Outcome of repeat supratrigonal obstetric vesicovaginal fistula repair after previous failed repair.

INTRODUCTION: Currently, surgical repair for vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) provides excellent results, but the recurrent VVF is difficult to treat as compared to primary. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-eight patients (44 primipara and 24 multipara) with recurrent VVF repair from January 2002 to December 2007 were included in present study. The mean size of fistula was 2.8 cm (1.0-6.5). The previous surgical repair was through the abdominal route in 50 patients (73.53%) and through the vaginal route in the remaining 18 patients (26.47%). RESULTS: The procedure was successful in 62 of 68 patients (91.17%). The mean duration of surgery was 146.6 min (100-210). Mean blood loss was 160 ml (110-400) and mean hospital stay was 5.6 days (4-10). Eight patients developed complications. CONCLUSION: Recurrent VVF is difficult to treat, but excellent results can still be achieved by strictly sticking to the principals of surgical repair for VVF.

Comet assay: a prognostic tool for DNA integrity assessment in infertile men opting for assisted reproduction.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The growing concern on transmission of genetic diseases in assisted reproduction technique (ART) and the lacunae in the conventional semen analysis to accurately predict the semen quality has led to the need for new techniques to identify the best quality sperm that can be used in assisted procreation techniques. This study analyzes the sperm parameters in the context of DNA damage in cytogenetically normal, AZF non deleted infertile men for DNA damage by comet assay. METHODS: Seventy infertile men and 40 fertile controls were evaluated for the semen quality by conventional semen parameters and the sperms were also analyzed for DNA integrity by comet assay. The patients were classified into oligozoospermic (O), asthenozoospermic (A), teratozoospermic (T), oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) categories and infertile men with normal semen profile. The extent of DNA damage was assessed by visual scoring method of comets. RESULTS: Idiopathic infertile men with normal semen profile (n=18) according to conventional method and patients with history of spontaneous abortions and normal semen profile (n=10) had high degree of DNA damage (29 and 47% respectively) as compared to fertile controls (7%). The O, A, T and OAT categories of patients had a variably higher DNA damage load as compared to fertile controls. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The normal range and threshold for DNA damage as a predictor of male fertility potential and technique which could assess the sperm DNA damage are necessary to lower the trauma of couples experiencing recurrent spontaneous abortion or failure in ART.

Pitfalls of subcapsular nephrectomy: report of a case with point of technique to avoid urinary fistula formation.

Nephrectomy after pyonephrosis, repeated acute pyelonephritis or chronic pyelonephritis is a challenge for any surgeon, owing to adhesions around the kidney. We encountered an unusual case of post-nephrectomy urinary fistula, as a complication of subcapsular nephrectomy. This occurred as a result of residual renal tissue after nephrectomy, which was subsequently excised using methylene blue as an aid to ensure complete excision. Such a complication has never been reported in existing literature. We reviewed the literature for any such related complications to gather an insight to its occurrence and also present a simple point of technique to avoid such a catastrophe.

Antioxidant levels in blood and seminal plasma and their impact on sperm parameters in infertile men.

Excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) beyond the scavenging capacity of antioxidants leads to DNA damage and oxidation of lipoprotein components at the cellular and subcellular level. The oxidative stress (OS) adversely affects sperm function by altering membrane fluidity, permeability and impairs sperm functional competence. In the present study, the OS status in seminal plasma and blood serum in infertile men and its relationship with spermatozoa parameters have been investigated. Four groups of infertile men viz., oligozoospermic (n = 15), asthenozoospermic (n = 17), teratozoospermic (n = 19), and oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (n = 9), and healthy fertile controls (n = 40) have been analyzed for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in seminal plasma and blood serum. Significant correlation between blood serum SOD and sperm count has been observed in patients (p = 0.018) and controls (p = 0.021). Similarly, significant correlation between blood serum GSH and sperm progressive motility in patients (p = 0.036) and controls (p = 0.029) is observed. The low seminal MDA is associated with increase in sperm progressive motility in patients (p = 0.039) and controls (p = 0.028). Positive correlation is found between increased seminal MDA levels and abnormal sperm morphology in both patients and controls (r = 0.523, p = 0.029; r = 0.612, p = 0.034 respectively). Correlations between blood SOD and sperm count and between blood GSH levels and progressive motility suggest that these can be important biochemical markers in assaying the sperm count and motility. A negative correlation of motility with seminal MDA indicates that sperm membrane lipid peroxidation affects the fluidity and thus mobility of sperm axoneme. This affects functional competence of the sperm and acts like a biological safeguard. The results of the present study suggest the prospects of using the blood serum and seminal plasma antioxidants as a valuable tool to evaluate the sperm reproductive capacity and functional competence.

