Surgical Management of Stuttering Ischemic Priapism: A Case Report and Concise Clinical Review.

Stuttering priapism is an extremely rare and poorly understood entity. We present a rare case of a 47-year-old Afro-Caribbean gentleman who required proximal shunt procedure to treat his ischemic stuttering priapism after he had failed medical management. We provided a concise review of the literature on the surgical management of ischemic priapism. This case highlighted the importance of prompt surgical intervention in prolonged stuttering priapism to avoid serious psychological and functional complications.

National review of urology outpatient practice in the UK.

OBJECTIVE: To audit the current UK outpatient workload and compare this to the national standards as set out by the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) in A Quality Urological Service for Patients in the New Millennium published in October 2000. PARTICIPANTS: 520 UK (NHS) and 21 Republic of Ireland (non-NHS) consultant urologists registered with BAUS in 2000. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Extent to which consultant urologists are able to comply with guidelines set out by their specialist association, the BAUS and by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. RESULTS: The questionnaire return rate was 61% (318/520; regional range 42%-75%). The median "routine" clinics/week was two (1-5) with a mean of 13 (1-40) new and 26 (7-80) follow ups. Fifteen percent (49/318) of consultants worked alone in clinic; of the remainder assistance included specialist registrar 67% (212/318), staff grade/associate specialist 32% (102/318), senior house officer 53% (172/318), and pre-registration house officer 2% (7/318). Only 21% (66/318; regional range 0%-46%) of responding consultants followed the BAUS recommendations for outpatient workload/manpower. CONCLUSIONS: A minority of consultants are able to adhere to the outpatient workload guidelines as set out by BAUS council in 2000. In addition, there appears to be significant variations within and between training regions. Development of this project into a regional audit tool may allow intraregional guideline formation governing hospital outpatient workload.

Comparison of the cellular molecular stress responses after treatments used in bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the molecular stress responses related to the quality of recovery of normal tissue after various treatments for bladder cancer, i.e. hyperthermia, ionizing radiation, mitomycin-C and 5-aminolaevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study focused particularly on intracellular fibroblast levels of heat-shock protein-47 (HSP47) and HSP72, which are associated with collagen metabolism and the development of tolerance to repeated treatment, respectively. Iso-effective treatment doses (50% clonogenic cell survival) of each method were delivered to a 3T6 murine fibroblast model. Intracellular extracts were analysed at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 h after treatment, using Western blot analysis to compare the levels of HSP47 and HSP72. Time-matched treatment and control groups were quantified by comparison with actin and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) expression using appropriate software. RESULTS: There were various changes in levels of HSP expression with treatment method; HSP47 levels were significantly higher after hyperthermia and radiation but not with mitomycin-C or ALA-PDT. HSP72 levels were significantly higher with all methods except ALA-PDT. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperthermia and ionizing radiation are associated with early increases in levels of HSP47 (a marker of collagen metabolism), in contrast to ALA-PDT and mitomycin-C. These findings are compatible with clinical findings where fibrosis/scarring is common with the first two but not the last two methods. In addition, all methods except ALA-PDT are associated with an increase in HSP 72 (a protein associated with cellular tolerance) and this may help to explain, at a cellular level, why resistance to repeated ALA-PDT treatments does not seem to occur.

