Does the variant positivity and negativity affect the clinical course in COVID-19?: A cohort study.

The primary aim of the current study is to analyze the clinical, laboratory, and demographic data comparing the patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) admitted to our intensive care unit before and after the UK variant was first diagnosed in December 2020. The secondary objective was to describe a treatment approach for COVID-19. Between Mar 12, 2020, and Jun 22, 2021, 159 patients with COVID-19 were allocated into 2 groups: the variant negative group (77 patients before December 2020) and the variant positive group (82 patients after December 2020). The statistical analyses included early and late complications, demographic data, symptoms, comorbidities, intubation and mortality rates, and treatment options. Regarding early complications, unilateral pneumonia was more common in the variant (-) group (P = .019), whereas bilateral pneumonia was more common in the variant (+) group (P < .001). Regarding late complications, only cytomegalovirus pneumonia was observed more frequently in the variant (-) group (P = .023), whereas secondary gram (+) infection, pulmonary fibrosis (P = .048), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (P = .017), and septic shock (P = .051) were more common in the variant (+) group. The therapeutic approach showed significant differences in the second group such as plasma exchange and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation which is more commonly used in the variant (+) group. Although mortality and intubation rates did not differ between the groups, severe challenging early and late complications were observed mainly in the variant (+) group, necessitating invasive treatment options. We hope that our data from the pandemic will shed light on this field. Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that there is much to be done to deal with future pandemics.

A case of a high-flow priapism treated with superselective transcatheter embolization.

High-flow priapism is a rare condition characterized by prolonged and painless erection. It is defined as contusion or thrombosis of the cavernous body of the penis usually secondary to blunt trauma. Due to the rarity of the disease, there is no well-defined consensus about treatment. Conservative treatment is often applied with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. We present a case of 58-year-old man with proximal partial priapism that developed secondary to blunt trauma to the penis. The patient did not benefit from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy and then was successfully treated with selective embolization.

High riding jugular bulb: prevalence and significance in asymptomatic children.

BACKGROUND: High riding jugular bulb (HJB) is a vascular abnormality characterized by the higher-than-normal location of the jugular bulb. PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequency of HJB among children who underwent cranial computed tomography (CT) mostly because of head trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patient demographics such as age, sex, indication of cranial CT, diameters of the right and left JB, and presence and laterality of HJB were recorded and analyzed. Patients were grouped as with HJB and without HJB; the variables were compared between these two groups. Patients were also divided into age groups as 0-1 month, 1-12 months, 12-24 months, and >24 months and the findings. The Shapiro-Wilk test, histograms, and Q-Q, Mann-Whitney U-test, Pearson's chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were used. RESULTS: In total, CT images of 194 patients (388 JBs) were evaluated. Overall, 42.8% of children had HJB. Only three children had bilateral HJB. Of all JBs, 22.2% were high riding. Children who did not have HJB were significantly younger compared to children with HJB (P = 0.029). The median diameter of the HJB was significantly higher in children with HJB compared to children without HJB on both sides (P < 0.001). Among newborns, none had HJB. In infants, 11 (30.6%) had HJB; 35 (46.7%) and 37 (50.0%) children aged >12-24 months and >24 months had HJB, respectively. CONCLUSION: A jugular bulb could be identified in all age groups, including newborns. The earliest age of HJB detection was eight months. Overall, 42% of the patients had HJB, which increased by age.

Could "Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery" be Used as an Efficient Technique in the Treatment of Calyceal Diverticula Stones.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and holmium laser lithotripsy in the treatment of symptomatic renal calyceal diverticular (CD) stones. STUDY DESIGN: A case series. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Urology, Hisar Intercontinental Hospital, from 2008 and 2019. METHODOLOGY: Patients who underwent holmium laser lithotripsy with RIRS to manage symptomatic CD stones were evaluated retrospectively. Demographics, stone size, operation and hospital stay duration, the success of treatment and complications were noted. RESULT: Among the 30 treated patients, 13 patients were female and 17 were male. The mean age was 45.4 ± 11.9 (26-64), the stone diameter was 14.4 ± 4.1 mm, operation time was 70.47±35.7 (35-155) minutes, and mean length of hospital stay was 1.27±0.5 (1-3) days. In those patients who underwent RIRS, 26 (86.7%) were successfully treated while in 4 of 30 patients (13.3%) the procedure was not successful. Complications were observed in 10 (33.3%) patients. Clavien-I complications were demonstrated in 6 patients, Clavien III complications were demonstrated in 3 patients. One patient had urosepsis, 2 patients had ureteral laceration, and one patient with Clavien IV complication had perirenal hematoma. CONCLUSION: Laser lithotripsy therapy with RIRS is a safe and effective treatment for symptomatic calyceal diverticular stones and can be offered as the first-line treatment for calyceal diverticular stones. KEY WORDS: Calyceal diverticula, Stone disease, Flexible ureterorenoscopy, Holmium laser, RIRS.

