Urological Follow-up in Adult Spina Bifida Patients: Is There an Ideal Interval?

OBJECTIVE: To establish the time to development of urological issues over time in adult spina bifida (SB) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of adult patients attending a multidisciplinary adult SB clinic from 2000 to 2013. Patient age, sex, number of clinic visits, and length of follow-up were recorded. For each unique visit, presence of symptoms, type of urological issue (if any), and time lapsed since last appointment were obtained. The interval between the development of urological issues was assessed using a time-to-event analysis. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-three patients (46% male, 54% female, median age 26.8years) were followed for a median of 48 months, contributing to 586 unique clinic visits. Urological issues were identified in 109 patients (88.5%) during 267 visits (46%), and of those 21% were asymptomatic. In symptomatic patients, the median time to present with a urological issue was 12 months. Among the asymptomatic cases, 12%, 23%, and 34% had developed a urological issue at 12, 24, and 36 months of follow-up, respectively. Eighty-one percent of the urological issues seen in the clinic required some form of treatment or intervention. The treatment or intervention in 56% of asymptomatic urological issues was surgery. CONCLUSION: Most adult SB patients with urological issues are symptomatic by 2 years of follow-up; however, over time the proportion of asymptomatic patients with urological issues rises steadily, reaching a worrisome 34% at 3 years. Closer follow-up seems warranted.

Overactive Bladder and Storage Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Following Radical Prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the rate of overactive bladder (OAB) and storage lower urinary tract symptoms following radical prostatectomy (RP) and determine if subsequent radiation increases the risk of OAB. METHODS: We reviewed all patients who underwent open RP at our tertiary care institution from January 2006 to June 2011. Primary outcomes were the proportion of patients with new OAB and time to development of OAB in those treated with RP alone vs RP plus radiation. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of patients treated for OAB. A Cox survival analysis was used to assess the impact of radiation on development of OAB. RESULTS: Of the 875 patients who met study criteria, 19% of patients developed de novo OAB defined as urgency with or without frequency and nocturia. A total of 256 patients (29%) developed 1 or more urinary symptoms including nocturia (22%), frequency (21%), urgency (19%), and urge incontinence (6%) following RP. After adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking status, cancer stage, and nerve-sparing status, radiation therapy was associated with an increased relative hazard of OAB (5.59; 95% CI 3.63-8.61, P < .001). Among men classified with de novo OAB, only 41% received treatment. CONCLUSION: OAB and storage lower urinary tract symptoms are prevalent in men post-RP. Adjuvant or salvage radiation therapy increases the risk of developing OAB after RP. OAB may be undertreated in men following prostate cancer treatment.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis: a case report and review of the literature.

We present a case of fulminant emphysematous pyelonephritis in a 44-year-old diabetic woman culminating in emergent nephrectomy. Current management strategies and their outcomes are reviewed.