Are predictive factors in sperm retrieval and pregnancy rates present in nonobstructive azoospermia patients by microdissection testicular sperm extraction on testicle with a history of orchidopexy operation?

The aim in this study is to evaluate predictive factors on sperm retrieval and pregnancy rates by microdissection testicular sperm extraction in non obstructive azoospermia patients with a history of orchidopexy operation. A total of 148 patients were included, and their medical files were evaluated. Data related to possible predictive factors on sperm retrieval and pregnancy rates such as age at orchidopexy operation, unilateral or bilateral presence of undescended testis before orchidopexy, testis volumes and hormone levels were statistically analysed. It revealed that the mean ages in patients with unilateral and bilateral orchidopexy operations were 35.37 (±4.84) and 33.94 (±5.91) respectively. Mean testis volume in the unilateral orchidopexy group was 7.59 (±3.12) ml on the right testis and 7.37 (±2.86) ml on the left testis. Mean FSH levels were detected as 22.71 (±11.86) mIU/ml in the unilateral group and 28.19 (±12.40) mIU/ml in the bilateral group. In our study, we have shown that the age at which patients undergo orchidopexy and the unilateral or bilateral presence of cryptorchidism has no correlation with sperm retrieval and pregnancy rates.

Retrograde intrarenal surgery technique without using fluoroscopy and access sheet in the treatment of kidney stones

Background/aim: In this study, we aimed to present our results on single-guidewire flexible ureteroscopy and retrograde intrarenal surgery without fluoroscopy and an access sheet, and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this procedure retrospectively. Materials and methods: Our routine technique can be described as the evaluation of the ureter using a semirigid ureterorenoscope (URS), leading in the guidewire through the semirigid URS, pulling the semirigid URS back, inserting the flexible URS with the aid of the guidewire, inserting the laser probe through the flexible URS, and performing laser lithotripsy. Results: Our study included 400 male and 198 female patients with a mean age of 36.8 ± 16 (14­80) years. The mean stone size was 8.7 ± 4 (8­20) mm, and the mean operation time was 56 (32­106) min. Postoperative fever was observed in 24 (4%) of the patients, and 30 (5%) patients had hematuria as a minor complication. A stone-free status was observed in 466 (78%) patients, while 102 (17%) patients had clinically insignificant minor stone fragments and 30 patients had clinically significant stone residue. Conclusion: The retrograde intrarenal surgery procedure using only a guidewire without fluoroscopy and an access sheet in the treatment of kidney stones is technically safe and effective.

The role of apoptosis and the effect of epidermal growth factor on proapoptotic BNIP 3 in an experimental rat priapism model

Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of apoptosis-inducing Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 3 (BNIP 3) and antiapoptotic epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the pathophysiology of experimental low-flow priapism. Materials and methods: Twenty-four adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four equal groups. Group I was the control group. Ischemic priapism was induced for 4 h in Group II rats. In Group III, intraperitoneal EGF at 10 µg/kg was given for 7 days before induction of ischemic priapism for 4 h. In Group IV, intraperitoneal EGF at 20 µg/kg was given for 7 days before induction of ischemic priapism for 4 h. The western blot method was used to determine BNIP 3 expression levels and the TUNEL method was used to determine the apoptotic cells in the cavernosal tissue samples. Results: Although BNIP 3 expression levels were significantly higher in all three study groups compared to the controls, BNIP 3 was significantly higher in EGF-administered groups when compared to Group II (P < 0.05). The TUNEL score of group II was significantly higher than those of the other groups. Conclusion: Decreased apoptosis in cavernosal tissues obtained by antagonizing the apoptotic effect of BNIP 3 with EGF may facilitate the development of new conservative treatment methods via those pathways.