Urachal Actinomycosis Presenting with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in a Middle-aged Woman: A Rare Case Report.

The urachal cyst, a remnant of allantois sac during embryogenesis, is a rare condition in adulthood. Urachus is an embryologic remnant degenerating after birth. Abberrant obliteration of the urachus causes urachal abnormalities. The urachal cysts are almost always symptomatic when infected. The symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, tenderness, lower abdominal mass, nausea, vomiting, and dysuria. Ultrasonography, computerised tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging techniques may be insufficient for diagnosis. In most cases, staphylococcus species are isolated from cultures of urachal cysts. Other microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumonia, and rarely actinomyces may be isolated. Actinomyces, an anaerobic gram-positive filamentous bacterium, is a rare cause of granulomatous disease. In this case report, a 56-year woman with urachal cyst infection with actinomyces is discussed according to current knowledge. Key Words: Urachal cyst, Urachus, Chronic cystitis, Actinomyces.

The effects of stone density on surgical outcomes of retrograde intrarenal stone surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Several pre-operative parameters have been studied to estimate stone-free rate (SFR) following retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) procedures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of stone density on surgical outcomes of RIRS. METHODS: This retrospective study included 30 stone-free patients (Group SF) and 30 patients with residual fragments (Group RF). Patients' age and gender, laterality, non-contrast CT findings, including size and density of the kidney stones, infundibular pelvic angle (IPA), operational time, and post-operative pain were recorded and compared between the two groups. The stone density was measured by free hand region of interest (ROI) determination coincident with the stone borders and expressed as Hounsfield units (HUs). RESULTS: The rate of single stones was significantly higher in Group SF compared to Group RF (p < 0.001). The mean stone size was found as 11.93 ± 7.81 mm in Group SF and 16.27 ± 7.29 mm in Group RF with the difference being statistically significant (p < 0.001). The mean IPA was 53.87 degrees in Group SF and 50.33 degrees in Group RF. The mean density was measured as 748.17 ± 318.14 HU in Group SF and 945.90 ± 345.30 HU in Group RF. The mean stone density was statistically significantly higher in patients with residual fragments compared to the stone-free patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that stone density as measured as HU affects the treatment outcomes with RIRS procedure and the mean density is significantly higher in patients with residual stone fragments. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Studies about the effects of HUs on stone-free rate are limited in the literature. Stone density affects the treatment outcomes with RIRS procedure and the mean density is significantly higher in patients with residual stone fragments.

The relationship between ultrasound-based TIRADS and BETHESDA categories in patients undergoing thyroid biopsy.

The TIRADS is a scoring system used for the selection of nodules for FNA and classification of the risk of malignancy based on ultrasound characteristics. The BETHESDA is a standard reporting system used for the classification of FNA results based on six criteria with risks for malignancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between TIRADS and BSRTC classifications in patients undergoing thyroid biopsy. A total of 350 consecutive patients were retrospectively evaluated using TIRADS and BETHESDA reporting systems for determining preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Patients' demographics, size, echogenicity and contour status of the nodules, TIRADS and BETHESDA scores were recorded and analyzed. Data obtained in this study were expressed as mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage descriptive statistics. The mean age of the patients was 49.03 ± 17.58 years. The mean nodule size was measured as 20.56 ± 10.47 mm. TIRADS TR3 category was found in 165 (47.14%), TR4 in 154 (44%) and TR5 in 31 (8.86%) patients, while BETHESDA II category was found in 288 (82.28%), BETHESDA III category in 1 (0.29%), BETHESDA IV category in 19 (5.43%), BETHESDA V in 37 (10.57%) and BETHESDA VI in 5 (1.43%) patients. There was a general concordance between BETHESDA and TRIADS categories. The most significant concordance was found between BETHESDA IV and TR4 categories (84.21%). Combined use of TRIADS and BETHESDA can be efficiently used to provide the most accurate results for making preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules and to determine the risk of malignancy.

