Percutaneous nephrolithotomy vs retrograde intrarenal surgery for renal stones: a Cochrane Review.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) vs retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for the treatment of renal stones in adults. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, three other databases, trials registries, other sources of the grey literature, and conference proceedings up to 23 March 2023. We applied no restrictions on publication language or status. Screening, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment, and certainty of evidence (CoE) rating using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach were done in duplicate by two independent reviewers. This co-publication focuses on the primary outcomes of this review only. RESULTS: We included 42 trials that met the inclusion criteria. Stone-free rate (SFR): PCNL may improve SFRs (risk ratio [RR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.18; I2 = 71%; 39 studies, 4088 participants; low CoE). Major complications: PCNL probably has little to no effect on major complications (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.59-1.25; I2 = 15%; 34 studies, 3649; participants; moderate CoE) compared to RIRS. Need for secondary interventions: PCNL may reduce the need for secondary interventions (RR 0.31, 95% CI 0.17-0.55; I2 = 61%; 21 studies, 2005 participants; low CoE) compared to RIRS. CONCLUSION: Despite shortcomings in most studies that lowered our certainty in the estimates of effect to mostly very low or low, we found that PCNL may improve SFRs and reduce the need for secondary interventions while not impacting major complications. Ureteric stricture rates may be similar compared to RIRS. We expect the findings of this review to be helpful for shared decision-making about management choices for individuals with renal stones.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy versus retrograde intrarenal surgery for treatment of renal stones in adults.

BACKGROUND: Kidney stones (also called renal stones) can be a source of pain, obstruction, and infection. Depending on size, location, composition, and other patient factors, the treatment of kidney stones can involve observation, shock wave lithotripsy, retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS; i.e. ureteroscopic approaches), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), or a combination of these approaches. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) versus retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for the treatment of renal stones in adults. SEARCH METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and two trials registries up to 23 March 2023. We applied no restrictions on publication language or status. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials that evaluated PCNL (grouped by access size in French gauge [Fr] into three groups: ≥ 24 Fr [standard PCNL], 15-23 Fr [mini-PCNL and minimally invasive PCNL], and < 15 Fr [ultra-mini-, mini-micro-, super-mini-, and micro-PCNL]) versus RIRS. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected studies and extracted data from the included studies. Our primary outcomes were stone-free rate, major complications, and need for secondary interventions. Our main secondary outcomes were unplanned medical visits to emergency/urgent care or outpatient clinic, length of hospital stay, ureteral stricture or injury, and quality of life. We performed statistical analyses using a random-effects model. We rated the certainty of evidence using GRADE criteria. We adopted a minimally contextualized approach with predefined thresholds for minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs). MAIN RESULTS: We included 42 trials assessing the effects of PCNL versus RIRS in 4571 randomized participants. Twenty-two studies were published as full-text articles, and 20 were published as abstract proceedings. The average size of stones ranged from 10.1 mm to 39.1 mm. Most studies did not report sources of funding or conflicts of interest. The main results for the most important outcomes are summarized below. Stone-free rate PCNL compared with RIRS may improve stone-free rates (risk ratio [RR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08 to 1.18; I2 = 71%; 39 studies, 4088 participants; low-certainty evidence). Based on 770 participants per 1000 being stone-free with RIRS, this corresponds to 100 more (62 more to 139 more) stone-free participants per 1000 with PCNL (an absolute difference of 10%, where the predefined MCID was 5%). Major complications PCNL compared with RIRS probably has little or no effect on major complications (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.25; I2 = 15%; 34 studies, 3649 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Based on 31 complications in the RIRS group, this corresponds to six fewer (13 fewer to six more) major complications per 1000 with PCNL (an absolute difference of 0.6%, where the predefined MCID was 2%). Need for secondary interventions PCNL compared with RIRS may reduce the need for secondary interventions (RR 0.31, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.55; I2 = 61%; 21 studies, 2005 participants; low-certainty evidence). Based on 222 secondary interventions in the RIRS group, this corresponds to 153 fewer (185 fewer to 100 fewer) secondary interventions per 1000 with PCNL (an absolute difference of 15.3%, where the predefined MCID was 5%). Unplanned medical visits No studies reported unplanned medical visits. Length of hospital stay PCNL compared with RIRS may extend length of hospital stay (mean difference 1.04 days more, 95% CI 0.27 more to 1.81 more; I2 = 100%; 26 studies, 2804 participants; low-certainty evidence). This effect size is greater than the predefined MCID of one day. Ureteral stricture or injury PCNL compared with RIRS may have little or no effect on the occurrence of ureteral strictures (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.39 to 2.21; I2 = 0%; 13 studies, 1574 participants; low-certainty evidence). Based on 14 ureteral strictures in the RIRS group, this corresponds to one fewer (nine fewer to 17 more) ureteral strictures per 1000 with PCNL (an absolute difference of 0.1%, where the predefined MCID was 2%). Quality of life No studies reported quality of life. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Based on a large body of evidence from 42 trials, we found that PCNL compared with RIRS may improve stone-free rates and may reduce the need for secondary interventions, but probably has little or no effect on major complications. PCNL compared with RIRS may have little or no effect on ureteral stricture rates and may increase length of hospital stay. We found no evidence on unplanned medical visits or participant quality of life. Because of the considerable shortcomings of the included trials, the evidence for most outcomes was of low certainty. Access size for PCNL was less than 24 Fr in most studies that provided this information. We expect the findings of this review to be helpful for shared decision-making about management choices for individuals with renal stones.

