Long-term histological and hemodynamic findings of repairing penile tunica albuginea defects with collagen fleece in dogs.

Clinically, collagen fleece patching of the penile tunica albuginea (TA) has been successful. However, the histopathological and hemodynamic outcomes are not known. We studied in vivo TachoSil® patching in two beagle dogs weighing 16.8 (16.7-16.9) Kg. Bilateral intracavernous pressures (ICP) response to 10 mg papaverine hydrochloride were measured. A full-thickness defect was created on the left side in TA 1 × 0.5 cm, and four transverse incisions 1 cm long were made on the right side, placed 0.5 cm apart, and covered with TachoSil®. Six months later, ICP measurements were repeated, and the penis was excised for histopathology. Grossly, the graft site was indistinguishable. The mean baseline ICP was 19.3 ± 2.98 mmHg and increased after papaverine injection to a mean peak ICP of 122 ± 26.1 mmHg. The ICP measurement before and after grafting did not show a significant difference in the baseline (p = 0.068) or the peak pressure (p = 0.465). Histologically, minimal foreign body reaction was seen, and the TA was completely regenerated. The underlying cavernous tissue did not show inflammation or necrosis. The study is the first to show the long-term histopathologic regeneration of TA after collagen fleece patching while maintaining the hemodynamic response to papaverine.

Using machine learning models to predict synchronous genitourinary cancers among gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients.

Objectives: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) can occur synchronously with other neoplasms, including the genitourinary (GU) system. Machine learning (ML) may be a valuable tool in predicting synchronous GU tumors in GIST patients, and thus improving prognosis. This study aims to evaluate the use of ML algorithms to predict synchronous GU tumors among GIST patients in a specialist research center in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from all patients with histopathologically confirmed GIST at our facility from 2003 to 2020. Patient files were reviewed for the presence of renal cell carcinoma, adrenal tumors, or other GU cancers. Three supervised ML algorithms were used: logistic regression, XGBoost Regressor, and random forests (RFs). A set of variables, including independent attributes, was entered into the models. Results: A total of 170 patients were included in the study, with 58.8% (n = 100) being male. The median age was 57 (range: 9-91) years. The majority of GISTs were gastric (60%, n = 102) with a spindle cell histology. The most common stage at diagnosis was T2 (27.6%, n = 47) and N0 (20%, n = 34). Six patients (3.5%) had synchronous GU tumors. The RF model achieved the highest accuracy with 97.1%. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the RF model is an effective tool for predicting synchronous GU tumors in GIST patients. Larger multicenter studies, utilizing more powerful algorithms such as deep learning and other artificial intelligence subsets, are necessary to further refine and improve these predictions.

Trimodal therapy versus radical cystectomy for cT2N0M0 urothelial muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Single-center experience.

Background: Bladder cancer is ranked the ninth most common cancer in the world. Locally, the incidence of bladder cancer has increased tenfold over the past 26 years. Radical cystectomy (RC) is considered a gold standard management option for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), but trimodal therapy (TMT) has shown comparable oncological outcomes in selected patients. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study in which we reviewed medical records of patients diagnosed with MIBC without nodal disease or distant metastasis (cT2N0M0) who underwent either RC or TMT. Demographic data, comorbidities, histopathological and clinical staging, neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy, and follow-up were analyzed. Results: We included a total of 31 patients in the study, with 10 patients in the TMT group and 21 patients in the RC group. There was no significant difference in recurrence between the TMT and RC groups (P = 0.58). The TMT group had a higher percentage of local recurrence (40% vs. RC 5.2%, P = 0.018) but no significant difference in metastasis (0% vs. 10%, P = 0.420). The difference in overall survival between the TMT and RC groups was not significant (P = 0.25). Conclusion: TMT may be considered an alternative option for patients unwilling to undergo RC due to related complications and prioritize a better quality of life. However, the decision should be made after considering the cost of extensive follow-ups and patient compliance with surveillance.

A study of the histopathology of collagen fleece (TachoSil) patching of tunica albuginea in the rat penis and a literature review of penile graft materials in experimental animals.

