Minimally invasive treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Our initial experience with Urolift® under local anaesthesia and sedation. / Tratamiento mínimamente invasivo de los síntomas del tracto urinario inferior por hiperplasia benigna de próstata. Nuestra experiencia inicial con Urolift® bajo anestesia local y sedación.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia with the Urolift® system has been carried out since 2005 with good results in the medium term. In this work, we present our experience performing this technique under local anaesthesia and sedation in 2 Spanish centres. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted with 20 patients treated with Urolift® under local anaesthesia and sedation between April 2017 and April 2018. The anaesthesia protocol consisted in the placement of 2 lubricants with cold lidocaine (the first one, 10min before the intervention, and the second one, just before introducing the cystoscopy). A prostate block (similar to the one employed in prostate biopsies) was administered to one third of the patients and 1mg of intravenous midazolam was added if required during the procedure. Our primary objective is to evaluate the tolerability of this procedure under local anaesthesia using the validated Visual Analogue Scale measurement instrument. RESULTS: The procedure has been performed under the same anaesthetic protocol to 20 patients from 2 different centres. The average pain scores on the Visual Analogue Scale were 1.37 for the cystoscopy procedure and 1.19 for the placement of the implants. When asked whether the pain sensations had been higher, lower or the same during the procedure or at the preoperative cystoscopy, only 18% of the patients responded it was higher. In all cases there was a good tolerance to the procedure, and changes to the anaesthesia protocols were never required. CONCLUSIONS: We consider that the Urolift® system under local anaesthesia and sedation is a well-tolerated, safe and effective method for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Evaluation of a phased pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction in Mongolia using enhanced pneumonia surveillance and community carriage surveys: a study protocol for a prospective observational study and lessons learned.

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus pneumoniae causes substantial morbidity and mortality among children. The introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) has the potential to dramatically reduce disease burden. As with any vaccine, it is important to evaluate PCV impact, to help guide decision-making and resource-allocation. Measuring PCV impact can be complex, particularly to measure impact on one of the most common and significant diseases caused by the pneumococcus, namely pneumonia. Here we outline the protocol developed to evaluate the impact of 13-valent PCV (PCV13) on childhood pneumonia in Mongolia, and a number of lessons learned in implementing the evaluation that may be helpful to other countries seeking to undertake pneumonia surveillance. METHODS: From 2016 PCV13 was introduced in a phased manner into the routine immunisation programme with some catch-up by the Government of Mongolia. We designed an evaluation to measure vaccine impact in children aged 2-59 months with hospitalised radiological pneumonia as a primary outcome, with secondary objectives to measure impact on clinically-defined pneumonia, nasopharyngeal carriage of S. pneumoniae among pneumonia patients and in the community, and severe respiratory infection associated with RSV and/or influenza. We enhanced an existing hospital-based pneumonia surveillance system by incorporating additional study components (nasopharyngeal swabbing using standard methods, C-reactive protein, risk factor assessment) and strengthening clinical practices, such as radiology as well as monitoring and training. We conducted cross-sectional community carriage surveys to provide data on impact on carriage among healthy children. DISCUSSION: Establishing a robust surveillance system is an important component of monitoring the impact of PCV within a country. The enhanced surveillance system in Mongolia will facilitate assessment of PCV13 impact on pneumonia, with radiological confirmed disease as the primary outcome. Key lessons arising from this evaluation have included the importance of establishing a core group of in-country staff to be responsible for surveillance activities and to work closely with this team; to be aware of external factors that could potentially influence disease burden estimates; to be flexible in data collection processes to respond to changing circumstances and lastly to ensure a consistent application of the pneumonia surveillance case definition throughout the study period.

Is informed consent necessary for paediatric computed tomography?

Computed tomography (CT) is a valuable examination in children, but the lifetime cancer mortality attributed to CT radiation in children is an order of magnitude higher than in adults. Therefore, it is important that radiologists and referring clinicians ensure that parents are fully informed of the radiation risks, the appropriateness of the examination is considered and imaging protocols are tailored to reduce the radiation burden.

Sonographic measurement of renal enlargement in children with acute pyelonephritis and time needed for resolution: implications for renal growth assessment.

