Gallbladder stones during pregnancy: are we doing the right thing in Mexico?

OBJECTIVE: To present the treatment of choice and approach in pregnant and postpartum women with a diagnosis of gallstones in Mexico and to compare it with the recommendations of international guidelines. METHOD: Observational, descriptive, and retrospective study based on information from the 2019 Dynamic Cubes database of pregnant women diagnosed with cholecystitis and/or cholelithiasis who had undergone cholecystectomy. RESULTS: During 2019, 937 patients with cholelithiasis and cholecystitis were registered, 516 (55%) pregnant and 421 (45%) in puerperium. 91.47% of cases were managed with medical treatment and 8.53% with cholecystectomy, with predominance in the open approach in 63.75% of cases. Mortality was nil in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite current international guidelines recommending early laparoscopic cholecystectomy in pregnant or puerperal women, in Mexico medical treatment, delayed cholecystectomy and its open approach are still privileged.

OBJETIVO: Determinar el tratamiento de elección, el abordaje y la mortalidad en mujeres embarazadas y en puerperio con diagnóstico de litiasis vesicular en México, y compararlo con las recomendaciones de las guías internacionales. MÉTODO: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y retrospectivo basado en la información de la base de datos Cubos Dinámicos del año 2019 de mujeres embarazadas con diagnóstico de colecistitis o colelitiasis que se hubieran realizado colecistectomía. RESULTADOS: En 2019 se registraron 937 pacientes con colelitiasis y colecistitis, 516 (55%) embarazadas y 421 (45%) en puerperio. El 91.47% de los casos se manejaron con tratamiento médico y el 8.53% con colecistectomía, con predominio del abordaje abierto en el 63.75% de los casos. La mortalidad fue nula en ambos grupos. CONCLUSIONES: A pesar de que las guías internacionales actuales recomiendan la colecistectomía laparoscópica temprana en embarazadas y puérperas, en México todavía se privilegian el tratamiento médico, el retraso de la colecistectomía y su abordaje abierto.

Intrasphincteric anastomotic urethroplasty allows preservation of continence in men with bulbomembranous urethral strictures following benign prostatic hyperplasia surgery.

PURPOSE: Injury to the external sphincter during urethroplasty at or near the membranous urethra can result in incontinence in men whose internal sphincter mechanism has been compromised by previous benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) surgery. We present outcomes of a novel reconstructive procedure, incorporating a recent anatomic discovery revealing a connective tissue sheath between the external sphincter and membranous urethra, which provides a surgical plane allowing for intrasphincteric bulbo-prostatic urethroplasty (ISBPA) with continence preservation. METHODS: Stricture at or near the membranous urethra after transurethral resection (TURP) or open simple prostatectomy (OSP) was reconstructed with ISBPA. The bulbomembranous junction is approached dorsally with a bulbar artery sparing approach and the external sphincter muscle is carefully reflected, exposing the wall of the membranous urethra. Gentle blunt dissection along this connective tissue plane allows separating the muscle away up to the prostatic apex, where healthy urethra is found for anastomosis. RESULTS: From January 2010 to August 2019, 40 men (18 after TURP and 22 after OSP) underwent ISBPA at a single institution. Mean age was 67 years (54-82). Mean stricture length was 2.6 cm (1-6) with obliterative stricture identified in 10 (25%). At a mean follow-up of 53 months (10-122), 36 men (90%) are free of stricture recurrence and 34 (85%) were completely dry or using one security pad. CONCLUSION: This novel intrasphincteric urethroplasty technique for stricture following BPH surgery is feasible and safe, allowing successful reconstruction with continence preservation in most patients. A larger series and reproduction in other centers is needed.

Reconstruction of Pelvic Fracture Urethral Injuries With Sparing of the Bulbar Arteries.

OBJECTIVE: To present a novel reconstruction technique for patients with pelvic fracture urethral injuries (PFUI) with bulbar artery sparing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We modified the traditional technique for PFUI reconstruction to preserve the proximal arterial inflow to the bulb. Since 2008, 26 consecutive patients have undergone this technique at our institution. The bulbar arteries are located using a Doppler ultrasound stethoscope and then the bulb is mobilized from one side only, without detachment from the perineum. The artery from that side is sacrificed to preserve the contralateral one; sometimes both arteries can be spared. Removal of the scar and end-to-end anastomosis is performed as usual. Successful arterial preservation was verified by postanastomosis Doppler auscultation. RESULTS: Mean age was 37 years (15 to 70). Median time from trauma to urethral reconstruction was 11 weeks and mean stenosis length was 2.3 cm (1 to 4.5 cm). The left bulbar artery was preserved in 14 cases, the right in 4, and both arteries were spared in seven; an accidental injury of the artery to be preserved occurred in the remaining case. At a mean follow-up of 20 months (2-69), all patients are voiding normally stricture free. CONCLUSION: Preservation of proximal arterial blood supply to the bulb during PFUI reconstruction is feasible and safe. A well-perfused reconstruction should heal better and theoretically our technique may avoid ischemic failure of the urethroplasty. A larger series and replication of our results in other centers are necessary to validate our technique's potential benefits.

A Multi-institutional Evaluation of the Management and Outcomes of Long-segment Urethral Strictures.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment options and surgical outcomes of long-segment urethral strictures-a review of the largest, international, multi-institutional series. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of patients treated with strictures ≥8 cm at 8 international centers. Endpoints analyzed included surgical complications and recurrence. RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-six patients were identified. Treatment intervals ranged from December 27, 1984 to November 9, 2013. Dorsal onlay buccal mucosal graft (BMG) was the most common procedure (223, 47.9%); others included first- and second-stage Johanson urethroplasty (162 [34.8%] and 56 [12%], respectively), fasciocutaneous (FC) flaps (8, 1.7%), and a combination flap and graft (17, 3.6%). Overall success was achieved in 361 patients (77.5%) with a mean follow-up of 20 months. Second-stage Johanson urethroplasty was found to have a higher recurrence rate compared with that of 1-stage BMG urethroplasty (35.7% vs 17.5%, respectively; P <.01). This was also true in cases of lichen sclerosus (14.0% vs 47.8%, respectively; P <.01). Otherwise, success rates were similar. Urethroplasties performed with FC flaps had a higher complication rate compared with those without (32% vs 14%, respectively; P = .02). Prior dilation or urethrotomy, higher number of prior dilations or urethrotomies, abnormal voiding cystourethrogram, and skin grafts all portend a higher recurrence rate. On logistic regression analysis, only second-stage Johanson had an increased odds ratio of recurrence compared with that of BMG (2.82 [1.41-5.86]). CONCLUSION: Long-segment strictures can be treated with high success rates in experienced hands. BMG was more successful than second-stage Johanson urethroplasty. FC flaps, although successful, had high complication rates.