Background: A penile tunica defect may arise during surgery in patients with Peyronie's disease. Collagen fleece (TachoSil) has recently gained popularity in penile surgery to cover the tunica albuginea (TA) defect associated with clinical success. However, it is not known what the histological outcomes of these grafts are in the penis. We aimed to study the histopathology of the TachoSil graft in an experimental animal model for the regeneration of TA, inflammation, fibrosis, and the underlying cavernous tissue. Methods: Six adult male Sprague Dawley rats were used. The penis was degloved through a circumferential subcoronal incision. A longitudinal 1 mm × 10 mm defect was created at the base of the lateral aspect of the penis. A TachoSil patch (Takeda, Japan) was applied to the defect. The penile skin covering was then restored. At 2 months, the rat penis was excised and examined with hematoxylin, eosin, and trichrome stains. We conducted a literature review of penile grafts in animals for comparison. Results: Rats weighed 369.2 gm (standard deviation: 31.5). At 2 months, all rats showed normal-looking penis with complete healing, no scaring, tethering, or gross inflammatory features. Histopathology of the patch site showed fibrosis, chronic inflammation, and foreign body giant cell reaction. There was no generation of a new TA, or new vascularity. No inflammatory or pathological reaction affected the underlying corpus cavernous tissue. One rat died on the 6th postoperative day. Postmortem showed massive multiorgan hemorrhage consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). Unlike some other reported grafts, there is no TA regeneration. Conclusions: TachoSil patching of penile TA defect forms a distinctive barrier against inflammation, protecting the underlying corpus cavernosum. However, no regeneration of the tunica defect is observed at 2 months. DIC is a potential complication of systemic absorption of TachoSil.

The association of genitourinary cancer among Saudi patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors and a systematic literature review.

The gastrointestinal tract's most commonly occurring primary mesenchymal tumor is the gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). However, few cases worldwide were reported associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Therefore, we aimed to identify the association of genitourinary tumors in patients with GIST in our tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia and compare it to the literature. We identified all patients in the pathology department database with the diagnosis of GIST. We excluded duplicate and recurrent cases. We examined patients' files for the presence of RCC, adrenal tumors, or other genitourinary cancer. A systematic review of the association was conducted. From 2003 to 2020, 170 patients had a histopathologic diagnosis of primary GIST, 100 men and 70 women, median age of 57 (range 9-91) years at the time of diagnosis. The site of primary GIST was gastric 103, small bowel 43, mesenteric 5, omentum/peritoneum 7, abdomen 4, isolated adrenal 1, and other 7. Six patients had associated primary genitourinary cancer. Three patients had RCC (two clear cell RCC and one radiologic diagnosis only), and three had adrenal tumors (one adrenal carcinoma, one an isolated adrenal GIST, and one pheochromocytoma). In addition, two patients had a tumor invading the urinary bladder. Although the cohort included 63 men aged 60 or above (median 71 ± 8.7 years, range 60-94), none demonstrated clinical prostatic carcinoma. Data was compared to 69 systematic review articles. We report the rare association between GIST tumors and primary genitourinary cancer, mainly RCC and adrenal tumors. Also, we identified a secondary invasion of the urinary bladder. Unlike the reported series, none of the older male patients had clinical prostate cancer.

A comparison of the perineal and penoscrotal approaches in artificial urinary sphincter implantation for the control of male stress urinary incontinence.