DNA integrity and semen quality in men with low seminal antioxidant levels.

Accurate transmission of information coded in the sperm genome is vital to the pre- and post-natal development of the offspring. Recent advances in reproductive biology have proposed evaluation of sperm DNA integrity as an important assessment tool to infer the presence of DNA strand breaks, numerical abnormalities in sperm chromosome complement, and alterations in the epigenetic regulation of the paternal genome. Oxidative stress (OS), characterized by increased free radicals, may lead to the production of apurine sites, apyrimidine sites, oxidation of nucleotides of sperm genome. This study was performed to assess the impact of OS on DNA integrity in sperms. 52 infertile men [oligozoospermic-13, asthenozoospermic-15, teratozoospermic-19, oligoasthenoteratozoospermic-5] and 20 fertile controls were investigated for products of lipidperoxides as malondialdehyde; antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione in seminal plasma by biochemical methods. DNA integrity of the sperms was analyzed by visual scoring method in which the comets were graded into 4 categories (A-D) on the basis of their tail length indicative of increasing levels of DNA damage. Significant increase in DNA damage (higher number of sperms in group D) in cases (oligozoospermic (O)-20%, asthenozoospermic (A)-24%, teratozoospermic (T)-28%, OAT-43%) as compared to controls (8%) was found. Increased malondialdehyde levels, abnormal sperm morphology and higher DNA damage were observed in the cases. The antioxidants superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione had a positive association with sperm count and motility while a negative association with the percentage of dead sperms and abnormal morphology was observed. This study highlights the influence of low antioxidants on sperm genome integrity and indicates sperm DNA integrity as a better and more reliable prognostic tool for infertility evaluation than simple quantitative and morphologic evaluation of spermatozoa.

Transpubic urethroplasty for complex posterior urethral strictures: a single center experience.

AIM: To review our experience and outcome of transpubic urethroplasty for complex posterior urethral strictures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 19 patients, mean age 17.8 (6-35) years, were treated with transpubic urethroplasty over the last 6 years. All had traumatic etiology (15 due to road traffic accidents and 4 due to falls from height). Mean stricture length was 4.4 (3.0-6.0) cm. All had a history of some intervention earlier. Three had rectourethral fistula, and 2 sinus tract in perineum which was connected to the periurethral cavity. One had a long fistulous tract connected through the anus to the anterior abdominal wall. One patient each had urethrocutaneous fistula, periurethral cavity and osteomyelitis of the pubic bone. RESULTS: 16 of 19 (84.2%) patients had excellent outcomes with no evidence of stricture. Three had acceptable outcomes with some evidence of stricture. The mean operative time was 3.2 (2.5-4.0) h and average blood loss was 650 (500-900) ml. The mean hospital stay was 7.6 (6-12) days and average follow-up was 30 (7-66) months. Two patients developed mild wound infection. One patient each developed epididymoorchitis, perineal hematoma, fecal fistula and urine leak. One patient failed to void, and one patient developed erectile dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Transpubic urethroplasty is an excellent approach for patients with complex posterior urethral strictures.

Outcome of end-to-end urethroplasty: single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: We review our experience of end-to-end urethroplasty for urethral strictures performed during the last 6 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From September 2001 to December 2006, 138 male patients underwent anastomotic urethroplasty at our center. Mean age was 28.1 years (range 6-71), average stricture length was 2.2 cm (range 0.7-6.0). One hundred and one patients (73.2%) had obliterative stricture while 37 (26.8%) still had some urethral passage. Ninety (65.2%) had a history of previous intervention. Sixty patients (43.5%) had associated complicating factors like urethrocutaneous fistula, rectourethral fistula, vesical calculus, blind tract and cavities, bony deformity, or urinary tract infection. RESULTS: The mean operative time was 92 min (range 60-240). Average follow-up was 26.7 months (range 6-60). One hundred and fourteen (82.6%) had excellent outcome, 18 (13%) had acceptable outcome and 6 (4.3%) failed to respond. Seventeen patients developed complications: 5 developed wound infection, 3 epididymorchitis, 2 failed to void, 2 each had incontinence and perineal hematoma, and 1 each had erectile dysfunction, accidentally pulled his catheter out and had urethrocutaneous fistula. CONCLUSION: End-to-end urethroplasty is an ideal procedure for managing strictures of bulbous and posterior urethra in properly selected cases.