OBJECTIVE: Failure of a kidney to grow satisfactorily in childhood is evidence of renal disease. Because kidneys may enlarge during an episode of acute pyelonephritis, concomitant renal length measurements cannot be used as baselines for growth assessment. This study was designed to determine the degree of renal enlargement in children with acute pyelonephritis and the time the enlargement takes to resolve after treatment is started to find the optimum time for obtaining baseline measurements. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In a cohort study, 180 children younger than 5 years old with their first proven acute urinary tract infection, with or without pyelonephritis, had renal scintigraphy and sonography within 15 days of starting treatment. The presence of cortical defects on scintigrams indicated pyelonephritis. The lengths of kidneys with and without scintigraphic defects (i.e., with and without pyelonephritis) were compared, adjusting for age and sex, and the length of kidneys with defects was related to time elapsed between the start of treatment and sonography. RESULTS: Ninety-nine kidneys (28%) in 77 children (43%) had scintigraphic defects. Kidneys with defects were an average of 3.2 mm longer than kidneys without defects. Length and time interval between treatment and sonography in kidneys with defects correlated negatively, with mean length approaching that of kidneys without defects by 10-11 days. CONCLUSION: Kidneys with acute pyelonephritis initially increase in length but return to normal on average by the 11th day of treatment. If poor renal growth is used as an indication of renal disease, sonography should be delayed or repeated at least 2 weeks after the start of treatment to determine the length of the uninflamed kidney.

The role of CT in the diagnosis and management of childhood pineal region tumours.

As one treatment option for pineal region tumours is based on the accurate prediction of histology by CT, the scans of 11 children with biopsy proven pineal region tumours were reviewed, and poor correlation found with the "classical" appearances previously described. Accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment are best achieved when CT is combined with serum tumour markers, CSF cytology and tumour biopsy/debulking/resection.

Vesicoureteric reflux in children: prediction with color Doppler imaging. Work in progress.

Unlike gray-scale sonography, color Doppler ultrasonography allows reliable visualization of the ureteric jet phenomenon. A study was undertaken to determine whether any measurable parameter predicts the presence of vesicoureteric reflux. Measurements of mean urine jet velocity, longitudinal angle, transverse angle, and distance of the origin of the jet from the midline of the bladder were obtained on 31 infants and children (62 ureters) with a proved urinary tract infection. Of these measurements, only the distance of the ureteric orifice from the midline of the bladder was found to correlate with vesicoureteric reflux (mean distance in the reflux group, 10.25 mm +/- 2.40 (standard deviation [SD]); in the nonreflux group, 7.98 mm +/- 2.40 [P = .004]). The authors conclude that the more laterally positioned the ureteric orifice, the more likely it is to reflux. Color Doppler ultrasound measurement of the laterality of the ureteric orifice may be useful for predicting which children with a urinary tract infection would benefit from voiding cystourethrography.

Uses of direct coronal pelvic CT.

A technique for performing direct coronal computed tomography (CT) of the pelvis on conventional CT equipment is described. Eighteen patients have been examined by this technique and its possible applications in the evaluation of patients with anorectal and genitourinary anomalies, pre and postoperatively, are discussed.

Neonatal posterior fossa haemorrhage: a difficult ultrasound diagnosis.

Four newborn neonates with a history of birth trauma and significant neurological signs were examined with both ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) performed within hours of each other. Ultrasound was inadequate in initial assessment, as it missed or underestimated posterior fossa haemorrhage, particularly where this was extraparenchymal or vermian. CT is the examination of choice in these patients.

CT invertograms.

Direct sagittal CT can provide an accurate assessment of anorectal anomalies in selected patients. Images are easily obtained and enable direct imaging of the soft tissues of the rectum and anus.

Glomerulocystic renal disease: ultrasound appearances.

Renal and hepatic sonography were performed in 2 neonates with glomerulocystic renal disease. One neonate had ultrasound findings of normal hypoechoic medullary pyramids, enabling differentiation from infantile polycystic renal disease. Previous case reports have highlighted the similarity of renal ultrasound findings in these two conditions.

Ultrasound of primary hepatic tumours in childhood.