Co-occurrence of vertebral artery hypoplasia and high jugular bulb in patients undergoing cranial magnetic resonance imaging.

We aimed to assess the frequency and coexistence of vertebral artery hypoplasia (VAH) and high jugular bulb (HJB) in subjects who underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diverse indications. This was a retrospective study in which 2184 consecutive patients who underwent cranial MRI were screened. Age, sex, and reasons for ordering cranial MRI were obtained from hospital database. Nineteen patients were excluded from the study. We defined VAH as a vertebral artery whose diameter was smaller than 2 mm with an asymmetry ratio of ≤ 1:1.7. HJB was defined as the jugular bulb lying higher than the inferior portion of the internal acoustic meatus. Pearson's χ2 test was used to study the association between VAH and HJB. A total of 2165 subjects were included in the final analysis. Median age was 34 years (min-max 1-98 years). Females constituted 51.4%. The most common complaint for which brain MRI was ordered was headache (68.5%), followed by vertigo (13%). VAH was present in 890 subjects (40.9%). The majority of the patients had unilateral VAH, mainly on the right side (72.9%). HJB was present in 1067 subjects (48.9%) and 24.9% of the temporal bones. HJB was three times more common on the right side than on the left (71.6%). Five-hundred and seventy-three (26.5%) had VAH and HJB concurrently. When a patient had either VAH or HJV, the likelihood of patient having the other condition was significant (p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that presence of VAH increased the probability of occurrence of HJB threefold and vice versa (p < 0.001, CI 2.502-3.574). This was the first report of significantly common co-occurrence of VAH and HJB.

Did COVID-19 area change our urology practice: A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This research aimed at evaluating the changing conditions and experiences of urological practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The data of all patients who were admitted to outpatient clinics at Hisar Intercontinental Hospital or the hospital's online patient portal system between March 11th and May 30th, 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Of all patients, 545 in outpatient clinics and 25 in online portal system, (17%) were hospitalized for medical treatment, and 53 underwent surgery. There were 1032 patients admitted to Urology Clinics and 104 patients who underwent surgery in the same period of 2019. The pre-operative assessment of patients who were candidates of urological surgery included certain criteria for COVID-19. RESULTS: Of patients included in this study, the median age was 41 years (18-90). The mean hospital stay was 1 day (1-12), and the mean duration of operation was 25 min (3-250). Thirty-seven patients (69.8%) underwent general anesthesia, while only 11(20.8%) underwent combined spinal epidural anesthesia. Four patients (7.5%) required local and only one patient (1.9%) underwent sedo-analgesia. Complications were encountered in six patients (11.4%), urosepsis in two, pneumonia in one, and urinary tract infection in three patients. Compared to last year's numbers, the number of patients admitted to the hospital's outpatient clinic and that of hospitalized patients decreased by 47.2% and 49.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Emergent surgeries in urological practices can be performed safely under routine preoperative testing for COVID-19 and with the use of adequate protective equipment for both the surgical team and the patient.

IONIZING RADIATION EXPOSURE IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19: MORE THAN NEEDED.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the ionizing radiation exposure in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study in which all patients presented with suggestive symptoms of COVID-19 were included. The study was carried out in a university-affiliated private hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Biological radiation dose exposure (cumulative effective dose: CED) was evaluated in millisievert (mSv) units. RESULTS: A total of 1410 patients were included in the study. Of all study subjects, 804 patients (57%) underwent only one chest computed tomography (CT) procedure. Six hundred and six patients (43%) had two or more chest CT procedures. Median CED was 6.02 (min-max:1.67-16.27) mSv. The number of patients who were exposed to ≤ 5 mSv were 149 (24.6%), whereas 457 patients (75.4%) were exposed to >5 mSv. CONCLUSION: The radiation exposure in COVID-19 patients seems unjustifiably high. Awareness should be increased as to the proper use of chest CT in COVID-19 as per to the society recommendations.