Survey of Canadian urology residency programs: Perception of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many residency programs to pivot from traditional face-to-face to virtual teaching. The objective of this study was to assess the state of virtual education in Canadian urology programs and gauge interest in a national virtual curriculum. METHODS: An electronic 15-item survey was distributed to all 13 Canadian urology programs' directors and administrative assistants for circulation to residents. Data collection took place over six weeks from September to November 2020. A mixed-methods approach was used, including descriptive statistics and an inductive thematic analysis of responses to open-ended questions. RESULTS: Eleven program directors and 32 residents from all four geographic areas (Atlantic, Ontario, Quebec, Western [MB, AB, BC]) responded to the survey. Overall, 95.3% of respondents indicated a role for virtual education in their program during the pandemic. Most respondents (74.4%) believe there is a significant or very significant role for a virtual national urology curriculum. All program directors indicated they are at least somewhat likely to require resident participation in such a curriculum. Most (90.6%) resident respondents indicated they believe such a curriculum will be at least somewhat important to their learning. Commonly described benefits include exposure to subspecialties, expertise at other institutions, and standardization of teaching. Commonly described barriers include difficulty with engagement, time zone differences, and lack of dedicated time for attendance. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual education has become well-integrated in Canadian urology programs. This study highlights interest in the development of a national virtual urology curriculum and puts forth some key considerations to ensure its success.

A systematic review of global surgery partnerships and a proposed framework for sustainability.

Background: Building surgical capacity through global surgery partnerships (GSPs) between high and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is a rising global health focus. Our aim was to conduct a systematic review to characterize strategies employed by GSPs to build capacity and promote sustainability and to propose a novel reproducible model for sustainability. Methods: We conducted a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Medline and African Journals Online to identify all peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2016 that described GSPs between partners from the United States or Canada or both and partners from LMICs. We excluded papers that described nonsurgical GSPs, unilateral GSPs (e.g., humanitarian missions) or military initiatives. Descriptive features were analyzed, with a focus on attributes that promote sustainability. We then proposed criteria for sustainability on the basis of the themes that emerged from our review. Results: Our search retrieved 3580 abstracts, which were then independently reviewed by 4 authors. A total of 128 papers (3.6%) met the inclusion criteria. They described GSPs in 68 countries on 5 continents. Among the GSPs, 21.9% demonstrated community engagement and 51.6% included multidisciplinary collaboration. Surgical training or education was provided in 81.3% of GSPs. Although 64.8% of GSPs collected data, only 53.1% reported project-related outcomes. A total of 55.5% had bilateral authorship for publications, and 28.9% had multisource funding. Only 1 GSP fulfilled all 6 of our criteria for sustainability. Conclusion: In this systematic review we identified 6 pillars that are indicators of sustainability: community engagement, multidisciplinary collaboration, education and training, outcomes reporting, bilateral authorship and multisource funding. We propose that future GSPs should build on a foundation of bilateral ideas and expertise exchange, that they should have defined and measurable objectives, that they should engage in continuous evaluation of program outcomes and that they should take a thoughtful and transparent approach to sustained capacity building.

