Timing of orchidopexy at a tertiary center in Saudi Arabia: reasons for late surgery.

BACKGROUND: Orchidopexy should be performed during the first 18 months of life to decrease the risk of infertility and tumor formation. In our center, the timing of surgical correction varies depending on the availability of an operating room. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate whether orchidopexy performed for patients referred to our center is done within the recommended time period and to determine causes for delay. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive study. SETTING: Pediatric urology department of a tertiary care center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients charts who underwent orchidopexy at our center from 2000 to 2010. We assessed referral time and waiting list time, which were subdivided as follows: from referral to first visit and from first visit to surgery. We included patients younger than 14 years and excluded pa.tients with comorbidities that affected the timing of referral and surgi.cal treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Referral time period and waiting list time for surgical correction of patients presented with undescended testis. SAMPLE SIZE: 128 RESULTS: After exclusion of 32 patients because of comorbidities, we describe 128 who underwent surgery for cryptorchidism at our center. The median (interquartile range, minimum-maximum) for age at sur.gery was 46.7 months (24.4-83.4, 3.1-248.6]). The median (IQR) referral occurred at an age of 25.3 months (4.1-65.5). The median (IQR) waiting list time was 15.2 months (8.1-23.3). The median (IQR) waiting time from referral to the first visit was 4.1 months (1.0-8.2). The median wait.ing time from the first visit to surgery was 8.1 months (3.8-17.5). CONCLUSIONS: The age at the time of surgery at our center was far from ideal because of late referrals. A structured program offered by our National Health Service to educate referring physicians is necessary. Community health initiatives must emphasize prompt referral to reduce the impact of delayed surgery. LIMITATIONS: Lack of data on the type of referring physician (i.e., general practitioner, pediatrician, surgeon, urologist). CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Robotic versus open pyeloplasty in pediatric patients: a single center experience in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Robotic surgery in pediatric patients is performed in our center since 2013. This study aims to analyze the evolution of robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RALP) in our center to investigate its feasibility and safety compared with open pyeloplasty (OP) technique. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients aged 2 to 14 years who underwent pyeloplasty procedure for ureteropelvic junction obstruction were divided into two groups according to the type of surgical approach (RALP and OP). The median age, weight, duration of the procedure, length of hospital stays, complication according to the Clavien grading system and success rates were recorded. We determined any trends in RALP activity, the length of hospital stay, and the patients' weight. We also compared the results of two equally divided periods (January 2015 to March 2016 and April 2016 to June 2017). RESULTS: Forty-one pyeloplasty were performed in this study. RALP and OP were performed in 26 (57.8%) and 15 (33.3%) cases, respectively. RALP was more utilized than OP in the second period (19 vs. 7). Comparing the two periods, a reduction in the median weight in the RALP group was observed (P=0.039); in the OP group, the weight remained almost unchanged (15 vs. 18 kg). The median duration of OP was shorter than that of RALP (P<0.04). The length of hospital stays reduced in the RALP group (P=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: RALP is safe and feasible and has a promising potential in pediatric urology. The rapid and favorable evolution in the studied indicators shows encouraging results as the indications for RALP are expanded and the length of hospital stay shortened.

Long-term Outcomes of Augmentation Cystoplasty in a Pediatric Population With Refractory Bladder Dysfunction: A 12-Year Follow-up Experience at Single Center.

PURPOSE: Augmentation cystoplasty (AC) is a surgical procedure used in adults and children with refractory bladder dysfunction, including a small bladder capacity and inadequate bladder compliance, and in whom conservative and medical treatment has failed. This study was aimed to determine the long-term outcomes of AC in children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 42 patients (31 males; mean age, 14.2±6.2 years) who underwent AC for neurogenic and nonneurogenic bladder dysfunction, with a median 12.0±1.5 years of follow-up. All patients underwent AC using the ileum with or without continent reconstruction. Pre-AC, concurrent, and post-AC procedures and complications were analyzed. Patients who underwent ureterocystoplasty, were lost to follow-up, or had less than 10 years of follow-up were excluded. The primary outcomes were the complication and continence rates, the post-AC linear rate of height and weight gain, and renal function. The Student t-test was used to evaluate between-group differences and the paired t-test was used to evaluate longitudinal changes in measured variables. RESULTS: Renal function was stable or improved in 32 of 42 patients (76.2%), with a post-AC continence rate of 88.1%. Thirty patients (71.4%) required 72 procedures post-AC. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean percentile of height (P=0. 212) or weight (P=0.142) of patients in the pre- and post-AC periods. No cases of bladder perforation or malignancy were detected. CONCLUSION: We consider AC to be a safe and effective procedure that does not negatively affect future physical growth, while achieving a good rate of stable renal function. Patients need long-term follow-up to address long-term complications.