The relationship between lesion density change in chest computed tomography and clinical improvement in COVID-19 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of changes in chest computed tomography (CT) lesion densities with clinical improvement in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of hospitalised COVID-19 patients who underwent repeated chest CT. Patients who improved clinically but showed radiological progression were included. Demographic data, presentation complaints and laboratory results were retrieved from the electronic database of the hospital. Lesion density that was measured in Hounsfield units was compred between admission and discharge chest CT scans. RESULTS: Forty patients (21 males, mean age 47.4 ± 15.1 years) were included in the analysis. The median white blood cell count and C-reactive protein significantly decreased, whereas the median lymphocyte count significantly increased at discharge compared with the admission values. The mean density significantly reduced from admission to discharge. CONCLUSION: This is the first study in the literature reporting reduction in chest CT lesion densities correlated with clinical and laboratory improvement in COVID-19 patients.

Postmortem Biopsies of the Lung, Heart, Liver, and Spleen of COVID-19 Patients.

Objective We aimed to evaluate histopathologic alterations in the lung, heart, liver, and spleen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) decedents through postmortem core needle biopsies. Materials and methods Patients who died of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-proven COVID-19 were included in this postmortem case series. Postmortem percutaneous ultrasound-guided biopsies of the lungs, heart, liver, and spleen were performed using 14- and 16-gauge needles. Biopsy samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and examined under a light microscope. Clinicodemographic characteristics, chest computed tomography (CT) images, and COVID-19-related treatments of the patients were also collected. Results Seven patients were included in this study. Liver and heart tissue samples were available from all patients, and lung and spleen tissue samples were available from five and three patients, respectively. Chest CT images predominantly revealed bibasilar ground-glass opacities. Lung biopsies showed diffuse alveolar damage in all biopsy specimens. Heart findings were nonspecific and largely compatible with the underlying disease. Patchy necrosis, steatosis, and mononuclear cell infiltration were the main findings in the liver biopsies. Splenic histopathological examination showed that splenic necrosis and neutrophil infiltration were common findings in all patients. Conclusion Tissue acquisition was complete for the heart and liver and acceptable for the lungs. The amount of tissue was sufficient for a proper histopathologic examination. Histopathological findings were generally in accordance with previous autopsy studies. Radiological findings of the lung were also correlated with the histopathologic findings. We consider that a postmortem biopsy is a feasible alternative for histopathological examinations in COVID-19 decedents.

Primary testicular lymphoma: Two case reports and review of the literature.

Primary testicular lymphoma, is a rare testis tumor that accounts for only less than 9% of all testis tumors. In the preoperative period, it is extremely difficult to distinguish this tumor from other testis tumors. Its diagnosis is done by histological analysis. Most commonly encountered histological type is diffuse large Bcell lymphoma. Adjuvant radiotheraphy and/or chemotheraphy is given after orchiectomy. Prognosis is worse than other testis tumors. Non-metastatic tumors indicates good prognosis within one year. Ongoing research in patients with primary testicular lymphoma, are on efficacy of adjuvant theraphies and preventive and cure effect on extranodal extension to central nervous system which is the most common site for recurrency. There are conflicting results because of the small number of patient size. Here we present two cases with primary testicular lymphoma at the ages 71 and 82.

Testicular epidermoid cyst.

Epidermoid cyst of the testis is a benign, non-teratomatous tumour. It is often possible to make the diagnosis pre-operatively, combining typical sonographic features with normal biochemical tumour markers. The accurate pre-operative diagnosis will allow for testis-sparing surgery and prevent unnecessary orchiectomy. An 11-year-old boy with testicular epidermoid cyst who presented with pain in testis was presented in this report.

Myxolipoma of the renal capsule: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Although lipomas are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the human body, primary intrarenal lipomas are quite rare. In this report we present a case of benign mesenchymal tumor with lipomatous and myxoid components. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A sixty one years old male patient was admitted to our outpatient clinic for a general control since he had a right radical nephrectomy operation due to renal cell carcinoma (RCC) eight years ago and he did not have any urological control for last 3 years. However the urinary ultrasound revealed a mass lesion on left kidney and then on axial contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan, there were two masses on the left kidney. In the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the tumor on cortex was depicted as a homogeneous low-signal intensity on the T1-weighted pulse sequence and as a heterogeneous high-signal intensity on the T2-weighted pulse sequence. In pathological evaluation, the biopsy material of the cortical mass was a tumoral lesion containing lipomatous and mixoid areas without atypia, mitosis or necrosis which was diagnosed as myxolipoma. DISCUSSION: Myxolipoma, an uncommon type of lipoma, is a benign tumor composed mainly of fat cells with myxoid (mucus-like) components. In our case, the tumor was composed of mature adipocytes together with areas rich in mucoid substances and there were no malignant features including lipoblasts, mitosis or abundant capillary network. CONCLUSION: Herein we present a case of a fatty tumor originating from the renal capsule with the histologic diagnosis of myxolipoma. To the best of our knowledge, myxolipoma, a very rare form of lipoma, is not reported in kidney, in the literature before.

