Recommendations on the use of intravesical hyaluronic acid instillations in bladder pain syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a complex syndrome, without a clearly defined etiology that encompasses different entities, such as interstitial cystitis. This leads to difficulties in establishing a precise definition, obtaining accurate prevalence data, and defining diagnostic criteria and standardized assessment methods. Moreover, there is no consensus regarding the treatment of BPS. Intravesical instillations with hyaluronic acid (HA) are an option, although no specific recommendations have been made yet. OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the scientific evidence on the therapeutic options available for BPS and to establish a work plan and recommendations for the use of intravesical instillations with HA. The Spanish Association of Urology, through the Functional, Female, and Urodynamic Urology Group, created a commission of experts. This commission was in charge of reviewing literature (evidence), agreeing on the work plan, and proposing recommendations. RESULTS: There is great variability in literature on the treatment of BPS, without a standard regimen of intravesical instillation with HA (frequency and duration of initial and maintenance treatment). CONCLUSIONS: Intravesical HA instillations (usual dose of 40 mg) are effective and safe. They can be combined with other options, with efficacy still to be determined in some cases. Treatment is divided into several initial weekly sessions, followed by maintenance treatment, usually monthly (unestablished duration of cycles). Recommendations on the management of BPS were agreed, with diagnostic criteria and guidelines for treatment with intravesical HA (initiation, reassessment, and follow-up).

Consensus statement of the Spanish Association Of Urology on the use of meshes in pelvic organ prolapse. / Consenso de la Asociación Española de Urología sobre el uso de mallas en la cirugía del prolapso de órganos pélvicos.

INTRODUCTION: Recently the Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of transvaginal meshes for the surgical treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in the United States. This has caused a worldwide impact on the management of pelvic floor pathology by different specialists. OBJECTIVE: To achieve a consensus on the use of meshes in the surgical treatment of POPs. ACQUISITION OF DATA/EVIDENCE: A Committee of experts of the Spanish Association of Urology (AEU) was organized to review the literature and analyze the safety and efficacy of the use of polypropylene meshes in POP surgery. RESULTS/EVIDENCE FROM THE LITERATURE: The evidence reflects that the use of meshes, compared to the use of native tissues, offers better efficacy at the expense of new complications and a higher rate of surgical reviews, these being minor in the hands of expert surgeons. CONCLUSIONS: POP surgery must be performed by experienced surgeons, properly trained and in referral centers. The patient should receive correct information about the different treatment options. Transvaginal meshes should only be indicated in complex cases and in recurrences after POP surgery. AEU PROPOSAL: Creation of a clinical guideline and a national registry for long-term evaluation. Preparation of an Informed Consent available to all professionals and patients, as well as a specific training plan to achieve better training in complex pelvic floor surgery.

Objective assessment of early urinary continence by analysis and visualisation of intraoperative variables of radical robotic prostatectomies with a video editor. / Valoración objetiva de la continencia urinaria precoz mediante el análisis y la visualización de variables intraoperatorias de prostatectomías radicales robóticas con un editor de vídeos.

INTRODUCTION: UI after RP is a factor that has a major impact on patients' quality of life and the associated healthcare costs. The definition of UI is very variable in the literature. Similarly, a great many predictors have been studied that affect recovery of continence after surgery, the most important of which are intraoperative. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a retrospective and observational study performed between September 2008 and March 2015. We studied intraoperative factors through visualisation using a video editor of 148 patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, together with other perioperative factors associated with continence, and described in the literature. We assessed continence through ICQ questionnaires, urinary loss calculated by pad count, and clinical interview in the first, third, sixth month and at one year after surgery. We defined continence as not having to use a pad or using a pad for protection socially, or an ICQ ≤ 7. We used binary and lineal logistic regression analysis to study the relationship between the intraoperative and perioperative variables on urinary continence measured at the first, third, sixth month and one year after the operation, and on continence stability. RESULTS: In our study, 72.9% of the patients were continent at one year after surgery with a mean continence stabilisation time at 4.3 months. In our lineal logistic regression analyses we found no significant relationship with the continence variable analysed during the first year. In the lineal logistic regression analysis we found that tension-free sutures had a direct positive effect (P≤.05) on the stability time of continence, as well as the urinary losses measured in the first month after surgery. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we found in our study that the tension-free sutures were able to help towards early stability of continence. We found no other intraoperative predictors that influenced urinary continence. The urinary losses measured in the first month related to early recovery of continence.

[Scrotal mass presenting as giant urethral diverticulum]. / Masa escrotal como presentación de divertículo uretral gigante.

Urethral diverticulum in the male is a rare entity that may be congenital or acquired. They are common in paraplegic patients, who are prone to developing this disorder on an acquired basis because of prolonged catheterization. The most common diseases in patients with spinal cord injury are stricture, fistula and diverticula. Patients with diverticula typically present with symptoms of urinary incontinence, dysuria, perineal pain, or a mass on the ventral aspect of the genitalia or perineum. Treatment of choice is always surgical and a complete extirpation should be performed.

Urodynamic assessment of bladder and urethral sphincter function before and after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Affectation of the bladder after open prostatectomy is demonstrated. Decrease in bladder capacity and bladder compliance, detrusor hyper-or hypo-activity and voiding dysfunction are observed. We propose to investigate the effects of robotic surgery on bladder and sphincter function through the comparative study of preoperative and postoperative urodynamic values 3 months after prostatectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective study of 32 consecutive patients undergoing robotic prostatectomy. They all underwent urodynamic study one month before the intervention and 3 months after the radical prostatectomy. RESULTS: Twenty five percent of patients undergoing robotic prostatectomy showed detrusor hyperactivity accompanied by a decrease in bladder compliance of 30.2 to 21.8 ml/cmH2O. Urethral profile showed diminished functional length of 67 to 44 mm and decreased maximum urethral pressure of 48.5 to 29.3 cmH2O. After robotic prostatectomy 21.8% of patients had detrusor hypoactivity, obstruction decreased between 28.1% to 12.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased bladder compliance, detrusor hypo- or hyperactivity and obstruction improvement observed in the study of the flow pressure have been associated with sphincter involvement. It is part of the complex of lower urinary tract dysfunction that occurs after robotic prostatectomy.

[Prostatic enucleation with holmium laser]. / Enucleación prostática con láser holmium.

OBJECTIVES: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) affects a growing percentage of males over the age of 40 years, increasing with age. Currently, we have a new therapeutic tool available: the holmium laser. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data of 300 patients undergoing holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in our center. RESULTS: The results are: mean hospital stay 1.8 days (range 1-15 days, median 1.8); mean bladder catheter time 30.6 hours (range 12-312, median 30.3), total operative room time 75 minutes (range 38-150, median 71), maximal flow rate at six months 24.7 ml/sec. and 23.9 ml/sec. at 12 months. Surgical performance, number of grams resected per minute, is 0.48 for the whole group. We observed a variation in data from the first 20 cases, with worse results in this group. CONCLUSIONS: In our opinion holmium laser enucleation is an adequate method that the guarantees optimal results, comparable to those obtained with classic endoscopic and open surgical techniques, with a low rate of complications, which benefits the patient by diminishing the need for transfusions, catheterization time, and hospital stay; conversely, it has a learning curve of around 20 procedures, which may be associated with complications that may discourage the surgeon and stop the project of technique implementation in a center, having easy, accessible, established alternative procedures.