Mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy: Is smaller better for kidney stones in patients with neurogenic bladder?

INTRODUCTION: Patients with neurologic bladder are at an increased risk for urolithiasis, and currently, data on mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy in this population are limited. Our objective was to compare mini (15F)-percutaneous nephrolithotomy, standard (24F)-PCNL and flexible ureteroscopy in terms of efficacy and safety in treatment of kidney stones in patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective monocentric study in our neuro-urological referral centre. All consecutive patients with NLUTD and a cumulative size of renal calculi greater than 15mm or 10mm in the lower calyx, who had extraction surgery between 2005 and 2020, were included. The primary endpoint was the one-session stone-free rate (SFR) at 3 months on a CT scan. The secondary endpoints were complication (Clavien-Dindo grading system), operative time, blood loss and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: We performed 76 standard PCNL (sPCNL), 46 flexible ureteroscopy lithotripsy (fURL) and 25 miniaturized PCNL (mPCNL). The one-session SFR was 37.5% for the mPCNL group, 38.2% for the sPCNL group and 37% for the fURL group with no significant difference between the three procedures (P=0.99). Early complications, blood loss and transfusion rates were lower in the mPCNL group than in the sPCNL group (P=0.047) and comparable to fURL group. The final SFRs after a second intervention for mPCNL, sPCNL and fURL were 48%, 61.8% and 63%, respectively (P=0.67). CONCLUSION: The efficacy of mPCNL in patients with NLUTD was not different from other techniques, but a significantly lower rate of complications than sPCNL was observed. LEVEL OF PROOF: 3.

Robot-assisted radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: Peri and postoperative outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of urothelial tumours of the upper urinary tract at high risk of specific mortality is based on radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy (RARNU) is still under investigation to definitively establish the safety of this procedure in the management of urothelial tumours of the upper urinary tract. The primary objective is to evaluate the intra- and postoperative safety of RARNU and, subsequently, to evaluate the medium-term oncological results. METHODS: Our study is a retrospective, mono-centric study with a collection of RARNUs conducted between 1st January 2015 and 1st October 2021. The RARNUs were performed with the assistance of the Da Vinci Si® robot, then from 2017 the Da Vinci Xi® robot. Whenever possible, the entire procedure was carried out without re-docking. RESULTS: Between 1st January 2015 and 1st October 2021, 29 RARNUs were carried out at our centre. Complete surgery without re-docking was possible in 80% of cases with the Da Vinci Xi® robot. One patient required conversion to open surgery due to difficult dissection. 50% of tumours were classified as T3 or T4. The 30-day complication rate was 31%. The median length of hospitalisation was 5 days. The disease-free survival at the mean survival time (27.5 months) was of 75.2%. One patient had a recurrence in the nephrectomy compartment and no patient had a peritoneal or trocar orifice recurrence. CONCLUSION: Performing RARNU for the management of tumours of the upper urinary tract appears to meet the criteria of surgical safety and those of oncological safety.

[Prostatic hyperplasia: Evaluation of practices in general practice, dissemination, and impact of recommendations]. / L'hypertrophie bénigne de prostate : évaluation des pratiques en médecine générale, diffusion et impact des recommandations.

INTRODUCTION: In 2015, the French Association of Urology, by the male lower urinary tract symptoms Committee, published a practices guideline for the management of prostatic hyperplasia in general practice. Five years after the publication of these recommendation, our objective is to assess their dissemination and their impact in general practice. MATERIAL: A specially designed questionnaire was distributed online via the departmental councils of the order and to all regional unions of liberal doctors. The distribution to general practitioners was at the discretion of each organisation depending on local policies. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty responses were collected. Fifty-five percent of the population was female. 83 % of the general practitioners did not report having knowledge of the practice guideline. 77 % of doctors stated that they had not received training or information on prostatic hyperplasia in the past 5 years. Among the notable results, 51 % of general practitioners declared performing a digital rectal examination. 44 % prescribed an endorectal ultrasound. Only 7 % of doctors were aware of the existence of minimally invasive surgical techniques. CONCLUSION: The practices guideline for the management of prostatic hyperplasia in general practice proposed in 2015 by the male lower urinary tract symptoms Committee seems to be little known by general practitioners. Dissemination of these recommendations solely through publication in Progrès en Urologie seems ill-suited to consideration by general practitioners, and it seems necessary to consider other modes of dissemination. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4, grade C.