Clinical significance of reactive oxygen species in semen of infertile Indian men.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in semen are believed to play both physiological and pathological roles in male fertility. The study was aimed to find the clinical significance of ROS levels in infertile Indian men. This pilot study included 33 idiopathic infertile men and 18 proven fertile controls. ROS levels in the washed sperm were measured using chemiluminescence assay and expressed as 10(6) cpm per 20 million spermatozoa. Sperm count, percent sperm motility, and percent normal sperm morphology were found to be significantly (P < 0.0001) reduced in infertile men compared with the controls. Median (minimum, maximum range) ROS levels of the infertile group [24.90 (6.89, 44.71)] were found to be significantly (P < 0.0001) elevated compared with the fertile controls [0.167(0.15, 2.78)]. No significant correlation was seen between ROS levels and semen parameters. Elevated ROS levels in the idiopathic Indian infertile men may be one of the underlying reasons for impaired fertility. Therefore measurement of seminal ROS levels may be used in Indian infertile men for better understanding of the aetiology and selection of antioxidant regimen in the treatment of male infertility. However, large studies may be urgently warranted to find out the role of antioxidants in ROS elevated Indian infertile men through randomised, controlled clinical study.

Oxidative stress and sperm mitochondrial DNA mutation in idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermic men.

Physiological function of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been known since a long, but recently toxic effects of ROS on spermatozoa have gained much importance in male infertility. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is believed to be both source and target of ROS. mtDNA unlike nuclear DNA is not compactly packed and hence more susceptible to oxidative stress (OS) than nuclear DNA. In the present study, the role of OS in mitochondrial genome changes was studied in men with idiopathic infertility. The study included 33 infertile oligo-asthenozoospermic (OA) men and 30 fertile controls. Semen analyses were performed and OS was measured by estimating the level of malondialdehye (MDA) in the seminal plasma and ROS in the sperm. Sperm mtDNA was sequenced by standard PCR-DNA sequencing protocol for ATPase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (ND) groups of genes. Sperm count and progressive motility were found to be significantly lower in infertile group than the fertile controls. Semen MDA and ROS levels of infertile group were significantly higher (p<0.0001), when compared to the control group. However, catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels were significantly lower in infertile group, compared to controls, but no significant difference in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was observed between control and cases. This might be due to higher expression of SOD alone in order to overcome OS in the semen. mtDNA analysis showed significant and high frequency of nucleotide changes in the ATPase (6 and 8), ND (2, 3, 4 and 5) genes of infertile cases compared to the controls. Hence excess ROS and low antioxidant levels in the semen might cause mtDNA mutations and vice versa in OA men that might impair the fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa. Thus, it is important to understand the etiology of mitochondrial genome mutations in idiopathic OA cases for better diagnostic and prognostic value in infertility treatment/assisted reproductive technique.

Screening for Y-chromosome microdeletions in infertile Indian males: utility of simplified multiplex PCR.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Analysis of the microdeletions in the azoospermia factor (AZF) region of Y chromosome by PCR is an important screening tool in the work-up of infertile males opting for assisted reproductive techniques. In the present study, the Y chromosome microdeletions were analyzed by PCR using primers corresponding to 16 sequence tagged sites (STS) and three genes of the AZF region in infertile Indian men. Feasibility of developing a simplified multiplex PCR for screening of the Y chromosome microdeletions has been explored. METHODS: A total of 271 male subjects were analyzed, of which, 170 were infertile patients (51 oligospermic and 119 azoospermic) and 101 were fertile controls. Subjects showing normal karyotype only were included in the study. The semen analysis was done and plasma follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. Testicular histopathology was analyzed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). RESULTS: Y chromosome microdeletions were observed in nine out of 170 (5.29%) infertile males all of whom were azoospermic. Of the nine subjects, two had deletions in AZFa, one in AZFb, three in AZFc and three in AZFb+c regions. No deletions were observed in the infertile severe oligospermic men (< 5 million sperm/ml semen) and fertile controls. No difference in the FSH concentrations of infertile patients with and without deletions (18.36 and 18.10 mIU/ml respectively) was observed. A clear relationship between Y chromosome microdeletions and testicular phenotypes could not be established. Two multiplex PCRs were designed using 7 STSs markers, which could detect Y chromosome microdeletions in infertile male subjects as efficiently as PCR based on larger number of PCR reactions. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The multiplex PCRs described in the present study may be a suitable, cost-effective and less time consuming method for screening the Y chromosome deletions in infertile males in routine clinical diagnosis and counselling prior to assisted reproduction.