Comparison of retrograde intrarenal surgery and percutaneous nephrolithotomy for the treatment of renal stones greater than 2 cm.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in the treatment of kidney stones greater than 2 cm and to compare its results with those of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a total of 143 patients: 86 patients (53 males and 33 females) who underwent PCNL and 57 patients (37 males and 20 females) who underwent RIRS between October 2009 and October 2013. RESULTS: The mean duration of operation was 100.26±33.26 min in the RIRS group and 75.55±21.5 min in the PCNL group (p<0.001). The hospital stay was significantly shorter in the RIRS group (1.56±0.8 vs. 4.57±2.1 days in the RIRS and PCNL groups, respectively; p<0.001). Stone-free rates after one session were 66.6% and 91.8% of the RIRS and PCNL groups, respectively. The stone-free rate of the RIRS group improved to 87.7% after the second session. Blood transfusions were required in two patients in the PCNL group. Complication rates were higher in the PCNL group. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that RIRS can be an alternative to PCNL in the treatment of kidney stones with a diameter of 2-4 cm especially in patients with comorbidities.

Second pathways in the pathophysiology of ischemic priapism and treatment alternatives.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the early therapeutic alternatives such as bosentan, an endothelin receptor blocker, theophylline, an adenosin receptor blocker, and a nonselective phosphodiesterase enzyme inhibitor, zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), a heme oxygenase 1 inhibitor, for the therapy of ischemic priapism in the rat models. METHODS: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 equal groups: control group, ZnPP group, bosentan group, and theophylline group. Erection was provided by vacuum constriction method and maintained for 4 hours for achieving the priapism in all groups. The rats in the control group were administered 1 mL/kg saline intraperitoneally (ip). The rats in group 2 were administered 25 mg/kg ZnPP ip. The rats in group 3 were administered 0.25 mg/kg bosentan ip. The rats in group 4 were administered 100 mg/kg theophylline ip. Six rats from each group were decapitated after 6 hours of drug administration. Then endothelin 1, adenosine deaminase, heme oxygenase 1 enzymatic activity, and apoptosis index in the cavernous tissues were estimated. RESULTS: Cavernous tissue endothelin 1, adenosine deaminase, heme oxygenase 1 enzymatic activity levels, and apoptosis index were significantly decreased in bosentan, theophylline, and ZnPP-treated rats compared with the controls. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of priapism induced apoptosis with bosentan, theophylline, and ZnPP seems promising on preserving erectile function.

Potential relationship between BK virus and renal cell carcinoma.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the potential association between the presence of BK virus (BKV) DNA and mRNA and renal cell carcinoma and bladder transitional cell carcinoma. The formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples were obtained from 50 cancer patients with renal cell carcinoma, 40 cancer patients with bladder transitional cell carcinoma, 45 control patients with the benign renal pathology, and from another 25 control patients with benign bladder pathology. The samples were subjected to nested PCR for detection of BKV DNA and real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR) for determining mRNA levels of BKV. The results of the nested PCR indicated that 23 (14.3%) of 160 samples were positive for BKV DNA. The relationship between the cancer and the presence of BKV DNA was significant (P < 0.05). The BKV DNA positivity was significantly associated with the histological diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (P = 0.03), but not with that of bladder transitional cell carcinoma. The results of real-time RT-PCR showed that the mRNA of BKV VP1 was present in 69.5% of the BKV DNA positive samples. The levels of BKV mRNA were significantly higher in the renal cell cancer samples than in the control samples (P < 0.05). The results of the present study confirm the association between BKV and renal cell cancer. The findings also indicated that the presence of BKV DNA resulted in a fivefold increase in the risk of development of renal cell carcinoma.

Abdominal hypertension characterised by severe haemodynamic changes as a complication of percutanous nephrolithotomy.