An unusual cause of hematuria; primary epiploic appendagitis.

INTRODUCTION: Primary epiploic appendagitis (PEA) is self limiting inflammatory disease of colonic epiploic appendices. PRESENTATION OF CASE: Herein, a 40 years old patient describing abdomino-inguinal pain with clotty hematuria having PEA was presented. At first, the patient was thought to have a primary bladder pathology, but after a meticioulus examination, he found to have PEA and managed by conservative measures. DISCUSSION: Although PEA does not require surgical intervention, it may mimic other acute abdominal disorders which can be difficult to differentiate. Appendices overlying the sigmoid colon and cecum are more prone to be affected as they are more elongated and wider in size. The patient is usually admitted due to sudden onset of abdominal pain accompanied with fever, abdominal tenderness and leucocytosis. CONCLUSION: The present case demonstrated that PEA located close to the lower urinary tract especially urinary bladder might present with urinary symptoms such as hematuria. dysuria, pollakuria and inguinal pain.

Leiomyoma of the epididymis treated with partial epididymectomy.

Tumors of the epididymis are very rare, they are both primary and secondary and whether the benign or malignant. Adenomatoid tumors and leiomyoma are the most frequently diagnosed benign tumors of the epididymis. Leiomyomas are benign, often bulky tumors that are derived embryologically from mesenchymal cells. Herein, we present a case of epididymal leiomyoma and review its differential diagnosis and treatment.

The adverse influence of spina bifida occulta on the medical treatment outcome of primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.

OBJECTIVE: Previous reports have suggested that the incidence of spina bifida occulta (SBO) in patients with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE) is higher than the general population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of spina bifida occulta on the medical treatment outcome of PMNE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January 2008 and December 2011, a total of 223 children (151 boys and 72 girls, aged 6-16 years; mean age: 10.1 ± 3.04 years) with PMNE were reviewed retrospectively. All of the children underwent physical examination, urine analysis, urinary tract ultrasonography and kidney ureter bladder (KUB) scout film. All patients were initially treated with a timed voiding program and were given desmopressin acetate when necessary. RESULTS: Spina bifida occulta was detected in 75 children (33.6%). Spina bifida occulta affected L4 in 2 children, L5 in 6 children, L4-L5 in 3 children, S1 in 52 children, S2 in 7 children and S1-S2 in 2 children. Treatment was successful in 79% of the children without SBO, and in only 48% of the children with SBO. Medical treatment success rates differed significantly between the study groups. CONCLUSION: The presence of spina bifida occulta significantly affects the response to medical treatment in patients with PMNE. Thus, verifying spina bifida occulta status in PMNE can facilitate prognostic predictions about the response to medical treatment.

Spontaneous renal pelvis rupture: unexpected complication of urolithiasis expected to passage with observation therapy.

Seventy percent of ureteral stones are located at distal ureter. Effective and safe passage of distal ureter stones is mediated by observation or medical expulsive treatment. Most of stones located at distal ureter pass spontaneously under observation; however, some are complicated with urinary tract infection, hydronephrosis, and renal function disturbances. Spontaneous perforation of the upper ureter is a rare condition that poses diagnostic and therapeutic problems. This case is reported, because the patient developed an unexpected spontaneous renal pelvis rupture (SRPR), while she was under observation and expected to pass her right ureteral stone spontaneously through hydration and analgesic treatment.

An isolated complete pancreatic fracture primarily diagnosed by ultrasound.

Pancreatic fractures due to blunt abdominal trauma are rare and are usually symptom-free and silent in many cases. Therefore, a high degree of suspicion is required either early in the course of trauma or later during follow-up. Computed tomography (CT) is the primary imaging modality for the diagnosis of traumatic pancreatic injuries. In this report, we present a 10-year-old child in whom ultrasound enabled the detection of a complete fracture between the body and tail of the pancreas, while initial CT findings were not suggestive of a lesion. The need for ultrasonography is emphasized especially in the presence of a history of trauma even if CT scans appear normal.