Interstitial laser therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia in the anticoagulated patient.

PURPOSE: Interstitial laser therapy (ILT) was performed without discontinuing warfarin anticoagulation therapy in eight patients (mean international normalized ratio 2.8 +/- 0.8) with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Three patients were in urinary retention and had failed voiding trials. Five had severe symptoms (mean American Urological Association symptom score 22 +/- 7) and had failed medical therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Interstitial laser therapy was performed using the Indigo model 830e LaserOptic Treatment System with the patient under local anesthesia. Mean operative time was 25 minutes and mean total laser energy was 6,785 J. RESULTS: After surgery, spontaneous voiding was achieved by 7 of the 8 patients at 1 week and by all 8 patients at 3 weeks. At 3-month follow-up, mean American Urological Association symptom score was 13 +/- 5, and mean peak urinary flow rate had increased to 12.2 +/- 3.2 mL/s from 8.8 mL/s (excluding retention) before surgery. Interstitial diode laser therapy appears to be a safe and effective technique for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia in the fully anticoagulated patient.

Topical prostaglandin E1 SEPA gel for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

PURPOSE: We compare the systemic effects, local tolerance and effectiveness of topical gel formulations on the penis containing alprostadil (prostaglandin E1) plus 5% SEPA versus SEPA alone (placebo) in men with erectile dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Erectile response, skin discomfort and erythema were measured in 48 men with erectile dysfunction secondary to vascular, neurogenic, psychogenic or mixed etiologies in this single-blind, placebo controlled trial. RESULTS: Application of prostaglandin E1 gel correlated positively with erectile response as 67 to 75% of patients had an erection compared to 17% of controls (p<0.001). Blood pressure and heart rate varied minimally. No serious adverse effects were observed in the 48 patients, although the majority had skin discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: Topical prostaglandin E1 gel applied to the penis appears to be safe, and facilitates audiovisual and tactile stimulation resulting in an erection when given in a clinic setting. Consequences to the female partner remain unknown.

Completion gastrectomy for refractory gastroparesis following surgery for peptic ulcer disease. Long-term follow-up with subjective and objective parameters.

We recently have shown that 50% of patients with preoperative gastric outlet obstruction go on to develop chronic nonmechanical gastric stasis after surgery and require further operations in attempts to relieve their symptoms. In the present study we report our experience with completion gastrectomy (CG), offered to a subgroup of this population who failed to respond to both available and experimental medical therapy with prokinetic agents. Manometric studies of the small bowel were performed on three of these patients using a semiconductor solid recording probe to assess the motility of efferent jejunal limbs. There were seven females and one male (N = 8) with a mean age of 45 years. All had persistent symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, early satiety, decreased appetite, and weight loss dating back to the time of surgery. Gastric stasis was documented by delayed gastric emptying of a radionuclide solid meal (chicken liver labeled with technetium-99m sulfur colloid) with a mean retention of 86 +/- 6.2% (less than 60% being normal) in the setting of an upper endoscopy showing stomal patency. The mean duration of symptoms was 31.6 +/- 15.7 months (range 6-60) since the last surgery. The number of previous gastric operations was a mean of 2.3 per patient. Five of eight patients had undergone a Roux-en-Y procedure as the last operation while the other three had a Billroth II. Surgery consisted of a 90% or complete resection of the remaining stomach and a jejunal-esophageal anastomosis. In some cases the Roux-en-Y limb was lengthened to greater than 45 cm if needed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Subcutaneous metoclopramide in the treatment of symptomatic gastroparesis: clinical efficacy and pharmacokinetics.

We investigated the safety and efficacy of short-term s.c. administration of metoclopramide in the treatment of symptomatic gastric stasis. Ten patients with gastroparesis, documented by abnormal solid phase radionuclide gastric emptying study, were treated with 10 mg (2 ml) of s.c. metoclopramide every 6 hr for 3 days. Patients gave themselves the injections as outpatients. Questionnaires were then completed concerning symptom relief, local side effects and adverse reactions. A repeat gastric emptying study was obtained immediately after the last dose of metoclopramide. Serum metoclopramide concentrations were obtained at trough, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hr postadministration and serum prolactin levels at trough, 1 and 3 hr. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed mean peak metoclopramide concentration at 30 min of 99.7 +/- 47.1 ng/ml with measured levels of 93.9 +/- 106.83 ng/ml at 60 min and return to trough values by 4 hr; trough prolactins remained elevated above normal values. Gastric stasis improved from a base-line retention of 78.7% of radioisotope at 2 hr to 72.5% after 3 days of therapy (P = .65). Eight patients reported significant improvement in symptomology and two patients reported lessening of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, heartburn and vomiting. The side effects were minimal and did not interfere with completion of the protocol. We demonstrated that s.c. administration of metoclopramide was well accepted by patients and resulted in subjective and objective improvement of gastric stasis. In addition, serum metoclopramide concentrations were comparable with other parenteral routes of administration. Furthermore, serum prolactin levels may provide both a bioassay of efficacy and a marker for monitoring compliance.

Barrett's esophagus. Current assessment and future perspectives.

Barrett's esophagus is a premalignant condition and must be suspected in any patient with signs and symptoms of chronic reflux esophagitis. This condition itself is asymptomatic, so maintaining a high index of suspicion is the key to diagnosis. This article reviews natural history, pathogenesis, prevalence, and clinical symptoms of Barrett's esophagus. Diagnosis, dysplasia, adenocarcinoma, and treatment are discussed.