Ultrasound scans of 18 children with primary hepatic tumours were reviewed to assess the accuracy of ultrasound in determining hepatic origin, extent, resectability, and histology. Using basic landmarks, ultrasound correctly predicted extent and resectability in 72% of patients. Accuracy would be increased by more detailed scanning to determine segmental and lobar landmarks. Hepatoblastoma demonstrated a characteristic appearance of a well-defined hyperechoic mass. Other tumour types showed some overlap in ultrasound appearances. Ultrasound examination overestimated the incidence of obliteration of the IVC lumen, and such patients require inferior venacavography to assess the true status of the cava preoperatively.

A pedigree study of perinatally lethal renal disease.

A family study of perinatally lethal renal disease (PLRD) was undertaken in the State of Victoria, Australia, for the years 1961 to 1980. A total of 221 cases was ascertained through hospital and necropsy records and confirmed by necropsy findings. There were 134 cases of bilateral renal agenesis (BRA), 34 cases of unilateral agenesis with dysplasia of the other kidney (URA/RD), 42 cases of bilateral renal dysplasia (BRD), and 11 cases of renal aplasia. Parents of 131 babies were interviewed and 153 parents from 82 families had a renal ultrasound examination. In the period of best ascertainment (1975 to 1980) the frequency of PLRD was 0.27 per 1000 and of BRA 0.16 per 1000. There were 10 cases of sirenomelia, a frequency of 0.008 per 1000. For all families of PLRD, 15 of 423 (3.6%) sibs and three of 1579 (0.2%) first cousins were affected. One family had three sibs with BRA and four had two sibs with BRA. One pair of sibs and two first cousins had BRA in one and URA/RD in the other affected. One baby had BRD with an affected first cousin. The nature of the renal lesion was not established. When the index case had BRA, 14 in 283 (5.6%) sibs had PLRD. Where the index case had BRA and urogenital defects, but no birth defects in other organs, 12 of 148 sibs (8%) were affected. None of the sibs had BRA when the index case had BRA as part of a multiple malformation complex. In the multiple malformation group, however, five of 40 (12.5%) sibs had similar patterns of malformations. Renal ultrasound abnormalities were no more frequent in parents of two affected babies (one of 18) than in the other parents (nine of 135). Our findings confirm that BRA and URA are genetically related. There are a number of conclusions which are important for genetic counselling. There is a high likelihood of recurrence (8%) in sibs when the index case has BRA and urogenital abnormalities alone. When BRA is part of a multiple malformation complex, the risk of recurrence of multiple malformations is significant (12.5%), but risk recurrence of BRA is low. The finding of renal ultrasound abnormalities in the parents was not informative.

Ultrasound diagnosis of abdomino-pelvic neuroblastoma.

Ultrasound scans of 16 children with abdomino-pelvic neuroblastoma (11 adrenal, 5 extra-adrenal) were reviewed to determine their specific features. With large suprarenal masses, renal displacement and distortion are such that differentiation between renal and extrarenal origin relies on other parameters. The typical ultrasound appearance of an adrenal neuroblastoma is a mass greater than 8 cm in diameter, displacing adjacent great vessels anteriorly and to the opposite side. One hundred percent show echogenicity greater than liver, either focally or diffusely. Ultrasound parameters of great vessel displacement and echo texture have been found reliable in distinguishing between neuroblastoma and other loin masses.

Radiological findings in total aganglionosis coli.

The radiological findings in 13 patients with total aganglionosis coli were reviewed. There was a male to female ratio of 7:6. Fifty-four percent of patients presented in the first week of life, but a significant number (31%) did not present until after 1 month of age. All patients had plain film evidence of bowel obstruction when referred for a barium enema. There were no pathognomonic barium enema findings, and barium enema results covered the entire spectrum of findings which can be encountered in the neonate and young infant with bowel obstruction. Seventy-seven percent had normal calibre colon, 23% had micro colon, 23% had a shortened colon, 46% had colonic wall irregularity, 33% had significant ileal reflux. Delayed evacuation of barium from colon occurred in the two patients who had delayed films. Total colonic aganglionosis should be considered in any infant or young child with plain film evidence of bowel obstruction, whatever the barium enema findings. Hirschsprung's disease and the level of transition can only be definitively diagnosed by biopsy.