Prostatic nerve subtypes independently predict biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To describe nerve subtypes involved by perineural invasion (PNI) in prostate cancer and their relationship with clinicopathological parameters and recurrence risk. METHODS: 141 prostatectomy specimens from men with localized prostate cancer and known perineural invasion were analyzed. Index tumor blocks were stained for perineural invasion and sympathetic/parasympathetic markers. For 98 patients with complete staining, nerves from up to three hotspot regions of intraprostatic perineural invasion were classified according to autonomic subtype and perineural invasion status. Findings were correlated with prospectively collected clinicopathological data. Biochemical recurrence predictors were tested in univariable and multivariable models. RESULTS: Most intra-prostatic nerves contained sympathetic and parasympathetic fibres, irrespective of perineural invasion status. A fraction was purely sympathetic (5% PNI, 2% non-PNI) or double-negative (non-adrenergic, non-nitrergic; 1% PNI, 1% non-PNI). Perineural invasion nerve count was associated with higher pathological stage. Although total perineural invasion or non-perineural invasion nerve count did not predict biochemical recurrence, two subtypes were found to be independent predictors: pure sympathetic non-perineural invasion nerves (HR 6.79, p = 0.03) and non-adrenergic, non-nitrergic PNI nerves (HR 10.56, p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Pure sympathetic nerve density without tumour invasion and perineural invasion specifically involving non-adrenergic, non-nitrergic fibres are independent predictors of biochemical recurrence post prostatectomy, supporting a role for the autonomic nervous system in prostate cancer progression.

The state of TRUS biopsy sepsis: readmissions to Victorian hospitals with TRUS biopsy-related infection over 5 years.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence, morbidity and mortality of men who developed infectious complications requiring hospital admission following TRUS prostate biopsy in Victoria, Australia. Further it aimed to report the financial cost of these admissions. SUBJECTS & METHODS: The Department of Health's Victorian Admitted Episodes Data Set was used to identify those patients who underwent TRUS biopsy in Victoria who were subsequently readmitted within 7 days to any Victorian hospital with infective complications from July 2007 to June 2012. All Victorian public and private hospitals were included. Patients were excluded if their biopsy was performed during a multi-day admission. Financial costing data was obtained where available from the Department Of Health and Human Services for readmissions with post-TRUS infection where available and adjusted to 2012 prices. Institutional ethics committee approval was granted for this study. RESULTS: Thirty-four thousand eight hundred and sixty-five TRUS biopsies were performed in the 5-year period. 1276 (3.66%) were readmitted to a Victorian hospital within 7 days. 604 (1.73%) of these were readmitted with a biopsy-related infection. No significant trend in sepsis rates was seen in 5 years. The median readmission LOS was 4 days. The total burden of readmissions was 3 686 days over 5 years. One patient readmitted with a biopsy related infection died during that episode of care. 20 051 (57.51%) of biopsies resulted in a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Financial costing data was available for 218 (36%) of infectious readmissions with a mean cost per readmission were $7 362 AUD (£4137 or $6844 USD, 95% CI $6219-8505 AUD) or $1 256 AUD per day. CONCLUSION: Infection following TRUS biopsy was associated with a readmission rate for infection of 1 in 57 biopsies, an excess of 3 686 bed days required over 5 years with a cost of $1 256 AUD per day. The rate of infection remained stable for the period examined.

Patients with medical risk factors for chronic kidney disease are at increased risk of renal impairment despite the use of nephron-sparing surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients with normal preoperative renal function, but who possess medical risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD), experience poorer renal function after partial nephrectomy (PN) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) compared with those without risk factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The effects of age, hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were investigated in 488 consecutive operations for RCC performed during 2005-2012 at six Australian tertiary referral centres; 156 patients underwent PN and 332 patients underwent radical nephrectomy (RN). We used chi-squared test and binary logistic regression to analyse new-onset CKD, and multiple linear regression to investigate determinants of postoperative eGFR. RESULTS: The development of new-onset eGFR of <60 mL/min was related to undergoing RN rather than PN (risk ratio [RR] 2.7, P < 0.001), older age (RR 1.6, P < 0.001) and the presence of HTN (RR 1.6, P = 0.001) and DM (RR 1.5, P = 0.003). Patients undergoing PN were still at risk of new-onset CKD if medical risk factors were present. Whereas 7% of patients undergoing PN without CKD risk factors developed new-onset eGFR <60 mL/min, this figure increased to 24%, 30% and 42% for older age, HTN and DM, respectively. Patients with eGFR of 45-59 mL/min were more likely to progress to more severe forms of CKD and end-stage renal failure than those with eGFR of ≥60 mL/min. On multivariate analysis, RN, rather than PN, age and the presence of DM (but not HTN), predicted both the development of new-onset eGFR of <60 mL/min (R(2) = 0.37) and new-onset eGFR <45 mL/min (R(2) = 0.42). CONCLUSION: Patients with medical risk factors for CKD are at increased risk of progressive renal impairment despite the use of PN. Where feasible, nephron-sparing surgery should be considered for these patients.

Validation of a clinical decision rule: chest X-ray in patients with chest pain and possible acute coronary syndrome.

Current literature suggests that a large proportion of chest X-rays (CXRs) performed in emergency department (ED) patients with chest pain and suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are unnecessary. The Canadian ACS Guidelines aim to guide clinicians in the appropriate use of CXR within this patient population. This study determined the prevalence of clinically significant CXR abnormalities and assessed the utility of the guidelines in a population of ED patients with chest pain and suspected ACS. Included in the study were participants over the age of 18 who presented to an Australian metropolitan ED, over a 1-year period, with a primary complaint of chest pain and who had a CXR and troponin level ordered in the ED (N = 760). We retrospectively compared their radiographic findings with their recommendations for CXR according to the ACS Guidelines. We found that 12 % of the participants had a clinically significant chest X-ray. The guidelines had a sensitivity of 80 % (95 % CI 0.70-0.87) and specificity of 50 % (95 % CI 0.47-0.54). The positive predictive value was 18 % (95 % CI 0.15-0.22) with a 95 % negative predictive value (95 % CI 0.92-0.97). Had the ACS guidelines been applied to our patient population, the number of CXR performed would have been reduced by 47 %. This study suggests that the ACS Guidelines has the potential to reduce the numbers of unnecessary CXR performed in ED patients. However, this would come at the expense of missing a minority of significant CXR abnormalities.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery colorectal anastomosis: a critical step to natural orifice colorectal surgery in humans.

BACKGROUND: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is used in the surgical management of advanced rectal polyps and early rectal cancers. There are case reports of transanal endoscopic microsurgery colorectal anastomoses being performed with laparoscopic assistance in humans. METHODS: The concept of a transanal endoscopic microsurgery colorectal anastomosis without laparoscopic assistance has been discussed and trialed on animal and cadaveric specimens; however, to date, there have been no technical reports of this particular procedure in the literature. RESULTS: We present a technical note describing a transanal endoscopic microsurgery intraperitoneal colorectal anastomosis in a live human without laparoscopic assistance.