Significantly higher long term BNS recurrence rates requiring re-treatment were established in the TUI (18.7%) and TUR (12.8%) series by comparison to BPV (5.4%). Among patients that completed the follow-up protocol, equivalent IPSS, QoL, Qmax and PVR features were determined in the 3 study arms. CONCLUSIONS: The plasma vaporization approach was confirmed as a successful match to conventional TUR and "cold-knife" TUI in terms of surgical safety profile, postoperative recovery, therapeutic durability and urodynamic and symptom score parameters.

"Tips and tricks" in secondary bladder neck sclerosis' bipolar plasma vaporization approach.

INTRODUCTION: Secondary bladder neck sclerosis (BNS) represents a common late complication of prostate surgery, however so far insufficiently assessed in the available literature. More over, the previously attempted and analyzed therapeutic modalities failed to achieve acknowledgement as standard treatment for this particular pathology. METHODS: The bipolar plasma vaporization (BPV) was introduced as a viable mean of removing the obstructing scar formation in a gradual fashion. Several "tips and tricks" were described as particularly useful in optimizing the plasma corona vaporization effect. The proper BPV technique is simple and safe while closely relying on certain surgical steps, the simultaneous vaporization and coagulation processes and a superior endoscopic vision. Recent technological advances created the premises for further improvements. RESULTS: The plasma-button vaporization is characterized by a satisfactory surgical speed, remote intraoperative bleeding risks, high-quality endoscopic visibility as well as the achievement of a complete sclerotic tissue removal. Within a short learning curve, a superior final aspect of the prostatic fossa and bladder neck is obtained at the end of surgery. The continuous plasma vaporization mode provides additional technical advantages. The previously described drawbacks of transurethral incision or resection seem to have been overcome by the practical features of the plasma vaporization process. CONCLUSIONS: The BPV technique outlines a promising modality of efficiently ablating the obstructing fibrous tissue in secondary BNS patients. The simplicity and safety of the bipolar vaporization approach, together with the thorough obstructing scar removal in a radical fashion, create the premises for a favorable long term BPV clinical outcome.

NBI cystoscopy and bipolar electrosurgery in NMIBC management - An overview of daily practice.

INTRODUCTION: The standard non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) endoscopic diagnosis suffers from the frequently unsatisfactory white light evaluation accuracy leading to residual lesions being left behind. Monopolar transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) is marked by a substantial morbidity rate requiring further amelioration. METHODS: Small size tumors (under 1 cm) are feasible for "en bloc" resection. Bipolar TURBT was defined as being able to challenge the gold-standard status of monopolar resection due to the reduced complication rates. Plasma-button vaporization was introduced as a promising large bladder tumors' ablation modality. Narrow band imaging (NBI) cystoscopy became an increasingly popular method of enhancing tumor detection. RESULTS: The "en bloc" resection of small size or thin pedicle tumors provides the conditions for avoiding tumoral tissue scattering. Bipolar resection is characterized by decreased perioperative bleeding risks and faster patient recovery. Plasma-button vaporization gained confirmation as an innovative approach, able to dispose large tumor bulks under complete control while minimizing the associated morbidity. NBI cystoscopy is a useful tool in identifying CIS lesions, small papillary tumors or extended margins of large tumor formations. As a cost-free technique, it may be extensively used both during the NMIBC initial diagnostic as well as during follow-up evaluation protocol. CONCLUSIONS: Having in mind the various modalities of ameliorating the bladder cancer diagnostic and treatment, NMIBC management should be tailored in accordance with the particularities of each case.

Bipolar plasma vaporization in secondary bladder neck sclerosis--initial experience with a new technique.

