Benign prostatic hyperplasia and lower urinary tract symptoms. A review of current evidence. / Hiperplasia prostática benigna y síntomas del tracto urinario inferior. Revisión de las evidencias actuales.

CONTEXT: The treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is changing due to a greater understanding of the disease and the development of the functional concept of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). OBJECTIVES: To describe the current state of BPH and the diagnosis and treatment of LUTS. ACQUISITION OF EVIDENCE: We summarise the issues presented and debated by a group of expert urologists during the First UROVI Congress, sponsored by the Spanish Urological Association. SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE: LUTS encompasses filling, voiding and postvoiding symptoms that affect patients' quality of life. The aetiological diagnosis is an important element in starting the most ideal treatment. For this reason, new alternative therapies (both pharmacological and surgical) are needed to help individually address the symptoms in the various patient profiles. There is now a new combination of drugs (6mg of solifenacin and 0.4mg of the tamsulosin oral controlled absorption system) for treating moderate to severe filling symptoms and emptying symptoms associated with BPH in patients who do not respond to monotherapy. Furthermore, new surgical techniques that are increasingly less invasive help provide surgical options for older patients and those with high comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of drugs that can act on the various LUTS helps integrate the pathophysiological paradigm into the functional one, providing more appropriate treatment for our patients.

[Cerebral metastasis as first manifestation++ of a bladder carcinoma]. / Metástasis cerebral como primera manifestación de un carcinoma vesical.

The infiltrant vesical carcinoma shows a tendency to become metastatic in a high percentage of cases, so that the preferred sites are usually the retroperitoneal lymph nodes, liver and bone. CNS metastasis is an uncommon fact, but it is even less common to find CNS affectation symptoms even before the appearance of any signs and symptoms related to the vesical affectation itself. Contribution of one case of infiltrant vesical carcinoma which presented with focal neurological symptomatology as its first manifestation.

[Granulomatous prostatitis. An infrequent diagnosis. Review of our series]. / La prostatitis granulomatosa. Un diagnóstico infrecuente. Revisión de nuestra serie.

Granulomatous prostatitis is an inflammatory condition of the prostate which presents rarely in the urological practice. It is caused by several specific and unspecific infectious agents, and can also be secondary to prostate surgery or a local reflection of a systemic granulomatous disease. With regard to clinical manifestations and treatment, it is an unspecific entity which has a characteristic histopathology. Its major interest consists on the possibility of it being mistaken for a prostate cancer during physical examination. This paper reviews a series of 7 granulomatous prostatitis, with special emphasis on their histology and ultrasound findings.

[Intradiverticular bladder tumors]. / Tumores vesicales intradiverticulares.

Retrospective study conducted on 58 patients with vesical diverticulum seen in our unit between 1975 and 1992, of which a total of 11 (18.9%) patients had vesical tumours. Of these, 6 (10.3%) were intradiverticular and 5 (8.6%) extradiverticular. Sixty-six percent of patients with intradiverticular tumours also had prior or concurrent history of extradiverticular vesical tumours. The most frequent clinical presentation was gross haematuria. The abdomino-pelvic CT is the most sensitive morphological examination although in 33% cases it resulted in overstaging. Curative treatment was only possible in the 4 patients with urothelial tumours, in whom 3 partial cystectomies with pelvian lymphadenectomy (2 pT1 G2 and 1 pT3 G3) and 1 TUR (T1 G2) were performed. The 2 (33%) remaining patients had advanced locoregional epidermoid carcinoma (T4 N+). All patients with urothelial carcinoma are alive with follow-up ranging between 6 months for the one infiltrant case and 136 months for a surface tumour undergoing partial cystectomy. Prognosis for both epidermoid carcinoma was ominous with mean survival time of 9 months. Review of the literature and discussion of epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic issues.

[Tumor pathology in horseshoe kidney]. / Patología tumoral en el riñón en herradura.

Within renal aberrations, the most frequent one is the horseshoe kidney. Adenocarcinoma is the most common primary renal neoplasia. The association of tumour and horseshoe kidney is uncommon, with only 135 cases described in the literature. Presentation of 4 patients with tumours in horseshoe kidney: 3 adenocarcinoma and one urothelial tumour of renal pelvis. As a result of our experience we consider that arteriography is a key imaging technique for pre-operative study of these patients, medial laparotomy being the choice access for approach, and prognosis depending on tumour staging, with no influence from the malformation.

