Awareness and compliance of urologists in the Middle East with minimally invasive surgical devices for the management of benign prostate hyperplasia.

Objectives: The objective is to assess urologists' awareness of and compliance with available minimally invasive devices (MIDs) for the management of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Methods: An online Internet-based survey was sent to urologists through E-mail. Baseline characteristics included age, location and duration of practice, and number of prostatectomies performed in the previous 12 months. Awareness is based on the surgeons' opinions about their advantages and drawbacks. Results: A total of 308 participants responded to the survey; 87.0% were most aware of Rezum, followed by Urolift (59.1%), Aquablation (33.1%), and combined temporary implantable nitinol device (iTIND), and Zenflow (17%). In the past 12 months, 84.1% used MIDs in their practice. A total of 47.1% of respondents believe that these devices have comparable outcomes with the traditional interventions, 52.9% are unsure of their long-term benefits, and 71% feel that it is too early to judge. Forty-three percent believe that these devices are reserved only for high-risk patients, and 52% recommend that they should be available in their centers. Most respondents (90.9%) prefer Rezum, Urolift (28.2%), and Aquablation (12.6%) because they are less invasive, less time-consuming, and have few complications. Interestingly, 59% recommend MIDs to their family members. Conclusions: Most respondents are more aware of Rezum, Urolift, and Aquablation than iTIND and Zenflow. In addition, most respondents agree that these MIDs and traditional prostate interventions have comparable outcomes despite the former lacking long-term outcome assessment. High cost and no long-term data may influence the widespread acceptance of these MIDs.

Flexible ureterorenoscopy with holmium laser in horseshoe kidneys.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the outcome of flexible ureterorenoscopy (F-URS) with the holmium laser in treating stones in the horseshoe kidney (HSK). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 17 patients with a HSK stone (17 renal units) who had undergone F-URS with the holmium laser from December 2004 to May 2009. The presenting symptoms were renal colic, urinary tract infection, or hematuria. F-URS was used in as an alternative after the failure of shock wave lithotripsy in 8 patients (47%) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy failure in 4 patients (23.5%). Follow-up examination was performed after 4-6 weeks with plain radiography and either renal ultrasonography or noncontrast computed tomography. Success was defined as stone-free status or residual fragments <3 mm. The use of auxiliary procedures was considered to indicate treatment failure. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients were included in the present study (3 females and 14 males). Their age was 16-52 years (mean age ± SD 34.7 ± 6.3). The HSK stone location was 7 mixed caliceal, 3 mixed pelvic and caliceal, and 7 pelvic. The average stone burden was 16 mm (range 7-35). The overall number of procedures was 25 (mean 1.5 procedures/patient). Of the 17 patients, 15 (88.2%) were rendered stone free. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study have shown that F-URS with the holmium laser is an efficient minimal invasive procedure for treating HSK stones.

Efficacy of flexible ureterorenoscopy with holmium laser in the management of stone-bearing caliceal diverticula.

PURPOSE: We aim to evaluate the outcome of flexible ureterorenoscopy (F-URS) with a holmium laser in managing stone-bearing caliceal diverticula as a minimally invasive option. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 38 patients who underwent F-URS using a holmium laser from 2003 to 2009 for symptomatic stone-bearing caliceal diverticula. The presenting symptoms were renal colic, urinary tract infection, or hematuria. F-URS was used in 30 (78.9%) patients as an alternative after the failure of shockwave lithotropsy (SWL). F-URS was repeated twice for two patients. In the first patient, the indication was uncompleted fragmentation of the stone. In the second patient, it was because of failure to identify the diverticulum. The follow-up visit ranged from 4 to 6 weeks with plain radiography of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder and either renal ultrasonography or noncontrast CT. RESULTS: Patients who were included in the study were 38: 22 women and 16 men (mean age 45.7 years; range 18-72 years). Post-F-URS, 21 (55.3%) patients were rendered stone free (SF), 10 (26.3%) patients had clinically insignificant residual fragments (less than 4 mm) (CIRF), and a residual fragment (RF) was found in seven (18.4%) patients. The success rate was considered as SF or CIRF, which was obtained in 31 (81.6%) patients. In total, 34 (90%) patients were symptom free after the procedure. CONCLUSION: F-URS using a holmium laser is a very effective, minimally invasive technique. It could be the best option in managing stone-bearing caliceal diverticula, especially for those patients in whom there was SWL failure. The development of the actively deflectable ureteroscope with miniaturization allowed us to obtain a high success rate, low morbidity, and a brief hospital stay.