[Safety and efficacy of percutaneous nephrolithotomy in patients with neurogenic bladder]. / Néphrolithotomie percutanée chez les patients neurologiques : efficacité et morbidité à long terme.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the efficacy and morbidity of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNLT) in the treatment of renal stones in patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD). METHODS: Retrospective, monocentric study including all patients with NLUTD who had undergone PNLT between 2005 and 2017. Pre-operative clinical data (neurological condition, voiding mode, preoperative urine culture…), peri-operative and post-operative data (success and morbidity) were collected from the patients' charts. Success was defined by the absence of residual fragment (RF), on imaging or intraoperative endoscopy. Partial efficacy was defined by the presence of RF lower than 4mm. Early complications were reported according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. RESULTS: In all, 53 PNLTs were performed, in 35 patients, mostly with spinal cord injury. The success and partial efficacy rates were 66.0% and 71.7% respectively. The failure rate was correlated with increased stone burden (P=0.03), increased size of the largest stone (P=0.02), and the presence of complex stones (P<0.02). The rate of early complications was 41.5%, with 27.3% major, mostly septic, and bleeding. The retreatment rate within 3 years was 41.5%. CONCLUSION: In patients with NLUTD, PNLT allows a high success rate, but with a significant rate of retreatment and infectious complications. However, NLPC remains the gold standard in this population, especially for renal stones larger 20mm, allowing a higher success rate than ureteroscopy and a lower retreatment rate.

[Acute renal failure of the donor in encephalic death: A real contraindication to kidney transplantation?] / L'insuffisance rénale aiguë du donneur en mort encéphalique : une réelle contre-indication à la transplantation rénale ?

INTRODUCTION: The shortage of kidney transplants encourages the expansion of the limits of eligibility criteria for donation. Many donors who are brain dead display acute renal failure at the time of death; is this a real contraindication to harvesting? The aim of this study was to assess kidney graft survival from donors after brain death with confirmed acute renal failure, with or without anuria previous donation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All of the transplants performed in two university hospitals between 2010 and 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients who underwent single kidney transplant from a brain-dead donor with acute renal failure (ARF) were included in this study. ARI was defined here by a decrease over 50 % of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to a threshold below 45mL/min/1.73 m2 at the time of kidney procurement. Kidney graft survival, incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) and the GFR at 12 months were analyzed. Analysis of kidney transplant survival based on pre-implantation biopsies was additionally done. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty four patients were transplanted with a kidney from donor with ARF during the selected period. At the admission in ICU the average GFR was 67,7±19mL/min/1,73m2. At the time of donation, the average age of donors was 56.4±17.7 years, the GFR was 33.7±8.0mL/min/1.73 m2 16 % of donors were anuric. Cold ischemia time (CIT) was 16.8±5.0hours. The average age of recipients was 55.6±14.1 years. 81 % of the cases were primary transplants. Graft function took place within 7.8±9.4 days after transplantation. There were two non-primary functions (PNF). One hundred and fifty two patients (93 %) had a functional graft at 12 months. The mean GFR at 12 months was 46.8±20.1mL/min/1.73 m2 and 122 patients (73 %) had a GFR greater than 30mL/min/1.73 m2. Seventy-one percent of preimplantation biopsies revealed acute tubular necrosis (ATU); no cortical necrosis was observed. Survival of theses grafts was 85 %, comparable to the total population of study (P=0,21) CONCLUSION: The acute renal failure of the brain-dead donor should not alone be systematically a contraindication to harvesting and kidney transplantation.

Feasibility and safety of laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy in case of right kidney and multiple-renal artery kidney: a systematic review of the literature.

PURPOSE: To access the current status of the security and feasibility of right kidney (RK) and multiple-renal artery (MRA) laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy (LLDN) which are more challenging compared to left kidney (LK) and single renal artery (SRA) because of a shorter renal vein and more complex vascular anatomy. METHODS: We did a systematic review of the literature according to the PRISMA recommendations, reporting RK or MRA donor nephrectomy performed with a laparoscopic technique compared to LK or SRA kidney LLDN. The identified and analyzed primary outcomes of interest were operating time (OT), warm ischemia time (WIT), rate of conversion and transfusion, donor length of stay (LOS), delayed graft function (DGF) and rate of graft loss (GL). RESULTS: 16 comparative studies (1397 cases) of RK-LLDN and 12 comparative studies including 15 series (993 cases) of MRA-LLDN were selected. For RK-LLDN review, conversion rate was 0.8% and blood transfusion rate 0.2%, only one case of graft venous thrombosis was reported, OT was shorter in four studies and there was no any difference of DGF and GL rate compared to LK-LLDN. For MRA-LLDN review, conversion rate was 1.3% and blood transfusion rate 1.1%, OT and WIT were longer compared to SRA-LLDN, there were more ureteral complications in two studies, and no difference in terms of vascular complications and graft loss rate. CONCLUSION: RK-LLDN and MRA-LLDN would be similar to LK-LLDN and SRA-LLDN in terms of feasibility and safety for the donor as well as graft function results for RK-LLDN.