Photodynamic therapy for superficial bladder cancer under local anaesthetic.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the use of local anaesthesia (LA) in 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) photodynamic therapy (PDT) for superficial transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder, and to provide further toxicity and tolerability data on this new method within the context of a phase 1 trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ALA PDT was administered to 19 patients with recurrent superficial TCC (stage Ta/carcinoma in situ, grades 1-3) using escalating doses of ALA (3-6%) and 633 nm laser light (25-50 J/cm2) under various LA (lignocaine) protocols. Pain was assessed using a linear analogue scale from 0 to 10. The endpoints of tolerability and toxicity were assessed for the different LA, light and ALA doses, with lignocaine levels. RESULTS: ALA PDT is painful and requires some form of anaesthesia. The discomfort was immediate, associated with bladder spasm, and was a function of the ALA concentration rather than the total light dose given. Simple passive diffusion (PD) of 2% lignocaine instilled for 40 min before PDT gave adequate anaesthesia with 3% ALA (n=8; median pain score 1, range 0-2). With 6% ALA the pain was dramatically increased using PD (n=6; median pain score 8, range 5-10) and therefore the more potent LA technique of electromotive drug administration (EMDA) of 2% lignocaine was used, with excellent results (n=3; median pain score 1, range 0-2). All patients had transient bladder irritability that typically lasted 9-12 days, with no subjective/objective change in long-term bladder function. No other toxicity was reported. Serum lignocaine levels were minimal. CONCLUSION: Bladder ALA PDT is both safe and feasible under LA. At a dose of 3% ALA, the procedure was well-tolerated using PD of lignocaine. At higher doses (6% ALA) more effective anaesthesia is required and this can be obtained satisfactorily with EMDA of lignocaine. With refinement, ALA PDT may be feasible as an outpatient treatment for superficial bladder TCC.

Photodynamic therapy for superficial bladder cancer.

In photodynamic therapy, a photosensitizing drug is activated by visible light and in the presence of oxygen, results in local cell death. This evolving modality is now being used to treat and palliate a very wide variety of human solid tumors and carcinoma-in-situ lesions. With regard to bladder cancer, advances in drug development and modern light delivery techniques mean that photodynamic therapy shows promise in the treatment of superficial bladder cancer resistant to conventional treatments.

Light penetration in bladder tissue: implications for the intravesical photodynamic therapy of bladder tumours.

OBJECTIVES: To assess (i) the optical properties and depth of penetration of varying wavelengths of light in ex-vivo human bladder tissue, using specimens of normal bladder wall, transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and bladder tissue after exposure to ionizing radiation; and (ii) to estimate the depth of bladder wall containing cancer that could potentially be treated with intravesical photodynamic therapy (PDT), assuming satisfactory tissue levels of photosensitizer. Materials and methods The study included 11 cystectomy specimens containing invasive TCC (five from patients who had previously received external-beam bladder radiotherapy, but with recurrent TCC) and three 'normal' bladders removed from patients treated by exenteration surgery for extravesical pelvic cancer. Full-thickness bladder wall and tumour samples were taken from these specimens and using an 'intravesical' and a previously validated interstitial model, the optical penetration depths (i.e. the tissue depth at which the light fluence is 37% of incident) were calculated at wavelengths of 633, 673 and 693 nm. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in light penetration between normal and tumour-affected bladder tissue at each wavelength. There were significant differences in light penetration among wavelengths; light at 693 nm penetrated approximately 40% further than light at 633 nm (P < 0.002). The light currently used in bladder PDT (633 nm) has a mean (SEM) optical penetration depth of 4.0 (0.1) mm within TCC. In addition, at this wavelength, there was 29% greater light penetration in previously irradiated than in unirradiated bladder wall (P = 0.001). This did not occur in the tumour-affected bladder. CONCLUSIONS: Bladder tissue is relatively more translucent than other human tissues and there is therefore great potential for PDT in the treatment of bladder cancer. As there is no difference in light penetration between TCC and normal bladder tissue, a tumour-specific response with diffuse illumination of the bladder will depend on drug localization within the tumour. The currently used wavelength of 633 nm can be expected to exert a PDT effect within bladder tumour up to a depth of 20 mm. Increasing the wavelength will allow deeper pathology to be treated.

Prognostic relevance of micro-vessel density in cancer of the urinary bladder.

