Surgical approaches for pudendal nerve entrapment: insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pudendal nerve entrapment (PNE) is an underdiagnosed condition affecting a spectrum of pelvic functions, primarily pain, as outlined by Nantes diagnostic criteria. Although numerous surgical decompression techniques are available for its management, consensus on efficacy and safety is lacking. This study conducts a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and complication rates of the main surgical decompression techniques. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed®, Embase®, Web of Science®, and ClinicalTrails.gov® on 19th of April 2023. Initial screening involved title and abstract evaluation, with subsequent retrieval and assessment of abstracts and full-text articles. Studies assessing pain outcomes before and after surgical release of the pudendal nerve were included. Studies without full-text, focusing on diagnostic methods or with outcomes relating solely to LUTS, digestive symptoms, or sexual dysfunction, were excluded. Risk of bias assessement was conducted using the National Institute of Health (NIH) Study Quality Assessment tool. Studies were categorized based on three surgical techniques: perineal, transgluteal, and laparoscopic transperitoneal. Random-effects meta-analysis with subgroup analysis were used. Meta-regression analyses were conducted to investigate the influence of covariates on the observed outcomes. RESULTS: Nineteen studies, comprising 810 patients, were included. The overall significant pain relief rate across all techniques was estimated at 0.67 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.78) with considerable heterogeneity (I2 = 80.4%). Subgroup analysis revealed success rate for different techniques: laparoscopic (0.91, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.98), perineal (0.69, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.82), and transgluteal (0.50, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.63). The laparoscopic technique exhibited a complication rate of 16.0%. Meta-regression indicated that patient age and median follow-up significantly influenced outcomes. CONCLUSION: While comparing surgical techniques is challenging, this meta-analysis highlights important outcome differences. The laparoscopic technique appears most promising for pain improvement. However, the study also emphasizes the need for further robust, long-term research due to significant heterogeneity across studies and prevelent risk of bias. PROSPERO database: CRD42023496564.

Nocardia Farcinica infection of a reversed shoulder prosthesis : case report and review.

We present a case of Nocardia farcinica after placement of reverse shoulder prosthesis in a 73-year-old woman. One month after surgery, the patient was admitted to the hospital with a spontaneous drainage of the wound and complaints of aggravating pain in the operated shoulder. There was no history of an immunosuppressive disease or therapy. After cultivation and empiric therapy with flucloxacillin, Nocardia farcinica was found and treated with a combination of intravenous amikacin and ceftriaxone. Eight days after drainage, a rinse and replacement of the polyethylene cup and glenosphere was executed. The treatment was proven to be successful whereas X-ray scans showed no complications nor any other consequences up until five years after therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first shoulder prosthetic Nocardia infection published in English literature. The aim of this report is to review/gather the knowledge about this particular infection and inform health care providers about this uncommon case.

Effect of diuresis on bother related to lower urinary tract symptoms.

AIMS: To explore and objectify the impact of diuresis on the presence of daytime and nighttime LUTS, and associated bother. METHODS: Participants (healthy volunteers and patients referred to our hospital for a urologic consultation) were asked to complete a 72-hour bladder diary and also had to fill in a Likert scale (0: no bother; 10: maximal bother) to evaluate the LUTS-associated bother during daytime and nighttime. Three groups were defined: no/mild bother (Bother ≤2), moderate bother (3 ≤ Bother ≤ 6), and strong bother (Bother ≥7). Questionnaires in order to assess LUTS (ICIQ MLUTS and ICIQ FLUTS), quality of life (SF-36, NqOL), and quality of sleep (PSQI) were completed. RESULTS: During daytime and nighttime, the study of participants with a strong bother associated with LUTS revealed a statistically significant higher fluid intake than those without bother (1640 mL vs 1800 mL during daytime, P = 0.007). Also, those with higher diuresis rate had more bother related to LUTS than the others (71.3 mL/h in group 1 vs 87.3 mL/h in group 3 (P < 0.001) during daytime). As might be expected, lower urinary tract such as bladder, for example, studied through maximal voided volume does play a role. The lower the maximal voided volume is, the more bother the participants described. CONCLUSIONS: This study pointed out the implication of diuresis in bother related to LUTS. Our findings showed that there was an increase in bother by 1 when diuresis increased by 100 mL/h.

Observing the water handling in humans to resolve the role of the interstitium: preliminary results of the usability of deuterium oxide and bio-impedance analysis - a pilot analysis.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the relevance of using deuterium oxide (2H2O) and bio-impedance analysis (BIA) to assess size and function of the interstitium for urological research. Nineteen volunteers were recruited to this prospective trial combining ingestion of 2H2O and BIA. Blood samples were obtained every 10 min after ingestion of 2H2O. Urine was collected before and after the experiment. BIA was performed every 5 min. Body position was alternated to study the effect on fluid distribution. First order kinetics were assumed for the uptake of 2H2O from the gastrointestinal tract to the blood. Sex seemed to have an influence with a significantly slower exchange for women (p = 0.041, men: 0.052 min-1, women: 0.038 min-1). Impedance measured in legs (men: p = 0.012, women: p = 0.008) and trunk (both p < 0.001) decreased significantly with posture change. These changes probably reflect the orthostatic redistribution of fluid with an increase of fluid in both trunk and legs. Both methods were tested and found to be useful for further urological research. Significant gender differences in 2H2O uptake dynamics from the gastrointestinal pool were observed. An impact of posture changes on the electrical impedance measured was observed.