Genetic screening in couples experiencing recurrent assisted procreation failure.

Infertility is a major health problem affecting about 10-20% of couples in the reproductive age group. Male factor is assumed to be responsible in about 50% cases of infertility. The origin of reduced testicular sperm function is unknown in about 50-70% of cases and for such couples assisted reproduction techniques (ART) are a boon. Male infertility is often due to poor semen quality and may be associated with genetic defects. ART has revolutionized management of infertility and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the ART procedure of choice in 60-80% cases. Despite major technological advancements and professional expertise in ART, the success rate and carry-home live birth rate of ICSI is low (18-25%). This study was aimed to understand the genetic etiopathology of recurrent ART failure. For this, 110 couples with 3 or more failed ART cycles were recruited. A detailed history was taken and only idiopathic ART failure cases were enrolled for this study. They were subjected to cytogenetic and Yq microdeletion analysis. Genetic abnormalities were detected in 19 couples. Since a large number (18.2%) cases harboured genetic abnormalities, it is important for all couples opting for ART to undergo a thorough genetic analysis to prevent recurrent emotional, physical and financial stress.

National survey on orthotopic neobladder.

OBJECTIVE: A national survey was conducted among the urologists in India to find the preference for urinary diversion after radical cystectomy for muscle invasive carcinoma of the urinary bladder, percentage of neobladder reconstruction, segment of the bowel used, complication rate, need for self-intermittent catherisation on follow up and the survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A detailed questionnaire was mailed to all members of the urological society of India (USI) to find out their preference for urinary diversion following radical cystectomy for muscle invasive carcinoma urinary bladder. For the neobladder reconstruction, they were asked for the type of bowel segment used, complication rate, reoperation rate, need for intermittent clean catheterisation on follow up and 5-year survival. RESULTS: A total of 24 institutions responded to the mailed questionnaire. Of all institutions 12 (50%) did not prefer the orthotopic neobladder (ONB) reconstruction. Among the institutions carrying out neobladder reconstruction, majority perform ileal conduit in more than 50% of the cases. Ileum (66.66%) or ileocaecal (16.66%) segment was the choice of bowel segment for most of the urologists. Only three institutions used sigmoid colon. The complications encountered were wound infection (5-25%), burst abdomen (5%), urinary fistulas (3-25%), faecal fistulas (2-5%), bladder neck stenosis (5-15%) and ureterointestinal anastomosis stenosis (5-25%). The reoperation rate was 5-15% with a perioperative mortality of 0.5-3%. Around 10-100% (average 50%) of the patients require intermittent clean catherisation. Only seven institutions could provide 5-year survival rate data. Of these three institutions reported more than 50% and four institutes less than 50% 5-year survival. CONCLUSION: Ileal conduit still remains the urinary diversion of choice following radical cystectomy for muscle invasive carcinoma of the bladder among most of the urologists in India. Orthotopic neobladder reconstruction is practiced only in selected centres. Wound infection, urinary leak and obstruction at ureterointestinal anastomosis are the main complications. Clean intermittent cathaterisation is required at an average of 50% of the patients to ensure complete emptying of the neobladder.