Angiogenesis is an important factor in tumour growth and metastasis. Degree of angiogenesis (microvascular density-MVD) has been found to correlate with tumour progression and disease outcome in a number of different malignancies. We studied 88 patients undergoing cystectomy for transitional cell bladder cancer to determine if angiogenesis was associated with cancer specific survival. Microvessels were identified by immunostaining of endothelial cells for CD31. Active areas of angiogenesis ("hot spots") were selected using low magnification. The vessel count was performed using a Chalkley point graticule. The mean of 3 counts was used for statistical analysis. The median count was 3.4. Univariate analysis revealed that higher MVD was associated with worsening prognosis (p = 0.02). When adjusted for clinical stage MVD continued to predict worsening prognosis (p = 0.02). MVD was not affected by age or sex or by previous radiotherapy. MVD was associated with the risk of patients dying following pelvic recurrence (p = 0.03) and MVD was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis at surgery. In conclusion, microvessel density proved to be an independent prognostic marker in transitional cell carcinoma of bladder.

EMLA cream anaesthesia for frenuloplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of a eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics (EMLA) cream as the sole anaesthetic for frenuloplasty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients (mean age 25.6 years, range 19-41) were given topical EMLA cream 30 min before frenuloplasty; a Tegaderm dressing was applied to keep the anaesthetic in place. The level of anaesthesia was assessed on arrival in theatre using pin-prick testing and the patients were asked to grade their level of pain during the procedure using a visual analogue scale. If the level of anaesthesia was inadequate for the operation to be performed, then supplementary infiltrative anaesthesia was administered. RESULTS: Fourteen patients had pain scores of zero and were fully anaesthetized during the procedure. One patient's Tegaderm dressing was displaced soon after application and he was inadequately anaesthetized on testing, had a pain score of 4 and required infiltrative lignocaine before proceeding with frenuloplasty. CONCLUSIONS: EMLA cream is a well-tolerated and reliable anaesthetic for frenuloplasty. Using a condom to keep the cream in place would reduce the small failure rate associated with the displacement of the Tegaderm dressing.

Erectile dysfunction in multiple sclerosis. Associated neurological and neurophysiological deficits, and treatment of the condition.

Forty-eight men with multiple sclerosis and erectile dysfunction were evaluated. Emphasis was placed on the neurological features and the relationship between impotence and the bladder dysfunction in multiple sclerosis. Erectile failure was invariably associated with pyramidal signs in the lower limbs and with urinary symptoms. All of the men with impotence and marked pyramidal dysfunction in their legs were found by cystometric studies to have bladder hyperreflexia. The severity of the urinary symptoms was related to the degree of pyramidal impairment in the lower limbs. The posterior tibial and the pudendal cortical evoked potentials were abnormal in most of the men with multiple sclerosis and erectile failure. However, recording the pudendal cortical responses in patients with multiple sclerosis and impotence provided no more information than the tibial cortical evoked potentials. The neurological examination findings together with the results of the neurophysiological and cystometric tests suggest that erectile dysfunction in multiple sclerosis is due to spinal lesions situated proximal to the sacral cord. The feasability of papaverine intracorporeal injection therapy for men with multiple sclerosis and impotence was assessed. Papaverine intracorporeal injections produced satisfactory erections in the majority of the impotent men. Erectile failure in patients with multiple sclerosis was successfully managed for up to 2 years, by intracorporeal self-injection therapy.

Genitourinary dysfunction in multiple system atrophy: clinical features and treatment in 62 cases.

Multiple system atrophy is a disorder characterized by progressive neuronal atrophy at certain sites of the central nervous system, several of which are important in the control of urogenital function. The neuro-urological features of 62 patients with this condition are described. All patients had abnormal urethral or anal sphincter electromyography when individual motor unit analysis was performed, a finding diagnostic of the condition in the appropriate clinical setting. Impotence occurred in 96% of the men and was the first symptom alone in 37%. Urinary symptoms resulted from a combination of detrusor hyperreflexia and urethral sphincter weakness followed by failure of detrusor contraction. In men these symptoms simulated those of outflow obstruction so that 43% underwent prostatic or bladder neck surgery before the correct diagnosis was made. Stress incontinence occurred in 57% of the women and of these half had undergone surgery. The results of surgery in both sexes were poor. Treatment with intermittent catheterization, anticholinergic medication and desmopressin spray markedly improved continence in 82%. The importance of recognizing this disorder and introducing effective, nonoperative treatments is stressed.