BACKGROUND: The two most common surgical approaches to treat stress urinary incontinence in men are the traditional perineal and the new penoscrotal approach for artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implantation. Each method carries its own advantages and disadvantages. The few reports that compare the approaches have disparate outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Compare the outcome of first time AUS implantation by the perineal versus the penoscrotal approach. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included all male patients who underwent primary perineal or penoscrotal AUS placement between June 2004 and October 2018 at our tertiary care hospital. Patients were followed at least one year postoperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of dry, infection, erosion, malfunction, atrophy, revision. SAMPLE SIZE: 44 males who underwent 68 procedures. RESULTS: Twenty-five (56.8%) patients underwent a perineal and 19 (43.2%) underwent a penoscrotal approach. The patients had 68 procedures: 36 (52.9%) perineal and 32 (47.1%) penoscrotal approaches. The median (25th-75th percentiles) age at the time of surgery was 61.0 (51.0-68.0) years (n=68 procedures). The median (25th-75th percentiles) operative time was significantly shorter for the penoscrotal approach, 87 (69-140), vs. 93 (72-210) minutes for the perineal approach (P=.016). The 44 patients were followed up for a mean (SD) of 52.5 (20.3) months for the 68 procedures. Postoperative complications occurred in 16 (36.36%) patients; 11 (44%) perineal approach patients and 5 (26.3%) penoscrotal. There were no significant differences in complications of infection, erosion, malfunction, or urethral atrophy between the two groups. Only removal/revision was significantly more common with the perineal approach (10 patients perineal and two patients penoscrotal, P=.042). At the last follow-up, dryness was comparable among groups. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of AUS placement are comparable between perineal and penoscrotal approaches in terms of complications and one year dryness. The penoscrotal approach however has shorter operative time and less need for revision and removal. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size, single-center. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Intraoperative cell salvage transfusion in patients undergoing posterior urethroplasty: Its efficacy of reducing allogeneic blood transfusion, safety, and cost.

Background: A significant blood loss may be encountered with complex urethroplasty surgery. Blood management aims at reducing allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) because of limited supply, associated risks, and cost. Intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) has been used in different urological and nonurological surgeries to achieve this goal. However, no study evaluated its role in perineal urethroplasty. Objectives: We set out to determine the efficacy of reducing ABT, safety, and cost of ICS in posterior urethroplasty. Methods: We reviewed the charts of all patients who underwent posterior urethroplasty between 2012 and 2017. We collected data for patients' demographics, pre- and postoperative hemoglobin level, ICS volume, complications, equivalent ABT units saved, and cost. Results: Seventy patients with a median age of 27.5 ± 10.2 years underwent posterior urethroplasty. Of the 70 patients, 20 (28.57%) required ICS intraoperatively with a median of 441 ml/patient, equivalent to 1.47 units per patient of allogenic blood. No patient needed intraoperative ABT, whereas two patients required transfusions postoperatively. The median pre- and postoperative hemoglobin levels were 124.2 ± 9.2 and 110.3 ± 12.6 g/dl, respectively. There were no significant complications noted while using ICS. There was a 41% cost reduction of equivalent ABT units. Conclusions: ICS is safe and effective in reducing ABT during posterior urethroplasty. In our hospital, it is associated with a significant cost reduction of blood transfusion.

Clinical behavior and survival outcome of urothelial bladder cancer in young adults.

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is rare in young adults and therefore natural history of BC is still debatable. This study aimed to determine clinical behavior and prognosis of BC in patients <40 years. Materials and Methods: We reviewed patients (<40 years) managed with urothelial BC from 2003 to 2019. Patients with nonurothelial histology were excluded. Clinical behavior and prognosis such as recurrence, progression, and survival were assessed. The recurrence is defined as a newly diagnosed occurrence of BC at previous or new site(s). Cancer progression is defined as an increase in staging or grade. Results: Fifty-five patients inclusive of 45 males and 10 females with a median age of 30.0 (interquartile range [IQR] 25.0-33.0) years were included. The median follow-up was 3.5 (IQR: 1.5-7.0) years. Fifty-one (92.72%) patients were diagnosed with nonmuscle-invasive BC while four (7.27%) patients were diagnosed with muscle-invasive disease. Three out of four patients with muscle-invasive BC died of metastatic disease. According to stage and grade, there were 42 (76.36%) Ta, 9 (16.36%) T1 and 4 (7.27%) having T2 stage while 41 (74.54%) low grade and 14 (25.45%) were having high grade disease. Thirty-six (65.45%) patients remained stable, 13 (26.63%) patients progressed, and 6 (10.90%) patients regressed to lower stage and grade. Higher stage and grade (P = 0.0431) and tumor size >3 cm (P = 0.0454) were significant for recurrence, and higher stage and grade (P = 0.0012) and tumor size >3 cm (P = 0.0055) were associated with tumor progression. Conclusion: BC in younger adults is mostly low stage and low grade. We should be vigilant in patients with higher stage and grade as it is related with recurrence, progression, and metastatic disease.