INTRODUCTION: Secondary bladder neck sclerosis (BNS) represents one of the most common long-term complications after prostate surgical treatment. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate our initial experience concerning the bipolar plasma vaporization (BPV) performed in patients with secondary BNS and to assess the efficiency, safety and short-term postoperative results of this approach. MATERIALS & METHODS: Between May 2009 and May 2010, a total of 30 male patients with BNS underwent BPV and were followed for a period of 6 months. BNS was secondary to monopolar transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) in 19 cases, to open surgery for BPH (open prostatectomy) in 8 cases and to radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in 3 cases. The follow-up protocol included the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoL), maximum flow rate (Qmax) and post-voiding residual urinary volume (RV) evaluated at 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: BPV was successfully performed in all cases. All patients were able to void spontaneously and were continent after catheter removal. The mean operating time was 9 minutes, the mean catheterization period was 18 hours and the mean hospital stay was 24 hours. Preoperatively and at 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery, the mean values for Qmax and RV were 7.2 ml/s and 110 ml, 23.9 ml/s and 20 ml, 23.8 ml/s and 28 ml, and 23.4 ml/s and 26 ml, respectively. Before surgery and at 1, 3 and 6 months, the IPSS and QoL scores were 22.6 and 4.1, 3.4 and 1.2, 3.6 and 1.4, and 3.7 and 1.4, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: BPV represents a valuable endoscopic treatment alternative for secondary BNS with good efficacy, reduced morbidity, fast postoperative recovery and satisfactory follow-up parameters.

[Innovative technique in large benign prostatic hyperplasia--enucleation by plasma vaporization]. / Tehnica inovatoare in tratamentul endoscopic al adenomului de prostata voluminos--enucleerea prin vaporizare cu plasma.

OBJECTIVES: The trial evaluated a new endoscopic treatment alternative for large benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) cases, the bipolar plasma enucleation of the prostate (BPEP), in terms of surgical efficiency, safety and short-term postoperative results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 patients with prostates larger than 80 ml were included in the study. All cases were investigated preoperatively and at 1 and 3 months after surgery by international prostate symptoms score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoL), maximum flow rate (Q(max)) and abdominal and transrectal ultrasonography. RESULTS: All procedures were successfully performed. The enucleation and morcellation times were 69.8 minutes and 18.5 minutes, while the morcellated tissue weight was 77 grams. The mean hemoglobin drop was 0.8 g/dl and the mean catheterization period and hospital stay were 26.5 hours and 2.3 days. The rate of early irritative symptoms was 10%. At 1 and 3 months, significant improvements were determined concerning the IPSS (5.3 and 4.8), QoL (1.2 and 1.1) and Q(max) (25.9 and 25.1 ml/s). CONCLUSIONS: BPEP represents a promising endoscopic approach in large BPH cases, characterized by good surgical efficacy, reduced morbidity, fast postoperative recovery and satisfactory follow-up parameters.

Medium term outcome of bipolar plasma vaporization in prostate cancer patients--a palliative modality of preserving spontaneous voiding.

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective analysis evaluated the efficiency, safety, and medium term postoperative results of bipolar plasma vaporization (BPV) in prostate cancer (PCa) cases associating complete urinary retention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of 40 patients diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic PCa and complete urinary retention requiring a Foley catheter indwelling underwent BPV aiming to restore spontaneous voiding. A total of 35 patients completed the one year evaluation protocol consisting of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoL), maximum flow rate (Q(max)) and post-voiding residual urinary volume (PVR), measured at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: BPV was successfully performed in all cases with satisfactory efficiency, as confirmed by the mean operation time (42.8 minutes) and hemoglobin drop (0.7 g/dl). A fast and safe postoperative recovery period was described in this series (hematuria rate--7.5%; mean catheterization period--36 hours; mean hospital stay--2.5 days; early-irritative symptoms' rate--15%). At 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, satisfactory values were determined in terms of IPSS, Qmax, QoL and PVR. These parameters emphasized a stable evolution throughout the entire follow-up, as 88.6% of the patients maintained spontaneous voiding. CONCLUSIONS: The present trial confirmed the plasma-button vaporization as a promising therapeutic approach in PCa cases associating complete urinary retention. The technique displayed good efficacy, low perioperative morbidity, short convalescence, and satisfactory urodynamics and symptom score parameters during the one-year follow-up period.