Contexte: Le renforcement de la capacité chirurgicale au moyen de partenariats internationaux en chirurgie (PIC) entre les pays à revenu élevé et ceux à revenu faible ou intermédiaire (PRFI) prend de plus en plus de place en santé mondiale. Nous avons donc réalisé une revue systématique pour caractériser les stratégies de renforcement de la capacité et de promotion de la pérennité employées dans le cadre des PIC, ainsi que pour proposer un modèle de pérennité novateur et reproductible. Méthodes: Pour notre revue systématique, nous avons suivi le modèle Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Nous avons interrogé les bases de données PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE et African Journals Online pour trouver tous les articles évalués par des pairs publiés entre 2000 et 2016 présentant des PIC conclus entre des organismes des États-Unis ou du Canada (ou les 2) et des organismes de PRFI. Nous avons exclu les articles portant sur des partenariats internationaux dans un domaine autre que la chirurgie, les PIC unilatéraux (p. ex., missions humanitaires) et les initiatives militaires. Nous avons analysé les caractéristiques descriptives des partenariats, en particulier les attributs favorisant leur pérennité. Nous avons ensuite proposé des critères de pérennité en fonction des thèmes dégagés dans la revue systématique. Résultats: Les 3580 résumés recensés lors de la recherche initiale ont été évalués de façon indépendante par 4 auteurs. Au total, 128 articles (3,6 %) répondaient aux critères d'inclusion. Ces articles présentaient des PIC impliquant 68 pays de 5 continents. De ces PIC, 21,9 % comportaient une mobilisation communautaire, et 51,6 %, une collaboration multidisciplinaire. Une formation ou un enseignement relatif à la chirurgie était fourni dans 81,3 % des cas. Si 64,8 % des PIC comprenaient une collecte de données, seuls 53,1 % ont produit des rapports sur les issues du projet. En tout, 55,5 % des PIC avaient conclu une entente de paternité bilatérale pour la publication, et 28,9 % avaient bénéficié d'un financement multisource. Un seul PIC répondait aux 6 critères de pérennité établis. Conclusion: Six indicateurs de pérennité ont été dégagés dans le cadre de cette revue systématique : mobilisation communautaire, collaboration multidisciplinaire, éducation et formation, production de rapports sur les issues, entente de paternité bilatérale et financement multisource. Les futurs PIC devraient reposer sur un échange d'idées et de connaissances, avoir des objectifs définis et mesurables, évaluer sans cesse les issues du programme et adopter une approche réfléchie et transparente quant au renforcement continu de la capacité.

Low Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews Published in the Urological Literature (2016-2018).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the methodological quality of systematic reviews (SRs) published in the urological literature. METHODS: PubMed was systematically searched for SRs related to questions of prevention and therapy published in 5 major urology journals (January, 2016 to December, 2018). Two reviewers followed a written a priori protocol to independently screen references in Rayyan and abstract data using a piloted form based on the 16 domains of AMSTAR-2. We performed preplanned statistical hypothesis testing by journal of publication in SPSS version 24.0. RESULTS: Our search identified 260 relevant references, 144 of which ultimately met inclusion criteria. The largest contributors by journal of publication were European Urology (53; 36.8%) followed by Urology (36; 25.0%), and BJU International (24; 16.6%). The most common clinical topics were oncology (64; 44.4%) and voiding dysfunction (32; 22.2%) followed by stones/endourology (14; 9.7%). Just over one-third (52; 36.2%) of reviews had a registered protocol. Nearly all studies (139; 96.5%) searched at least 2 databases. Less than one-third (46; 31.9%) also searched trial registries and one-fifth (30; 20.8%) consulted experts for additional trials. Few studies (14; 10.4%) provided a list of potentially relevant but excluded studies. Only 6 (4.2%) studies met all AMSTAR-2 critical domains as a prerequisite for high-quality reviews. CONCLUSION: A large number of SRs are published in the urological literature each year, yet their quality is suboptimal. There is a need for educating authors, peer reviewers, and editors alike on established standards for high-quality SRs to ensure improvement in the future.

