A complete year of urology residency training under COVID-19: impact on education and health.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemics on clinical and surgical practice, educational activities, health and lifestyle behavior of Brazilian urology residents after 1 year of socio-economic restrictions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic survey was e-mailed to all postgraduate (PG) students registered by the Brazilian Society of Urology. The survey inclu-ded an assessment of socio-demographic, clinical practice, educational, health-related and behavior parameters. We also evaluated which subareas of urology were predominantly affected. A similar survey was adapted and sent to the directors of all urology residency programs. RESULTS: COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the clinical, surgical, and educational activities of urology residents in Brazil. Urology residents reported >50% decrease in multiple surgical modalities. We highlight kidney transplantation surgeries (66.2%), minor surgeries (62.3%), endoscopic surgeries (42.6%) and reconstructive surgeries (38.8%). This could represent a critical skills gap that residents may face beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, PG students faced stressful situations that caused worsening of mental and physical health, such as getting redirected to assistance of COVID-19 patients (66.9%), and high rate of infection by SARS-CoV-2 (58.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the clinical, surgical, and educational activities of urology residents in Brazil. This could represent a critical skills gap that residents may face beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. PG students faced stressful situations that caused worsening of mental and physical health such as redirection to assistance of COVID-19 patients, concern about their own contamination and of family members.

Is there an association between urolithiasis and Roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery?

PURPOSE: Several studies have documented high incidence of urinary lithiasis after jejunoileal by-pass. Roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) is currently the most common bariatric procedure. Because of its difficult for absorption, RYGB has a potential risk to increase the incidence of lithiasis. This study was conducted in order to test the hypothesis that RYGB increases the incidence urolithiasis after 50% of excessive weight loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study to evaluate 58 patients who underwent RYGB at the Obesity Service at Santa Casa de Misericordia de Sao Paulo, between 2000 and 2005, with minimum follow-up of 10 and maximum of 72 months, after the procedure. RESULTS: Forty-five (77.6%) patients had >or= 50% loss of weight excess. There was no difference between the frequency of urolithiasis before and after the procedure, and nephrolithiasis was observed after surgery in only one patient, however this had been detected before the procedure. CONCLUSION: In the period studied, RYGB does not seem to affect the incidence of urolithiasis after weight reduction. This may be due to its smaller malabsorptive component as compared with jejunoileal "by-pass", thereby possibly not significantly influencing the oxalate metabolism.

Is there an association between urolithiasis and roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery?

Purpose: Several studies have documented high incidence of urinary lithiasis after jejunoileal by-pass. Roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) is currently the most common bariatric procedure. Because of its difficult for absorption, RYGB has a potential risk to increase the incidence of lithiasis. This study was conducted in order to test the hypothesis that RYGB increases the incidence urolithiasis after 50 percent of excessive weight loss. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study to evaluate 58 patients who underwent RYGB at the Obesity Service at Santa Casa de Misericordia de Sao Paulo, between 2000 and 2005, with minimum follow-up of 10 and maximum of 72 months, after the procedure. Results: Forty-five (77.6 percent) patients had ¡Ý 50 percent loss of weight excess. There was no difference between the frequency of urolithiasis before and after the procedure, and nephrolithiasis was observed after surgery in only one patient, however this had been detected before the procedure. Conclusion: In the period studied, RYGB does not seem to affect the incidence of urolithiasis after weight reduction. This may be due to its smaller malabsorptive component as compared with jejunoileal ¡°by-pass¡±, thereby possibly not significantly influencing the oxalate metabolism.

Paratesticular sarcomas in Brazil.