A Primary Urothelial Carcinoma Presenting as a Mid-Bulbar Urethral Stricture in a 30-Year-Old Male.

The bulbar urethra is the most common site of anterior urethral strictures. In this case report, we present a 30-year-old male who was referred to us as a case of mid-bulbar urethral stricture. Urethroplasty was booked and a papillary lesion was found on routine diagnostic cystoscopy. An open biopsy was taken which showed invasive high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma with squamous differentiation. This case is rare in terms of a young age of incidence, a lack of risk factors, an absence of suspicious symptoms, and a short duration of signs and symptoms. Urologists should consider workup for malignancy even in young patients who present with an idiopathic urethral stricture and a short duration of symptoms.

Trends in the surgical management of renal cell carcinoma in a contemporary tertiary care setting.

BACKGROUND: In the last three eras, the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has increased, due to increased radiological studies. The expected 5-year survival rate has become better, associated with the identification of small size renal masses. However, this survival improvement may be secondary to improved surgical techniques and medical therapies for these malignancies. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to report the trends of clinical presentation, peri-operative, oncological outcomes, and surgical management trends for RCCs over the period. METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval, a retrospective study for adult patients was conducted, who presented with renal mass and were managed between 2008 and 2019. Variables, including demographics, perioperative and pathological outcomes analyzed using descriptive statistics for continuous variables reported as mean ± standard deviation and categorical variables values compared by Chi-square test. Survival Analysis calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The level of significance is set at P-value < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 588 patients underwent surgical treatment for kidney cancer from January 2008 to January 2019. 237 (40.30%) were females and 351 (59.69%) males. The clinical presentation was higher as an incidental diagnosis of 58.67%. 71.25% of patients were from outside Riyadh city. Pathology was mostly clear cell RCC 61.22% and grade 2 (57.48%). Tumor size, surgery time, and length of hospital stay showed a significant difference between the three periods (both P > 0.05). Robotic surgery performed more than open (P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the survival time, when compared to patients by the regions and when compared by the primary tumors (Log-Rank P = 0.4821). Patients from the Riyadh region (median = 54.0) had a significantly higher recurrence time (Log-Rank P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: There was a rising trend in the incidence of RCC associated with comorbidities and incidental diagnosis. In our study period we found increase in the trend of minimal invasive approach. The size of the tumor, blood loss and operative time decreases over the period of time. The Robotic assisted nephrectomy approach has become increased over the period of time duration in present study.

The grasper-integrated disposable flexible cystoscope is comparable to the reusable, flexible cystoscope for the detection of bladder cancer.

Flexible cystoscopy under local anaesthesia is standard for the surveillance of bladder cancer. Frequently, several reusable cystoscopes fail to reprocess. With the new grasper incorporated single-use cystoscope for retrieval of ureteric stents, we explored the feasibility of using it off-label for diagnosis and the detection of bladder cancer. Consecutive diagnostic flexible cystoscopies between Mar 2016 and Nov 2018 were reviewed comparing the reusable versus the disposable cystoscopes. A total of 390 patients underwent 1211 cystoscopies. Median age was 61.5 years (SD 14.2, 18.8-91.4), males 331 (84.9%) and females 59 (15.1%). Indication for cystoscopy was prior malignancy in 1183 procedures (97.7%), haematuria 19 (1.6%) or bladder mass 7 (0.6%). There were 608 reusable and 603 disposable cystoscopies. There was no significant difference between groups at baseline in age, sex, BMI, smoking status, or prior tumor risk category. There was no significant difference in positive findings (123/608, 20.2% vs 111/603, 18.4%, p = 0.425) or cancer detection rates (95/608, 15.6% vs 88/603, 14.4%, p 0.574) among the two groups, respectively. We conclude that the disposable grasper integrated cystoscope is comparable to reusable cystoscope in the detection of bladder cancer.