Structured, Small-group Hands-on Teaching Sessions Improve Pre-clerk Knowledge and Confidence in Point-of-care Ultrasound Use and Interpretation.

Introduction Many undergraduate medical education (UME) programs have begun adopting point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) curricula, reflecting the increasing ubiquity of this technique across medical specialties. The structures of international PoCUS curricula have been extensively studied. However, the efficacy of these curricula to increase knowledge and confidence in PoCUS is less well-studied. We investigated whether a structured, small-group PoCUS teaching session consisting of pre-defined learning objectives, an introductory presentation, and a mandatory hands-on scanning component would increase pre-clerk knowledge of and confidence in PoCUS theory, use, and interpretation. Methods A pre-post study was designed to assess changes in pre-clerk knowledge and confidence in PoCUS theory, use, and interpretation. Pre-clerks were recruited from the Hamilton campus of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University. Pre-clerks were organized into four groups, with an average group size of seven learners. Two preceptors each taught two groups. Sessions included an introductory PowerPoint presentation and one-on-one preceptor-guided practice in identifying abdominal and genitourinary structures using PoCUS. Student responses on pre- and post-intervention surveys were analyzed to identify changes in knowledge and confidence. Student satisfaction with the teaching session was assessed from self-reported levels of agreement with satisfaction statements. The strengths and areas of improvement for the teaching sessions were identified from open-ended survey responses. Results Data from 27 students indicated a significant improvement in knowledge test scores (p < .05), with no significant differences between groups (F(3,23) = 0.64, p = n.s.) or between students with different preceptors (p = n.s.). Students' confidence in PoCUS use and interpretation improved significantly (p < .05 for both), with no significant differences between groups (F(3,23) = 0.70, p = n.s. and F(3,23) = 0.32, p = n.s., respectively) or between students with different preceptors (p = n.s. for both). Improvements in knowledge of and confidence in PoCUS use were significantly correlated (r = .44, p < .05). All of the students agreed that they liked the instruction, content, and structure of the teaching session. The most frequently cited strengths of the teaching sessions were the mandatory individual practice time per student, individualized instruction from and interactions with preceptors, and the small group structure of the sessions. Conclusion This study provides novel evidence that a structured, small-group teaching session featuring a didactic presentation, defined learning objectives, and mandatory hands-on learning can effectively teach introductory PoCUS knowledge and skills to pre-clerks and increase student confidence. Future studies will investigate the retention and application of PoCUS knowledge and skill throughout clerkship and early residency training to determine if this teaching model can facilitate longitudinal PoCUS learning and competency as well as improved diagnostic capabilities as students advance through undergraduate medical training.

Correction of a splicing defect in a mouse model of congenital muscular dystrophy type 1A using a homology-directed-repair-independent mechanism.

Splice-site defects account for about 10% of pathogenic mutations that cause Mendelian diseases. Prevalence is higher in neuromuscular disorders (NMDs), owing to the unusually large size and multi-exonic nature of genes encoding muscle structural proteins. Therapeutic genome editing to correct disease-causing splice-site mutations has been accomplished only through the homology-directed repair pathway, which is extremely inefficient in postmitotic tissues such as skeletal muscle. Here we describe a strategy using nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) to correct a pathogenic splice-site mutation. As a proof of principle, we focus on congenital muscular dystrophy type 1A (MDC1A), which is characterized by severe muscle wasting and paralysis. Specifically, we correct a splice-site mutation that causes the exclusion of exon 2 from Lama2 mRNA and the truncation of Lama2 protein in the dy2J/dy2J mouse model of MDC1A. Through systemic delivery of adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 genome-editing components, we simultaneously excise an intronic region containing the mutation and create a functional donor splice site through NHEJ. This strategy leads to the inclusion of exon 2 in the Lama2 transcript and restoration of full-length Lama2 protein. Treated dy2J/dy2J mice display substantial improvement in muscle histopathology and function without signs of paralysis.