PURPOSE: Paratesticular sarcomas are rare and frequently reported as isolated case reports. Studies evaluating the relative frequency of the paratesticular sarcomas are limited, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of paratesticular sarcomas in the Brazilian population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Medical records of all patients undergoing treatment for paratesticular sarcomas between 1993 and 2006 were retrieved from the archives of our institution. RESULTS: Complete data from 12 patients (39 +/- 23 years, range 13-78) with paratesticular sarcomas were available, which represented 6.7% of all orchiectomies performed for testicular malignancies in the same period. At the time of diagnosis, 3 patients had retroperitoneal spread of the disease, all of which had elevated serum lactic dehydrogenase levels. The remaining 9 patients had normal serum markers. There were 6 rhabdomyosarcomas, 4 leiomyosarcomas, 1 liposarcoma and 1 undifferentiated sarcoma. Median follow-up was 31.4 months. Primary surgical excision by inguinal approach was performed in all cases (radical orchiectomy in 10 and preservation of the testis in 2). Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection was performed in 3 patients and excision of the hemiscrotum in 1. Eight patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Mean overall survival time was 27.8 +/- 6.2 months after orchiectomy. CONCLUSION: Patients with paratesticular sarcomas are at high risk of disease progression, and systemic relapse remains a significant problem, determining poor prognosis. The high risk of local recurrence demands long-term follow-up, and intraoperative frozen section analysis might be of benefit. Elevated lactic dehydrogenase might also be a marker of retroperitoneal disease and poor prognosis. Improvement in survival requires effective systemic adjuvant therapy.

Bladder outlet obstruction after pubovaginal fascial sling.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate patients' satisfaction and urodynamic findings in women undergoing pubovaginal fascial sling procedure. We have evaluated, clinically and urodynamically, 45 women who underwent the rectus fascia pubovaginal sling for urodynamically proven stress urinary incontinence with at least 12 months of postoperative follow-up. After a mean follow-up of 25 months, 93.3% of patients reported being stress continent and 73.3% were satisfied with the result of the surgery. Patients with longer follow-up had a significantly lower satisfaction score (6.4 vs. 9.3, p = 0.005). Using the Blaivas-Groutz nomogram, some degree of obstruction was observed in 51.1% of women. Storage symptoms were related to obstruction (p = 0.004), longer follow-up (p = 0.022), and negative impact on quality of life. Half of the patients had some degree of obstruction, which was directly related to urge syndrome and decrease in quality of life.

Carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter

OBJECTIVE: To assess the occurrence of upper urinary tract urothelial tumors (UUTT) in Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a clinical and histopathologic study of 33 patients who were diagnosed with a malignant neoplasm in the renal pelvis or ureter in the period of 1994 to 2004, in a single institution. RESULTS: Among the patients with upper urinary tract carcinoma, 70 percent were males and 30 percent females, with mean age of 65 ± 16 years (ranging from 31 to 91 years). Nineteen patients presented renal pelvis tumor (58 percent), 9 ureteral tumor (27 percent) and 5 synchronic pelvic and ureteral tumors (15 percent). Renal pelvis tumors represented 2.8 percent of all the urothelial neoplasms, and 11.4 percent of all renal neoplasms treated in the same period. Ureteral tumors represented 1.6 percent of all the urothelial malignancies surgically managed in these 11 years. Tobacco smoking was the most common risk factor, and analgesic abuse was not reported by those patients. Most carcinomas were high-grade and muscle-invasive. Mean time to diagnosis was 7 months, being hematuria the most common symptom. CONCLUSIONS: A high association was also found between UUTT and bladder urothelial carcinoma. UUTT were mostly seen in men in their seventies and related to a high overall and cancer-related mortality rate. The overall disease-specific survival was 40 percent, much lower than found in most of the reported series.

Carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the occurrence of upper urinary tract urothelial tumors (UUTT) in Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a clinical and histopathologic study of 33 patients who were diagnosed with a malignant neoplasm in the renal pelvis or ureter in the period of 1994 to 2004, in a single institution. RESULTS: Among the patients with upper urinary tract carcinoma, 70% were males and 30% females, with mean age of 65 +/- 16 years (ranging from 31 to 91 years). Nineteen patients presented renal pelvis tumor (58%), 9 ureteral tumor (27%) and 5 synchronic pelvic and ureteral tumors (15%). Renal pelvis tumors represented 2.8% of all the urothelial neoplasms, and 11.4% of all renal neoplasms treated in the same period. Ureteral tumors represented 1.6% of all the urothelial malignancies surgically managed in these 11 years. Tobacco smoking was the most common risk factor, and analgesic abuse was not reported by those patients. Most carcinomas were high-grade and muscle-invasive. Mean time to diagnosis was 7 months, being hematuria the most common symptom. CONCLUSIONS: A high association was also found between UUTT and bladder urothelial carcinoma. UUTT were mostly seen in men in their seventies and related to a high overall and cancer-related mortality rate. The overall disease-specific survival was 40%, much lower than found in most of the reported series.