Arabic language validation of TANGO questionnaire for nocturia: A translation into the Arabian Peninsula dialect.

AIMS: Targeting the Aetiology of Nocturia to Guide Outcomes (TANGO) is a validated English language questionnaire to identify underlying factors leading to nocturia. We set out to provide a culturally correct Arabic version of the TANGO questionnaire in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The English version underwent forwarded and backward translation. The final version was administered to native Arabic speaking hospital employees and patients. Test-retest reliability and the clarity of questions were determined by Kappa and Cronbach's α statistics. RESULTS: The translation: The median Likert score for translated questions was ≥4 with a Cronbach's α .865. Test-retest reliability: Thirty employees answered the questionnaire. The median, standard deviation (SD), and range were age 29.0 ± 11.0 years (20-55), and nocturia 1.0 ± 0.96 episodes per night (0-4). Three questions had identical constant answers and no Kappa values were computed. Based on prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted Kappa (PABAK) values, 10 questions had a "very good" agreement, eight questions had a "good" agreement, and one item had a "moderate" agreement. The range of PABAK was 0.53 to 1, P < .01. Clarity of questions: The employees had a median Likert score of 5.0 with a Cronbach's α .961. Thirty-two patients answered the questionnaire. The median, SD, and range were age 40.0 ± 15.4 years (17-79), and nocturia 1.0 ± 1.6 episodes per night (0-6). The median item score on the Likert scale was 5.0, with a Cronbach's α .909. A total of 29 (90.6%) patients stated that the questions were clear or needed no help to fill in the questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The Arabic language translation of TANGO questionnaire is a valid tool in the dialect of Saudi Arabia.

A genomics approach to male infertility.

PURPOSE: Male infertility remains poorly understood at the molecular level. We aimed in this study to investigate the yield of a "genomics first" approach to male infertility. METHODS: Patients with severe oligospermia and nonobstructive azoospermia were investigated using exome sequencing (ES) in parallel with the standard practice of chromosomal analysis. RESULTS: In 285 patients, 10.5% (n = 30) had evidence of chromosomal aberrations while nearly a quarter (n = 69; 24.2%) had a potential monogenic form of male infertility. The latter ranged from variants in genes previously reported to cause male infertility with or without other phenotypes in humans (24 patients; 8.4%) to those in novel candidate genes reported in this study (37 patients; 12.9%). The 33 candidate genes have biological links to male germ cell development including compatible mouse knockouts, and a few (TERB1 [CCDC79], PIWIL2, MAGEE2, and ZSWIM7) were found to be independently mutated in unrelated patients in our cohort. We also found that male infertility can be the sole or major phenotypic expression of a number of genes that are known to cause multisystemic manifestations in humans (n = 9 patients; 3.1%). CONCLUSION: The standard approach to male infertility overlooks the significant contribution of monogenic causes to this important clinical entity.

Plasmacytoid acinar adenocarcinoma of the prostate: a newly described variant of prostate cancer.