Necessity of nuclear and mitochondrial genome analysis prior to assisted reproductive techniques/intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Assisted reproductive technique (ART) has revolutionized the management of severe male factor infertility and in some countries 5% babies are conceived through ART/intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). However, the carry-home live birth rate after several ART cycles is low (18-25%) and this is financially, physically and emotionally crippling for the couples. Genetic factors could lead to pre or post-implantation failure and thus explain for low ART success rate. Thus, this study was planned to understand, if infertile men harbour genetic abnormalities which may be iatrogenically transmitted by ART and adversely affect growth potential of embryo. Ninety infertile men underwent semen, cytogenetic, Yq microdeletion and mitochondrial mutation analysis. Of these, 14.4% cases harboured cytogenetic abnormality, and 8.89% Yq microdeletions. A high frequency of mitochondrial mutations was found in 23 men with asthenospermia. It is important to understand that through ART genetic abnormalities are transmitted to offspring, resulting in impaired growth and development potential of embryo and poor take-home live birth rate. Thus, genetic analysis is strongly recommend in all men with idiopathic infertility who opt for ART to counsel couples and provide them with most adapted therapeutics.

Open nephron-sparing surgery in renal tumors with normal contralateral kidney: A single centre experience of 8 years.

INTRODUCTION: We present our eight-year experience with open nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) in renal tumors with contralateral normal kidney to assess its oncological efficacy and safety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients undergoing open NSS for small localized renal tumors with normal contralateral kidney from January 1998 to August 2006 were studied regarding demographic, clinical and pathological characteristics along with long-term follow-up. RESULTS: The mean age was 48.28 +/- 9.5 years. The mean tumor size was 3.72 cm (range 1.5-6). The following surgeries were performed: Wedge resection-13, partial polar nephrectomy-15, segmental resection-eight. The following techniques were used for vascular control: clamping and cooling-eight, warm ischemia-12, a novel technique of serial encirclage-16. The mean warm ischemia time was 23.2 +/- 3.2 min. The mean operating time was 190.07 +/- 11.3 min. The mean estimated blood loss was 331 +/- 17.4 ml. The majority of renal tumors were renal cell carcinoma (97.22%). There were no positive surgical margins. There were no major intraoperative and postoperative complications. The mean follow up was 52.1 months (range 4-80) with no case showing progression to renal insufficiency (defined as serum creatinine > 2 mg/dl). There was only one local recurrence. However, four distant metastases were reported. The five-year cancer-specific survival, recurrence-free survival and overall survival were 94.4%, 88.88% and 86.11% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with solitary, small localized, unilateral renal tumors with normal contralateral kidney, elective open NSS is feasible, safe and provides excellent long-term local control and oncological efficacy with functional benefits.

Utilization of pelvic lymph node dissection in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in India versus the United States - A Vattikuti Collective Quality Initiative database analysis.

BACKGROUND: The utilization and extent of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) varies depending on the disease and practice patterns. AIMS: This study compares practice patterns in utilization of PLND between Indian and United States (US) practices. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: We focused on 415 patients (204 India; 211 US) prostate cancer patients treated with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, between 2015 and 2016, within the Vattikuti Collective Quality Initiative database. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Utilization of PLND and number of nodes removed were evaluated for the entire cohort, and after stratifying for Country of treatment and D'Amico risk groups. Logistic regression tested the relationship between PLND and country of treatment, after adjusting for disease risk. RESULTS: Indian patients had a higher risk distribution (D'Amico high-risk 53.4% in India vs. 27% in the US; P< 0.001) compared to their US counterparts. Overall, 193/204 (94.6%) Indian patients underwent PLND versus 181/211 (85.8%) US patients (P = 0.003). When stratified based on disease risk, PLND was performed more frequently in Indian patients with low-risk disease (81.0% vs. 41.4%,P= 0.008), but not in those with intermediate and high-risk disease. On multivariable analysis, Indian patients had a 2.57-fold higher probability of undergoing PLND than their US counterparts (P = 0.02). The analysis of the number of lymph nodes removed showed similar trends. CONCLUSIONS: Indian patients are more likely to undergo PLND than US patients. This is, especially true for patients with low-risk disease, who are unlikely to benefit from this procedure. Efforts should focus on optimizing the utilization of PLND, and deliver it only when there is clinical indication.

Cytogenetic and molecular analysis of male infertility: Y chromosome deletion during nonobstructive azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia.