Percutanous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) was performed on a patient in a prone position. During the first hour of intervention, some unwanted haemodynamic complications arose, which included a decrease in systemic blood pressure, an increase in heart rate and an increase in peak inspiratory pressures. Owing to worsening of those unexplained haemodynamic abnormalities, surgery was terminated. As the patient turned from prone to supine position, abdominal distention was noticed. Later, 3 litres of fluid were removed from the abdomen via peritoneal lavage. Upon fluid removal, a dramatic haemodynamic improvement was observed. The problem was thought to have been caused by a technical error in placing the dilator inside the abdomen, which allowed the irrigation fluid to accumulate inside the abdominal cavity. The aim of this presentation is to raise awareness of intra-abdominal hypertension when the aforementioned haemodynamic abnormalities are detected during PCNL. Early detection and treatment may prevent morbidity and mortality in similar cases.

Role of diffusion MRI and apparent diffusion coefficient measurement in the diagnosis, staging and pathological classification of bladder tumors.

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to investigate the role of simultaneous apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurement and diffusion-weighted MRI (DWMRI) in the diagnosis and differentiation of bladder masses. METHODS: We examined 45 patients presenting with hematuria by dynamic and diffusion MRI (at b100, b600, b1000 gradients) and cystoscopy. Thirty healthy volunteers without hematuria were also included in the study. Results from imaging techniques were compared to cystoscopic and histopathologic findings. The ADC values of benign and malignant bladder masses, and bladder tissue in healthy subjects were measured and compared with each other. RESULTS: The mean ADC values of benign (n = 10) and malignant lesions (n = 35) were significantly lower than the mean ADC values of adjacent bladder walls and bladder walls of healthy subjects at all 3 gradients (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was detected between benign and malignant lesions (p > 0.05). Mean ADC values of invasive tumors were significantly lower than superficial malignancies at b600 and b1000 gradients. The mean ADC values of transitional cell tumors were significantly higher than squamous cell tumors at b100 and b600 gradients. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous measurement ofADC and DWMRI provided useful information in the diagnosis, staging and histopathological classification of bladder tumors.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the kidney.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the kidney is a rare benign condition with unknown etiology that can mimic malignancy. We report a case of inflammatory pseudotumor of the kidney. A 59-year-old male patient was admitted with a complaint of right flank pain and hematuria. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging of the patient revealed a 9 cm × 10 cm mass originating from the renal parenchyma with posterior extension. Operative findings revealed a mass adhering to the psoas muscle. Histopathologic examination demonstrated spindle-shaped fibroblast cells accompanying inflammatory cells. The pathological diagnosis was renal inflammatory pseudotumor. Repeated US and computed tomography revealed complete remission.

Detection of bladder tumors with 3-dimensional sonography and virtual sonographic cystoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: Bladder tumors are among the most common types of malignant neoplasms of the urinary tract. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential value of 3-dimensional (3D) sonography and sonographic cystoscopy in detection of bladder tumors. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with suspected or known bladder tumors were included this study. All patients underwent 3D sonography and conventional cystoscopy within 15 days. The number, size, location, and morphologic features of the lesions were evaluated on gray scale, 3D virtual, and multiplanar reconstruction images obtained from the patients. The results of 3D sonographic cystoscopy were compared with the findings from conventional cystoscopy, which was considered the reference standard. RESULTS: Twenty-eight (90.3%) of 31 3D virtual sonographic cystoscopic studies had good or excellent image quality. Conventional cystoscopy revealed 47 lesions in 22 of 28 patients; 3D sonographic virtual cystoscopy showed 41 (87.2%) of 47 lesions. Three-dimensional virtual sonography alone had sensitivity of 96.2%, specificity of 70.6%, a positive predictive value of 93.9%, and a negative predictive value of 80% for tumor detection. The combination of gray scale sonography, multiplanar reconstruction, and 3D virtual sonography had sensitivity of 96.4%, specificity of 88.8%, a positive predictive value of 97.6%, and a negative predictive value of 84.2% for tumor detection. CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional sonography is a promising alternative noninvasive technique for use in detection of bladder tumors, their localization, and perivesical spreading. The location, size, and morphologic features of the tumors shown on 3D sonography agreed well with the findings of conventional cystoscopy.