A plasmacytoid variant of prostatic adenocarcinoma has not been reported to the best of our knowledge. A 54-year-old male presented with recurrent attacks of acute urinary retention. Laboratory findings showed high creatinine and a serum prostate specific antigen of 50.7 µg/L. Magnetic Resonance Imaging showed a locally advanced tumor involving the bladder and extending to the base of prostate with bilateral ureterovesical junction involvement and invasion of the left seminal vesicle and left anterior mesorectal fascia as well as perirectal fat invasion. Diffuse metastases to the abdominopelvic lymph nodes were identified. Bone scintigraphy showed multiple bone metastases. Transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy of the prostate was attempted but the patient could not tolerate the procedure and the procedure was canceled. The patient then underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor. Microscopic examination showed sheets of malignant cells with prominent plasmacytoid appearance undermining benign urothelium. The tumor cells were positive for PSA, PSAP, NKX 3.1 and Cytokeratin 8/18. The tumor cells were negative for P63, Cytokeratin 34ßE12, Cytokeratin 20, Desmin, CD38, Kappa and Lambda light chains, Chromogranin, Synaptophysin, GATA 3, E-cadherin and CD45. INI1 was retained. Next generation sequencing showed an intermediate tumor mutational burden. Notably, no genomic alterations in the CDH1 gene (encoding for E-cadherin) were present. The patient showed some initial response to antiandrogen therapy with a drop in serum PSA levels following androgen deprivation therapy. However, the patient died 6 months after diagnosis. It is critical to recognize this newly described variant and to distinguish it from plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma. Recognition of the newly described plasmacytoid variant of adenocarcinoma of the prostate will lead to identification and reporting of more cases and a better understanding of its clinicopathologic features.

Endometriosis of the Urinary Bladder Causing a Right Hydronephrosis: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a chronic and benign condition in which endometrial glands and stroma are present outside the uterine cavity. The pathogenesis of endometriosis is not fully understood; however, several mechanisms have been hypothesized. Endometriosis is a common clinical presentation in gynecology, but affecting the urinary tract is a rare phenomenon, occurring in 0.3-12% of cases. In more severe forms, the initial presentation may be hydronephrosis or infertility. CASE REPORT We describe the case of a 25-year-old Saudi woman who presented with obstructive urinary tract symptoms and was diagnosed with urinary bladder endometriosis complicated with a right hydronephrosis. After thorough investigations and workups, the management was taken on by a multidisciplinary team approach. CONCLUSIONS This case report shows that hormonal therapy management resulted in a satisfactory outcome contrary to the surgical resection approach that is discussed in many articles.

Microdissection testicular sperm extraction: Overall results and impact of preoperative testosterone level on sperm retrieval rate in patients with nonobstructive azoospermia.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective is to review the overall result and impact of preoperative testosterone level on sperm retrieval rate (SRR) by microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) in patients with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the files of patients who underwent micro-TESE for NOA from August 2013 to December 2014. All patients were evaluated with history, physical examination, and hormonal assessment. Patients who had previous micro-TESE, obstructive azoospermia, or who took hormone therapy were excluded from the study. Patients were classified into two groups. Group A included patients who had low testosterone (<10 nmol/L), and Group B included patients with normal testosterone (>10 nmol/L). The primary endpoint was to review the overall results of the procedure and the impact of preoperative testosterone level on sperm retrieval. RESULTS: A total of 264 patients with NOA underwent micro-TESE. Group A included 133 patients with low testosterone (<10 nmol/l) with a median age of 36 ± 6.59 years, and Group B included 131 patients with normal testosterone (>10 nmol/L) with a median age of 33 ± 7.88 years (P = 0.1350). There was no significant difference in follicle-stimulating hormone (P = 0.2467), luteinizing hormone (P = 0.1078), prolactin (P = 0.5619), and testicular volume (P = 0.4052), whereas a significant difference was found in testosterone level (P = 0.0001) in both groups. Overall, sperm were successfully retrieved in 48.8% of men. SRR in Group B was significantly higher (57.25%) than that in Group A (40.60%) (P = 0.0068). SRR in patients with Sertoli-cell-only pathology was 30.35%, hypospermatogenesis was 89.74%, and maturation arrest was 32.43%. CONCLUSION: Micro-TESE is a successful and safe procedure in NOA patients with a poor prognosis. Preoperative testosterone level has a significant impact in the SRR by micro-TESE.