Reduced male fertility and subfertility can be caused by genetic factors that affect both germ cell development, differentiation, and function; in particular, chromosome abnormalities and Yq microdeletions are a possible cause of spermatogenetic impairment in males as shown by their higher frequency in infertile men than in the general male population. Microdeletion of the long arm of the Y chromosome (Yq) are associated with spermatogenic failure and have been used to define three regions on Yq (AZFa, AZFb, and AZFc) that are critical for germ cell development. With the advent of assisted reproductive technology and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, knowledge about the various factors leading to spermatogenic impairment is one of the most important aspects of scientific research. Therefore, this study was designed to identify the frequency of cytogenetic and submicroscopic interstitial deletions in azoospermia factor loci in infertile Indian males. One hundred and eighty males with nonobstructive oligozoospermia and azoospermia were included in this study. Semen analysis was done in each case to determine the spermatogenic status. Individuals were subjected to detailed clinical examination, family history, and endocrinological and cytogenetic study after consent from the patient. Peripheral blood cultures were set up according to standard protocols and 30 G-banded metaphases were analyzed in each case. Numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 40 infertile cases. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was done in some cases to identify the percentage of mosaic cell lines and any cryptic or low-level mosaicism. Polymerase chain reaction microdeletion analysis was done in 140 cytogenetically normal cases. Of the 140 cases, 8 showed deletion of at least one of the sequence-tagged site markers. Review of literature has shown that the overall frequency of microdeletions varies from 1 to 55%. In the present study, the frequency of microdeletion was 5.8%, and deletions were identified in cases with undescended testis and varicocele and cases with bilateral severe testiculopathy.

Role of testicular fine-needle aspiration cytology in infertile men with clinically obstructive azoospermia.

BACKGROUND: Azoospermia due to obstruction of the vaso-epididymal junction is one of the few surgically correctable causes of male infertility. In patients where all clinical and laboratory parameters suggest a vaso-epididymal junction block amenable to surgery, failure to find normal spermatogenesis on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the testis may necessitate a change in treatment modality to the more expensive intracytoplasmic sperm injection. We evaluated the validity of FNAC findings in predicting failure of surgical exploration when clinical parameters suggest otherwise. METHODS: Infertile, azoospermic men in whom the semen volume and fructose content, testis size, follicle-stimulating hormone level were normal and the vas deferens was palpable with no evident cause for obstruction, underwent FNAC of the testis to confirm the presence of normal spermatogenesis before surgical exploration. Men with hypospermatogenesis or maturation arrest on FNAC and a normal karyotype with absence of Y chromosome microdeletion were offered assisted reproduction or surgical exploration to identify a reconstructable obstruction. Men who chose surgery were included in the study and the findings on exploration were compared with the FNAC reports. RESULTS: Of the 10 men who satisfied the inclusion criteria, 6 had hypospermatogenesis and in 4 FNAC showed maturation arrest. On surgical exploration, none had sperm in the epididymis. A biopsy of the testis taken at the time of exploration confirmed the FNAC findings. CONCLUSION: Clinical parameters are insufficient for diagnosing obstructive azoospermia. FNAC can accurately evaluate the testicular pathology and predict whether or not surgical exploration should be undertaken.

Transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy for detecting early prostate cancer: An Indian experience.

BACKGROUND: With the advent of prostate specific antigen the number of patients undergoing prostate biopsy has dramatically increased. The sextant biopsy technique has been conventionally used for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Recently, concern has arisen that the original sextant method may not include an adequate sample of the prostate, hence it may result in high false negative rates. We conducted a prospective study to determine whether the 5-region prostate biopsy technique significantly increases the chance of prostate cancer detection as compared to the sextant biopsy technique. AIMS: To evaluate the efficacy of TRUS guided sextant and 5-region biopsy techniques in detecting carcinoma prostate in patients with PSA between 4 and 10 ng/ml and normal digital rectal examination. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Between December 2001 and August 2003 one forty-two men, aged 49-82 years, who presented with LUTS, normal digital rectal examination (DRE) and PSA between 4 and 10 ng/ml underwent TRUS guided sextant prostate biopsy. Serum PSA was reassessed after 3 months in patients whose biopsies were negative for cancer. If PSA was still raised, the patients underwent extensive 5-region biopsy. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 64 years and median PSA was 6.9 ng/ml. TRUS guided sextant biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma prostate in 34 men (24%). Median Gleason score was 7. Seven men (4.9%) had cellular atypia and 3(2.1%) had prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (high grade). On repeat PSA estimation after 3 months, 48 patients showed stagnant or rising trend for which they underwent TRUS guided 13-core biopsy. Five (10.4%) patients were detected to have adenocarcinoma on repeat biopsy. Biopsy negative patients are on regular follow up with yearly PSA estimation. Complications included transient mild haematuria in14 patients (9.82%) and haematospermia in 4 (2.8%). Urinary retention developed in one patient and required an indwelling catheter for 4 days. CONCLUSION: Transrectal ultrasound guided sextant biopsy has shown a false negative rate of approximately 11%. A repeat 5- region (13-core) biopsy strategy can decrease the false negative rate of conventional sextant biopsy in patients with previously negative biopsies but persistently high PSA levels, high grade PIN or cellular atypia.

