Tendinous arch of the pelvic fascia: application to the technique of paravaginal colposuspension.

The authors give a description of the anatomy and topography of the tendinous arch of the pelvic fascia (TAPF), in order to facilitate its location during surgery. 35 TAPF in 25 female cadavers were dissected. The reproducibility of the landmarks was then verified at laparotomy. The TAPF can be easily identified and its resistance remains constant, even when the pelvic floor is hypotrophic. Its anterior extremity (d2) is at about 46 mm on a line perpendicular to the anterior edge of the pectineal ligament (35-55 mm), next to the pubovesical ligament. Its median part (dl) is perpendicular to the obturator foramen at a site located at an average of 30 mm below the obturator foramen (25-50 mm). Its posterior end is located at the ischial spine. These anterior landmarks, the only ones useful during surgery, allow its very easy location with the palmar surface of the finger. Testard and Delancey demonstrated the major role of the TAPF in stabilising the urethra submitted to strain. Richardson described a technique of paravaginal suspension for curing paravaginal fascial defect. The TAPF has never been well described, but his work allows its easy location during surgery. The suture of the vagina to the TAPF allows a more physiologic and stronger suspension of the bladder neck than other classical techniques.

[Study of the synergy of microwave hyperthermia/intravesical chemotherapy in the prevention of recurrences of superficial tumors of the bladder]. / Etude de la synergie hyperthermie micro-onde/chimiothérapie intravésicale dans la prévention des récidives des tumeurs superficielles de vessie.

OBJECTIVES: Preliminary clinical studies of the combination of hyperthermia and intravesical chemotherapy indicated very encouraging results in favour of multidisciplinary treatment of recurrent superficial bladder tumours. The authors studied the in vitro and early in vivo effects of this treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An intravesical catheter equipped with a microwave antenna was used for hyperthermia in vivo in dogs. The temperature was controlled by two intravesical thermocouples and 4 transducers on the bladder wall. 0, 40 or 80 mg of mitomycin were instilled in 60 ml of physiological saline. Dogs were sacrificed after each one-hour session, and histological intravesical lesions were defined as grade 0, 1 or 2 corresponding to absence of lesions, or the presence of inflammatory lesions or urothelial lesions, respectively. In vitro, the first step consisted of creation of an immortalized tumour cell line from a grade II bladder papilloma. This HVT 196 cell line was incubated between 37 degrees C and 44 degrees C with increasing mitomycin concentrations of 0 to 10 micrograms per ml. The cytotoxicity was measured by the MTT quantitative colorimetric method. RESULTS: In vivo, in 8 dogs, histological analysis of the comparative cytotoxicity of the various treatments confirmed the synergistic effect of heat and mitomycin C. In dogs treated at 45 degrees C, marked urothelial lesions were observed, regardless of the mitomycin C concentration. The in vitro comparative toxicity study on our cell line showed a much more intense cytotoxic effect with combined treatment than with cytostatic treatment alone. Expressed as the percentage of cytotoxicity compared to a control cell pool for a concentration of 1 microgram per ml. the temperature rise of the medium between 37 degrees C and 44 degrees C was accompanied by a cytotoxic effect of 8.4% and 98.41% respectively. CONCLUSION: A possible clinical application is potentiation of the action of mitomycin C by hyperthermia in the prevention of recurrent superficial bladder tumours, achieving increased efficacy and/or a decreased number of instillations.

[Treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women: rehabilitation or surgery?]. / Traitement de l'incontinence urinaire d'effort de la femme: rééducation ou chirurgie?

Considerable progress has been made in the treatment of female urinary incontinence over the last 20 years, affecting both surgical treatment, by the introduction, apart from reference techniques, of so-called "minimal" techniques, which allow an extension of the indications to elderly patients, and medical treatment, but also due to the introduction of increasingly better defined retraining techniques. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of incontinence and the growth of urodynamic techniques allow a better analysis of the mechanisms responsible for incontinence, which is often multifactorial. The prevalence of female urinary incontinence also gives this disease a considerable economic significance. Surgery is therefore no longer currently the only treatment that can be proposed to the patient. The respective indications for retraining and surgery need to be discussed, bearing in mind that, schematically, the 2-year results of surgery achieve 80 to 85% of cure with a more marked erosion over time when the initial repair was less solid, and retraining cures approximately 30% of women and improves another 30%.

Study of the effects of thermotherapy in benign prostatic hypertrophy.

UNLABELLED: Prostatic transurethral thermotherapy was evaluated clinically using the Prostcare microwave system of the Bruker Company, which uses a microwave radiometer to measure and control intraprostatic temperature. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to evaluate the immediate histological lesions induced in the prostatic tissue depending on the temperatures delivered to the prostate; the histological changes when adenectomy is carried out after thermotherapy, and the endoscopic appearance of the prostatic fossa 48 h, and 1, 2, 3 and 6 months after thermotherapy. METHODS: Our study was divided into three stages: in the first stage, we conducted thermotherapy in 10 patients in whom suprapubic adenectomy was indicated. During thermotherapy, a multipoint fiber-optic receptor and two thermocouples were implanted into the prostage gland at a distance of 5-15 mm from the urethra. Adenectomy was carried out 10 min after thermotherapy; the second stage of our study concerned the changes seen over time. We heated adenomas using the same protocol and carried out adenectomy 24, 48, 72 h, and 1 week, 6 weeks and 3 months after thermotherapy, and lastly, we studied the endoscopic appearance after a single heating-session of 30 min by endoscopic controls at different times after thermotherapy (48 h, 1, 2, 3 and 6 months after thermotherapy). RESULTS: Macroscopic appearance: necrotic lesions measured 30 mm in length on average. Necrosis was roughly circumferential. Immediate histological aspect: in all cases, histological examination showed coagulation necrosis with periurethral thromboses. Histological changes: at 8 days, necrosis intensity was maximal and histological structures were difficult to identify. Endoscopic appearance: 3 months after thermotherapy, the typical endoscopic appearance was a large periurethral cavity. There was a sharp demarcation between untreated areas and cicatricial tissue. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of thermotherapy depends on the radiometric temperature, which should reach 47 degrees C (i.e. a temperature of 55-65 degrees C delivered to the prostate), and a rapid increase in temperature, i.e. in the power applied, which should reach the thermal radiometric level of 47 degrees C in 5 min. As soon as necrosis is obtained, the power is automatically reduced. Using this protocol, heating proves effective in 30 min.

[Anatomical mechanisms of continence in man]. / Les mécanismes anatomiques de la continence chez l'homme.

According to classical concepts, the role of the bladder sphincteric apparatus is to contain without weakness and to expel without effort. Continence without dysuria is the result of: biomechanical properties of the bladder wall which confer: viscoelasticity accounting for its compliance, contractility allowing expulsion of its contents. The action of bladder neck structures and passive urethral mechanisms which, under normal conditions, are practically sufficient to ensure passive continence. Muscle fibre tone collapses the urethra during the continence phase and closes the bladder neck by creating vesicourethral angulation. The arrangement of these muscle fibres in the bladder neck and urethra accounts for the sphincter function over the entire length of these two structures. The external sphincter composed of striated muscle fibres derived from perineal muscles, which are amenable to retraining. The main role of the sphincter under normal conditions is to oppose an unwanted bladder contraction or to rapidly interrupt ongoing micturition and it only has a relatively limited role in passive continence. It is particularly important after prostatic surgery, either for benign prostatic hyperplasia or for cancer, when the striated sphincter remains the only structure able to oppose the pressure forces which tend to expel urine from the bladder.