Organ-sparing procedures in GU cancer: part 1-organ-sparing procedures in renal and adrenal tumors: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Organ-sparing surgery (OSS) for the kidney and adrenals has emerged as the need for preservation of function is paramount in patients with poor functional reserve. As reports increasingly showed that oncological outcomes were equivalent to radical excision, elective OSS became a viable alternative in patients with otherwise normal reserve. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of OSS for adrenal and renal tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library Central Search were searched for recently published articles up to December 2017. The following keywords were used; "partial adrenalectomy", "adrenal sparing", "partial nephrectomy", "nephron sparing", "kidney/renal cancer". RESULTS: Partial adrenalectomy became an attractive alternative to total adrenalectomy avoiding adrenal insufficiency. Both minimally invasive surgery and ablative techniques were increasingly reported for adrenal OSS with adequate residual adrenal function and excellent oncological outcome. Radical nephrectomy remained for many years as the gold standard of treatment for organ-confined renal cell carcinoma. As the need to reduce the impact on renal function, more conservative approaches were utilized. Soon, the non-inferiority of nephron-sparing surgery to that of radical excision became evident and elective partial nephrectomy was gaining ground as the standard of care for small renal masses in patients with normal contralateral kidneys. CONCLUSIONS: Herein, we present a comprehensive review of the current status of OSS in renal and adrenal tumors.

Telehealth for the Assessment of Patients Referred for Pediatric Urological Care: A Preliminary Cost Savings Analysis and Satisfaction Survey.

Background: Almost one-fifth of the population of Saudi Arabia lives in rural areas and may still lack access to specialty healthcare. Because of the growing demand for telehealth services, we initiated the virtual clinic (VC) concept for new referrals to the pediatric urology clinic (PUC), the primary tertiary care unit in Riyadh. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of costs and timing involved with the VC practice for a 1-year period. The cost analysis is based on savings realized by patients as a result of the VC evaluation. A 15-question nonvalidated satisfaction survey was also conducted by an independent observer. Results: Of 105 patients assessed through the VC program, 44 were accepted for surgery and further investigation. The number of trips to the center saved by the virtual encounter were 203, resulting in a savings of 740,950 Saudi Arabian Riyals (SAR) minus the cost of the VC. The cost of conducting most of the investigations at the referring hospital instead of the PUC represented a savings of 639,970 SAR. Thus, the overall cost savings to patient and family and to the PUC was 1,311,570 SAR. An additional benefit was the reduction in the time for treatment from 6.6 to 3.9 months. The overall satisfaction rate was 89%. Conclusions: Although preliminary, our study indicates that telemedicine can achieve a cost savings without compromising the safety or adversely affecting patient management. Further studies should more clearly define the benefits and any limitations, and reveal how the technology could be used most effectively.

Urodynamics in patients with spinal cord injury: A clinical review and best practice paper by a working group of The International Continence Society Urodynamics Committee.

AIMS: Urodynamics have been recommended and utilized in the evaluation of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients for many years, but there is no consensus on the optimal use and follow-up strategy for these patients. In the present manuscript, after reporting the available evidence, a working group of the Urodynamics Committee of the International Continence Society (ICS) provides the current knowledge and recommendations on patients' assessment, indications, role, technical aspects, and follow-up of urodynamic studies in SCI patients. METHODS: The working group has analyzed the current available evidence-based literature leading to a Delphi consensus formation by the members of the working group. A set of questions derived from the search were answered online on several occasions by an international panel of specialists. A 1-day face-to-face meeting of the experts finalized the discussion. Recommendations and expert opinions were finally reviewed by all the members of the ICS Urodynamics Committee on SCI core panel. RESULTS: Six experts participated in the four phases of the consensus process. Evidence was reviewed. There was substantial variability in the level and quality of detail reported across the literature yield. Several papers reported insufficient detail to allow synthesis of outcomes across studies. The findings of this preliminary review have been used to generate guidelines for best practice of urodynamics in SCI patients. The working group included recommendations for patients' pre-testing and urodynamic tests execution. Best practices were given as expert opinions where evidence was lacking. CONCLUSION: Urodynamic is highly recommended for patients with SCI after a proper initial assessment. Regular urodynamic follow-up is recommended to avoid upper urinary tract damage. However, until now, there is limited evidence on how frequently urodynamic control should be performed.