[Incidental renal adenocarcinoma: study on 54 cases]. / Adenocarcinoma renal incidental: estudio sobre 54 casos.

Between 1974 and 1992, both inclusive, 204 renal adenocarcinomas were treated in the Urology Unit of the '12 de Octubre' Hospital, of which 54 (26.4%) were diagnosed by chance. The relative frequency of these renal tumours has experienced a highly significant progressive increase, from 0 in the 1974-1978 interval, to 13.04% in 1978-1980, 14.7% between 1981-1983, 20.68% in 1984-1986, 37.84% in 1987-1990, to reach over the last three-year period of 1990-1992 the remarkable figure of 41.93%. There has been no differences regarding incidence by sex (50% males and 50% females). Mean age at presentation is 61.5 years, ranging from 23 to 78 years. The suspected pathological cause most frequently leading to carry out the study where renal carcinoma is accidentally diagnosed are gastrointestinal disorders (50% of cases). The most frequently used imaging diagnostic technique is ultrasound (50% cases), emphasising the gradual increase in the number of cases diagnosed by ultrasound or CAT during the course of the study. Carcinomas accidentally diagnosed by CAT are those with less volume in our series. Regarding tumour characteristics, it should be pointed out a higher occurrence in the right kidney (64.8%) and a most frequent location in the upper renal pole (48%). Mean tumoral volume was 126 cc, although that value has gradually dropped, so that now the mean volume of accidental tumours treated over the last 5 is being 91 cc. Most cases present low staging at the time of diagnosis, 81% being pT2 N0 M0. Current overall survival is 89% of all cases followed-up.

[Clinico-pathologic study of renal cell carcinoma]. / Estudio clínico-patológico del carcinoma de células renales.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an uncommon tumour with high mortality mainly due to late diagnosis. The various morphological variables and the clinico-pathological stage, however, induce highly different evolutions. Awareness of these characteristics would be a significant part of deciding the most appropriate therapy for each case. The pathological anatomy of 130 renal cell carcinomas obtained through nephrectomy was reviewed. A follow-up of at least 5 years was done in 121 patients. Also, a survival study related to the various clinical and pathological parameters was carried out. A significantly lower survival rate was observed for solid tumours with spindle or giant cells and nuclear degrees superior to 2, over 10 mitosis in 10 fields and staging higher than II. A significant correlation was also found between number of mitosis and staging, presence of metastatic disease, survival interval, degree of tumoral necrosis, histological type, cell type and nuclear grade. Our results indicate that staging, histological type, cell type, microscopic vascular infiltration, nuclear grade and number of mitosis can be highly predictive of the evolution and prognosis of RCC patients.

[Tumors of the female urethra: presentation of cases and review of the literature]. / Tumores de uretra femenina: presentación de nuestros casos y revisión de la literatura.

Female urethra tumours are rare conditions and so the series presented in the literature gathers just a few cases, and therefore is difficult to reach a conclusion with regard to the definite treatment to be adopted in each case. It appears to be certain that even histologically malignant forms of this disease can be cured in the earlier stages. The most representative cases presented in our experience are analyzed and an overall review of the literature is made aiming to examine the experience of various authors with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of the injuries.

[Non-palpable prostatic cancer. Cure with adenomectomy?]. / Cáncer de próstata no palpable. Curación con adenomectomía?

The currently growing importance of prostate cancer (PC) is given by the large increase in the number of cases diagnosed with this condition, to a great extent due to the diffusion of the most recent diagnostic techniques. Together with the traditional rectal examination, we have available today the PSA (prostate specific antigen) and the transrectal ultrasound, which allow to diagnose tumours undetectable with palpation. This paper presents the case of a male patient with high levels of PSA (in metastatic values), normal rectal examination and three series of negative prostate biopsies in spite of a high suspicion of PC, the diagnosis being confirmed after adenomectomy, with a subsequent PSA levels normalization, these levels remaining below 3 ng/ml after 22 months follow-up, which allows to think of a "recovery" (?) with just the removal of the prostate adenoma.

[Leukemoid reaction as a paraneoplastic manifestation of bladder carcinoma]. / Reacción leucemoide como manifestación paraneoplásica del carcinoma vesical.