Coexistence of prostate neoplasia in patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy due to vesical neoplasia

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of bladder carcinoma infiltrating the prostate and prostate adenocarcinoma in patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy due to bladder cancer, as well as to assess if the characteristics of the bladder neoplasia influence the prostatic involvement by this neoplasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 60 male patients, who underwent radical cystoprostatectomy between July 1997 and December 2003. Mean age was 66.7 years (40 and 93 years). The product of radical cystoprostatectomies was checked for involvement of urethra and prostate parenchyma by the primary neoplasia, and for the presence of associated prostate adenocarcinoma. Bladder neoplasia characteristics, such as localization, size, multifocality, association with in situ carcinoma and histological grade, were studied in order to assess the possibility of using such characteristics as predictive factors of prostate infiltration by bladder urothelial carcinoma. RESULTS: We observed the presence of 20 percent of patients with bladder carcinoma infiltrating the prostatic urethra, 23.3 percent of patients with infiltration of the prostate parenchyma and 28.3 percent of patients with associate prostate adenocarcinoma, resulting in a total of 55 percent of patients with prostatic involvement (infiltrative bladder carcinoma and/or adenocarcinoma). We also observed a statistically significant correlation between tumor location in the trigone, the presence of in situ carcinoma and the histological grade of the bladder tumor with prostatic infiltration by the vesical neoplasia. CONCLUSION: The coexistence of prostatic neoplasia in patients operated for bladder neoplasia was frequent in our sample (55 percent). We observed that the prostatic infiltration by bladder tumors occurs more frequently with tumors located in the trigone, with associated in situ carcinoma and with high histological grade. There was no correlation between neoplastic infiltration of prostate and multifocality or size of the bladder tumor in the studied sample.

Coexistence of prostate neoplasia in patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy due to vesical neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of bladder carcinoma infiltrating the prostate and prostate adenocarcinoma in patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy due to bladder cancer, as well as to assess if the characteristics of the bladder neoplasia influence the prostatic involvement by this neoplasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 60 male patients, who underwent radical cystoprostatectomy between July 1997 and December 2003. Mean age was 66.7 years (40 and 93 years). The product of radical cystoprostatectomies was checked for involvement of urethra and prostate parenchyma by the primary neoplasia, and for the presence of associated prostate adenocarcinoma. Bladder neoplasia characteristics, such as localization, size, multifocality, association with in situ carcinoma and histological grade, were studied in order to assess the possibility of using such characteristics as predictive factors of prostate infiltration by bladder urothelial carcinoma. RESULTS: We observed the presence of 20% of patients with bladder carcinoma infiltrating the prostatic urethra, 23.3% of patients with infiltration of the prostate parenchyma and 28.3% of patients with associate prostate adenocarcinoma, resulting in a total of 55% of patients with prostatic involvement (infiltrative bladder carcinoma and/or adenocarcinoma). We also observed a statistically significant correlation between tumor location in the trigone, the presence of in situ carcinoma and the histological grade of the bladder tumor with prostatic infiltration by the vesical neoplasia. CONCLUSION: The coexistence of prostatic neoplasia in patients operated for bladder neoplasia was frequent in our sample (55%). We observed that the prostatic infiltration by bladder tumors occurs more frequently with tumors located in the trigone, with associated in situ carcinoma and with high histological grade. There was no correlation between neoplastic infiltration of prostate and multifocality or size of the bladder tumor in the studied sample.