Outcome of endoscopic bladder transection.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical, symptomatic and objective urodynamic outcome of patients undergoing endoscopic bladder transection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 20 men and 30 women (mean age of 50 +/- 15 years, range 20-86) who underwent endoscopic bladder transection. Their underlying diagnoses were idiopathic detrusor instability (41), enuresis with instability (6), multiple sclerosis (2) and Parkinson's disease (1). A full-thickness endoscopic transection of the bladder was performed under general anaesthesia. Subjective assessment was performed using symptom scores (0-14 points) and a Visick grading system (group A-E). Objective assessment was carried out using urodynamic studies. The mean follow-up period was 6 years (57 +/- 22 months, range 6-85). RESULTS: The mean hospital stay was 8 +/- 3 days (range 3-22). No patients died after the operation. Postoperative complications included extra-peritoneal extravasation (2), recurrent urinary tract infection (5) and urethral stricture (1). Symptom scores before and after the operation were 9 +/- 2 (range 4-14) and 8 +/- 3 (range 1-14) points respectively. The overall outcome of the procedure was satisfactory in only eight (16%) patients. The mean duration of symptomatic relief was 17 weeks (range 3-53). There was no significant difference between urodynamic results before and after the operation. Bladder instability observed in all patients before operating was demonstrated in 93% of patients after the operation. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggests that endoscopic bladder transection produces only a transient symptomatic relief in a few of those patients who have failed to respond to pharmacological manipulations. We do not feel that its continued role is justified.

Urethral dilatation compared with cystoscopy alone in the treatment of women with recurrent frequency and dysuria.

The relative merits of cystoscopy alone and cystoscopy plus urethral dilatation were compared in a randomised study of women with recurrent frequency and dysuria. One hundred women were studied before and at least 6 months after operation. A detailed questionnaire was completed, the severity of the symptoms was scored and patients underwent urodynamic investigation. Forty-eight patients underwent cystoscopy alone and 52 underwent urethral dilatation. The two groups were well matched with regard to age, parity, menopausal status, previous gynaecological surgery and severity of symptoms. A significant improvement in symptoms was observed in both groups after treatment: 30% had no residual symptoms, 50% were improved and 20% were no better. However, no difference in final outcome was observed between those who had undergone cystoscopy alone and those who had undergone urethral dilatation. Furthermore, 7 patients who underwent urethral dilatation experienced transient stress incontinence of urine, a complication not observed in women who underwent cystoscopy alone. No benefit was observed from the addition of urethral dilatation to cystoscopy alone in women with recurrent frequency and dysuria.

The role of the ileal conduit in the development of upper tract dilatation.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of the conduit in the development of upper tract dilatation after ileal conduit urinary diversion. Twenty-seven patients with a normal upper tract were compared with 17 who had developed upper tract dilatation. Patients were studied by means of a technique to measure pressure and flow under "steady-state" conditions. Pressure activity was classified into two types. Type I pressure activity (frequency 6.2 +/- 3/min; amplitude 4.7 +/- 3 cm H2O) resulted in to-and-fro movement of contrast and the escape into the appliance of small volumes of contrast. In controls, most of the output from the conduit occurred during type I activity (73 +/- 14%). Type III/IV pressure activity resulted in vigorous aboral peristalsis and occurred infrequently in controls (frequency 5 +/- 4/h). In patients with upper tract dilatation, in contrast, type III/IV peristaltic activity occurred frequently (frequency 37 +/- 30/h; P less than 0.001: amplitude 72 +/- 34 cm H2O) and was responsible for most of the output (70 +/- 17%; P less than 0.001). The findings support the hypothesis that high pressure activity in the conduit is an important factor in the aetiology of upper tract dilatation, and they are compatible with the presence in such patients of functionally important obstructions of the distal conduit.

Renovascular hypertension: ten years' experience in a regional centre.

In a unit serving a population of three million, 60 hypertensive patients with renovascular disease were identified over a 10-year period. The presence of renovascular disease was usually suggested by intravenous urography (IVU), although this was falsely negative in 21 per cent of cases; isotope renography (IR) was normal in a similar proportion of patients (25 per cent). Eight patients were treated medically and 52 underwent surgical procedures; nephrectomy in 32, autotransplantation in 10, by pass graft in six and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in four. Twenty-three per cent of patients were cured, 37 per cent improved and 40 per cent unchanged one year after surgery, but the response could not be accurately predicted. Clinical features were of some value in that those patients most likely to benefit from surgery were younger, had less severe hypertension of shorter duration, smoked less, had less severe retinopathy and less cardiomegaly. There was also a trend for those with better renal function and less electrocardiographic evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy to benefit from surgery. The IVU and IR did not predict response to surgery but arteriographic appearances of fibromuscular dysplasia indicated there should be a favourable response. The renal vein renin ratio, basal or stimulated, was of no prognostic value since approximately two-thirds of patients with ratios above or below the threshold value had some benefit from surgery. We conclude that the surgical treatment of renovascular hypertension is worthwhile but the number of patients suitable for surgery is small. Clinical features and the results of simple investigations provided the best guide to surgical outcome in our patients.

Experience in the management of hypertension with unilateral chronic pyelonephritis: results of nephrectomy in selected patients.

We report the experience of a regional centre serving a population of 3 millions in the management of patients with hypertension and unilateral scarred kidneys between 1972 and 1981. Thirty one patients were studied, fifteen have been subjected to nephrectomy and sixteen managed conservatively. The medically and surgically treated patients differed only in that the diseased kidney was smaller, 7.7 +/- 1.9 vs 9.9 +/- 1.7 cm, (p less than 0.01), and systolic blood pressure higher, 224 +/- 34 vs 198 +/- 30 mmHg, (p = 0.05), in the surgically treated group. Following nephrectomy blood pressure was normal without drugs in four patients, control was made easier in 10 patients and only one patient, who had bilateral disease, failed to benefit. In the non-surgical group drugs could be withdrawn in only one patient and control became easier in only five. Serum creatinine did not increase following nephrectomy, but had increased significantly at the time of the most recent follow up in the medically treated patients (89 +/- 20 to 102 +/- 32 mumol 1(-1), p less than 0.05). We conclude that nephrectomy is of value in the management of some patients with unilateral chronic pyelonephritis and need not result in loss of renal function. Renal vein renin studies may be helpful in selecting patients for surgery but examination of the effect of nephrectomy in patients without differences in renal vein renin is necessary to establish this.

An appraisal of S3 blocks in the management of incontinence.

Sixteen patients were treated for incontinence by S3 blocks when other means had failed. CMG had demonstrated detrusor instability in 14 and was not performed in 2 patients. Ten patients are continent, 2 are improved. There have been no complications or side effects. These results suggest that S3 blocks should be considered as an additional method of treatment of detrusor instability.

Indications for bladder transection.

Over the last 8 years 64 cases of bladder hyperactivity have been subjected to bladder transection. The patients seleced have been mainly adult enuretics, but have also included some others with daytime bladder hyperactivity without nocturnal incontinence who had failed to respond to medical and simple surgical procedures. A bladder capacity greater than 400 ml under general anaesthesia was used as a major criterion in selecting the cases for operation. The operation was very successful in the enuretic syndrome where the daytime symptoms or urgency and urge incontinence were severe. Other patients who had frequency, urgency and urge incontinence without demonstrable neurological or urological abnormalities also responded well.

Bladder transection for adult enuresis.

45 patients with adult enuresis have been treated by bladder transection between 1969 and 1975 and followed-up from 6 months to 7 years. 24 patients are now asymptomatic. Bladder transection gave very worthwhile results in 53% of cases.