Yq microdeletions--azoospermia factor candidate genes and spermatogenic arrest.

In the last few years considerable progress has been made in the study of sperm physiology and the biology of gamete interaction, furthering our understanding of the pathophysiology of male infertility. With the advent of assisted reproductive technology and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, study of the various factors leading to spermatogenic impairment has become a major focus of scientific research. Understanding the genetic factors that lead to infertility has taken on a certain urgency, as we have learned not only of the transmission to male offspring of spermatogenic impairment, but that these offspring may also be born with a secondary, larger deletion with worsening of phenotype and genital ambiguity. Ten to twenty-five percent of couples encounter difficulty procreating. Microdeletions of the long arm of the Y chromosome are associated with spermatogenic failure and have been used to define three regions on Yq (AZFa, AZFb, and AZFc) that are critical for spermatogenesis. This study was conceived in order to identify the frequency of submicroscopic interstitial deletions in azoospermia factor loci in infertile Indian males. One hundred and seventy five males with nonobstructive oligozoospermia and azoospermia were included in this study. Semen analysis was done in each case to determine the spermatogenic status-normospermic, oligozoospermic (< 20 million sperm/mL), or azoospermic (no sperm in the semen). Detailed medical, clinical, reproductive, and family histories were taken of each patient. Thirty G-banded metaphases were analyzed in each case and polymerase chain reaction microdeletion analysis was done in 133 cytogenetically normal cases. For this genomic, DNA was extracted using peripheral blood. The sequence tagged site primers tested in each case were sY84, sY86 (AZFa); sY113, sY116, sY127, sY134 (AZFb); sY254, sY255 (AZFc). Polymerase chain reaction amplifications found to be negative were repeated at least three times to confirm the deletion of a given marker. The polymerase chain reaction products were analyzed on a 1.8% agarose gel. Eight of the 133 cases showed deletion of at least one of the sequence tagged site markers. Review of the literature has shown that the overall frequency of microdeletions varies from 1% to 55%. In the present study the frequency of microdeletion was 6.01%. Deletions were detected in cases with known and unknown etiology with bilateral severe testiculopathy.

Computer based receptogram approach: an objective way of assessing immunohistochemistry of androgen receptor staining and its correlation with hormonal response in metastatic carcinoma of prostate.

AIMS: To categorise the immunostaining heterogeneity of androgen receptors in metastatic carcinoma of the prostate using a pattern oriented approach and to correlate the results with response to hormonal treatment. METHODS: Paraffin wax embedded tumour sections from 85 patients with metastatic carcinoma of the prostate were processed for immunocytochemistry and stained for the androgen receptor using antiandrogen receptor antibodies. A computer based image analysis system was used to analyse the pattern of nuclear immunostaining in a minimum of 500 nuclei/slide. Depending on the nuclear receptor content and concentration, receptogram patterns were established for each specimen. The receptogram pattern was correlated with clinical response to hormonal treatment. RESULTS: Clinical response to hormonal treatment was documented using prostate specific antigen as the marker into responders (good, fair, stable) and non-responders. Forty four of 48 patients who responded to hormonal treatment had type 1 (35) or type 3 (nine) receptograms, which are characterised by a unimodal peak or multimodal peaks within a narrow concentration range. Thirteen of the 18 patients who stabilised had type 1 or type 3 receptograms. Seventeen of the 19 patients who did not respond to hormonal treatment had either type 2 or type 4 receptograms, which are characterised by skewed or bimodal androgen receptor distribution. Positive and negative predictive values of receptograms were 96.5% and 63%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Image analysis of androgen receptor immunostaining with a receptogram oriented approach provides important prognostic information that can be used to predict response to hormone treatment in patients with metastatic carcinoma of the prostate.