Standard Multiport vs Single-Port Robot-Assisted Simple Prostatectomy: A Single-Center Initial Experience.

Background: Robot-assisted simple prostatectomy (RASP) has emerged as a safe surgical treatment for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia with large glands (>80 mL). Several studies reported on perioperative outcomes of RASP by the standard multiport (MP) da Vinci® robotic system approach. Studies conducted on RASP utilizing the novel single-port (SP) da Vinci SP robotic platform (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) are scarce. We aimed to compare intraoperative and short-term postoperative outcomes between the da Vinci MP and SP robots for patients undergoing RASP in a referral center. Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed all patients who underwent RASP using MP or SP robot from September 2016 to March 2021. Intraoperative data, overall 30-day complications, complications by Clavien-Dindo classification, and 90-day readmission and reoperation rates were assessed and compared between the two groups using appropriate statistical methods. Results: Seventy-five patients who underwent RASP were identified. Of these, 47 were in the MP group and 28 were in the SP. Compared with SP, mean operative time in MP group was 216.6 vs 232.4 minutes (p = 0.39), estimated blood loss was 195.7 vs 227.1 mL (p = 0.43), and length of stay was 2 vs 2.5 days (p = 0.45). There was a trend toward higher overall complication rate in SP group vs MP (42.86% vs 21.28%, p = 0.09). There were no significant differences in the readmission (17.02% vs 10.71%, p = 0.52) and reoperation (2.1% vs 7.14%, p = 0.34) rates between MP vs SP group. Conclusion: SP-RASP is safe and shows equivalent perioperative outcomes when compared with the MP robotic system. A marginal increase of complication rate was recorded in the SP group; however, this did not demonstrate statistical significance.

The contribution of the immune system to genitourinary fibrosis.

Fibrotic diseases of the genitourinary tract are devastating and incompletely understood pathologies. These diseases include urethral and ureteral strictures, retroperitoneal fibrosis, and Peyronie's disease. They can contribute to obstructive uropathy and sexual dysfunction. Poor understanding of the pathophysiology of these diseases severely limits our ability to prevent and treat them. Genitourinary fibrotic diseases likely represent related pathologies that share common underlying mechanisms involving wound healing in response to injury. These diseases share the common feature of extracellular matrix abnormalities-such as collagen deposition, transforming growth factor-ß accumulation, and dysregulation of collagen maturation-leading to abnormal tissue stiffness. Given the association of many of these diseases with autoimmunity, a systemic pro-inflammatory state likely contributes to their associated fibrogenesis. Herein, we explore the immunologic contribution to fibrogenesis in several fibrotic diseases of the genitourinary system. Better understanding how the immune system contributes to fibrosis in these diseases may improve prevention and therapeutic strategies and elucidate the functions of immunologic contributors to fibrosis in general.

Sulfamethoxazole stone in a patient with extensive history of urolithiasis and recurrent urinary tract infections.

Although rare, sulfamethoxazole-induced urolithiasis has been reported in patients taking trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX). We present the case of a 79-year-old female who formed sulfamethoxazole stones in the setting of chronic indwelling catheterization with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). The patient was a recurrent stone former with five prior stone composition analyses over a 10-year period varying from calcium phosphate to calcium oxalate, to struvite. We highlight the need for further investigation of this phenomenon given the frequent use of TMP/SMX in stone formers with recurrent infections.