Intravesical capsaicin for treatment of detrusor hyperreflexia.

An intravesical instillation of 100 ml 1 or 2 mmol/l capsaicin has been used to treat detrusor hyperreflexia giving rise to intractable urinary incontinence in 12 patients with spinal cord disease and two other patients with detrusor overactivity of non-spinal origin. Nine patients, all of whom had spinal cord disease, showed some improvement in bladder function. The benefit was only shortlived and partial in four, but the remaining five achieved complete continence while performing intermittent self catheterisation. Urodynamic studies in these nine patients showed an increase in mean (SD) bladder capacity from 106 (57) to 302 (212) ml and a fall in the maximum detrusor pressure from 54 (20) to 36 (10) cm of water. There were no short term ill effects from the instillation and the improvement in bladder function lasted for between three weeks to six months, when in some patients it was repeated. The improvement in bladder behaviour shown in this study can be interpreted as showing that capsaicin sensitive afferents play an important part in the pathogenesis of detrusor hyperreflexia in spinal humans. Intravesical capsaicin seems a promising means of treating intractable detrusor hyperreflexia and studies with this substance may shed new light on other disorders of detrusor activity that cause incontinence.

Urinary symptoms and the neurological features of bladder dysfunction in multiple sclerosis.

One hundred and seventy patients with multiple sclerosis and bladder dysfunction were evaluated. Emphasis was placed on the relationship between their neurological features and urinary symptoms. The severity of the urinary symptoms was related to the degree of pyramidal impairment in the lower limbs so that both problems are thought to reflect the extent of spinal involvement. No other neurological features correlated with bladder dysfunction. Detrusor hyperreflexia was the commonest finding on cystometry and no patient had areflexia. More than half of the patients had a significantly raised post-micturition residual volume but symptoms were largely unreliable in predicting poor bladder emptying. In this series only two patients had evidence of upper tract disease: both men with severe, longstanding neurological disease who had indwelling catheters. Detrusor hyperreflexia can be anticipated in patients with MS who have irritative urinary symptoms and pyramidal signs in their lower limbs. After measurement of the residual volume appropriate treatment can be instituted.

Botulinum toxin in the treatment of chronic urinary retention in women.

Six women were identified as having difficulty in voiding or complete urinary retention due to abnormal myotonic-like electromyographic (EMG) activity in the striated muscle of the urethral sphincter. An attempt was made to improve voiding by injection of botulinum toxin into the striated sphincter muscle. Although 3 patients then developed transient stress incontinence, demonstrating that sufficient botulinum toxin had been given to cause sphincter weakness, no patient had significant symptomatic benefit.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy: the whole truth.

An 8 year experience of 602 patients (median age 76 years) referred for endoscopic management of common bile stones is reported. No patient referred for treatment has been excluded. A diagnostic cholangiogram was achieved in 94 per cent and sphincterotomy was accomplished in 91.5 per cent. The bile ducts were demonstrated to be completely cleared of stones in 491 (81.6 per cent) of 602 patients. A mean number of 1.9 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography examinations per patient were necessary to achieve this result. Complications of endoscopic sphincterotomy, which were strictly defined, occurred in 10.5 per cent of patients although five patients had two complications (total complication rate 11.3 per cent). The 30-day mortality rate was 2.2 per cent, seven of 13 deaths (1.2 per cent) occurring as a direct result of sphincterotomy. There have been statistically significant improvements in bile duct clearance and complication rates with increasing experience of endoscopists.