Sometimes vesical malignant tumours present themselves with highly characteristic paraneoplastic signs like hypercalcemia, or more rarely like a leukaemoid reaction within the symptomatic setting typical of vesical neoplasia. We present a case of vesical urothelioma where the leukaemoid reaction was present in the diagnosis and later in the tumour relapse after the appropriate treatment.

[Hydatid cyst and renal adenocarcinoma: an exceptional association]. / Quiste hidatídico y adenocarcinoma renal: una asociación excepcional.

Presentation of one case of an exceptional association in the same renal unit of a hydatid cyst and an adenocarcinoma, in a female patient who arrived to the emergency service with a picture of haematuria and lower back pain. The paper discusses the diagnostic complications posed by the large central necrotic component of the tumour, the adjacent position of both lesions and, basically, the initial intention of performing conservative surgery after it was demonstrated that the patient had mild renal insufficiency and simple cysts in the other kidney. In the end, faced with the perioperative finding of a neoplastic-like mass, radical surgery was performed. Analysis of the diagnostic and therapeutical difficulties with complex cystic masses in general.

[Abdominal paragangliomas. The experience of the Hospital 12 de Octubre]. / Paragangliomas abdominales. Experiencia del Hospital 12 de Octubre.

This is a revision of our experience between 1975 and 1992 over a total of 35 patients who underwent surgery in 40 occasions for pheochromocytoma. If we dismiss one case of pheochromocytoma with early metastatic malignant presentation and which was not removed, a total of 6 patients with abdominal paraganglioma (17%) have undergone surgery in 10 occasions. Three of them (50%) were multiple and recurrent, an one (16%) become malignant after multiple recurrences. Average age was 34.6 years with balanced sex distribution. No patient had neurofibromatosis, Von Hippel Lindau disease, MEN syndromes or Carney's triad and only one case, which corresponded to the malignant pheochromocytoma, showed direct familial background. All patients were hypertensive. Four cases (66%) presented with catecholamine crisis, one case was an incidentaloma that at the 24-hour monitoring presented hypertensive crisis during the sleep, and the last one was diagnosed while investigating a case of sustained HTA in a young female. All patients had high urinary catecholamine excretion. To establish location of the tumour MIBG scanning (90% sensitivity) was used in first place followed by guided CT (80% sensitivity) since both techniques have a good correlation in order to design the surgical approach. Angiography was reserved for cases where the other two techniques were inconclusive or when it was necessary to obtain a better profile of the surgical anatomy. A total of 15 paraganglioma were removed, the most frequent location being renal parahilar (26%) followed by preaortic in Zuckerkandl's organ (20%) and vesical (20%). The most relevant intraoperative complications were HTA crisis related to anaesthetics manoeuvres and tumoral handling (90%), and hypotension following tumour exercises (10%). During the postoperative period, three patients required blood transfusion and one of them had to be re-intervened for bleeding caused by unnoticed damage to the right renal vein. Currently, three patients (50%) are disease free, one with residual mild HTA controlled with diuretics. Two patients (33%) are awaiting for re-intervention due to recurrence (one with multiple extra-abdominal recurrence) after one and two prior interventions respectively. The last one (16%) is the malignant pheochromocytoma, operated four times for recurrence which currently shows lung metastasis with adequate drug control of clinical manifestations, after polychemotherapy failure and 27-months follow-up since metastasis has been detected. Revision of existing literature and discussion of issues related to signs and symptoms, diagnosis, surgical preparation and approach, as well as prognostic implications related to paraganglioma as compared with adrenal-located pheochromocytoma.

Image-directed color Doppler ultrasound evaluation of the single kidney after unilateral nephrectomy in adults.

Renal adaptations occur in the single kidney. The kidney of 21 unilaterally nephrectomized adults was studied with image-directed color Doppler ultrasound (ICDU) and compared with 35 age-matched controls. Kidney volume, standardized kidney volume, hypertrophy, both intrarenal- and main renal artery-resistive indexes were quantified, correlated to each other and correlated to renal function. The influence of age, sex, or time since nephrectomy was also studied. There was a mean hypertrophy of approximately 20%. Intrarenal resistances lay within normal limits for age. There was no correlation between renal function, size, and hemodynamics. Age, sex, and time since nephrectomy had a limited influence on renal adaptations.