[Renal transplantation on vascular prosthesis]. / Transplantation rénale sur prothèse vasculaire.

INTRODUCTION: In front of a very calcified aortoiliac axis, renal transplantation with implantation of the artery on vascular prosthesis can be proposed. This rare intervention is considered difficult and morbid. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the overall and specific survival of the transplant in this situation. The secondary objective was the study of the complications and the evolution of the transplant's renal function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From a multicenter retrospective data collection of the DIVAT cohort (6 centers) added with data from 4 other transplant centers, we studied transplants with prosthetic arterial anastomosis. RESULTS: Thirty four patients was included. The median duration of follow-up was 2.5 years. 4 patients died in the month following transplantation, 16 were hemodialysis and 9 were transfused. The median survival of the transplant was 212 days. Functional arrests of the transplant were mostly associated with nephrological degradation and return to dialysis (about 80%) while 10% were related to a death of the recipient directly attributable to renal transplantation. The surgical complications of the transplantation were marked by one arterial stenosis, one fistula and 4 urinary stenoses. CONCLUSION: Thus, renal transplantation with arterial anastomosis on vascular prosthesis, on selected patients, offers an alternative to dialysis. A national compendium of transplanted patients on vascular prosthesis would allow a long-term follow-up of transplant's survival and define selection criteria prior to this kind of surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Transplant nephrectomy after graft failure: is it so risky? Impact on morbidity, mortality and alloimmunization.

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of transplant nephrectomy on morbidity and mortality and HLA immunization. METHODS: All patients who underwent transplant nephrectomy in our centre between 2000 and 2016 were included in this study. A total of 2822 renal transplantations and 180 transplant nephrectomies were performed during this period. RESULTS: The indications for transplant nephrectomy were graft intolerance syndrome: 47.2%, sepsis: 22.2%, vascular thrombosis: 15.5%, tumour: 8.3% and other 6.8%. Transplant nephrectomies were performed via an intracapsular approach in 61.7% of cases. The blood transfusion rate was 50%, the morbidity rate was 38% and the mortality rate was 3%. Transplant nephrectomies more than 12 months after renal transplant failure were associated with more complications (p = 0.006). Transfusions in the context of transplant nephrectomy had no significant impact on alloimmunization. CONCLUSION: The risk of bleeding, and therefore of transfusion, constitutes the major challenge of this surgery in patients eligible for retransplantation. Even if transfusions in this context of transplant nephrectomy had no significant impact on alloimmunization, this high-risk surgery, whenever possible, must be performed electively in a well-prepared patient.

[Flexible ureterorenoscopy and laser lithotripsy for upper urinary tract stones in neurologic patients with severe motor disability]. / L'urétérorénoscopie souple avec fragmentation laser dans le traitement des calculs du haut appareil urinaire chez les patients atteints d'une maladie du système nerveux avec un handicap moteur sévère.

OBJECTIVE: The study's objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and morbidity of flexible ureterorenoscopy and laser lithotripsy for upper urinary tract stones in patients with a nervous system pathology including severe motor disability. METHODS: Between 2006 and 2013, we retrospectively analyzed 83 flexible ureterorenoscopy to treat 63 kidneys in 42 patients. Stone free (SF) kidneys defined as an absence of stones on computerized tomography, renal ultrasound, X-ray or direct ureterorenoscopy, were considered a surgical success. Complications were classified according to the Clavien-Dindo system. RESULTS: Success rates were 49.2 %, 57.1 % and 58.7 %, respectively after first, second and third flexible ureterorenoscopy procedure. Clearance after one procedure was achieved in 64.3 % of cases involving less than 20mm stones. No major complication (Clavien-Dindo>2) was described (0 %). Complication rates were 44.7 %, with 31.6 % Clavien-Dindo 2. The main complication was urosepsis, which occurred in 27.6 % of cases. CONCLUSION: Flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsies for upper urinary tract stones in neurologic patients with severe motor disability are associated with a lower success rate and some frequent low grade complications compared to overall population. In clinical practice, the indications of flexible ureterorenoscopy for these patients seem restricted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

[Pelvic radiotherapy and artificial urinary sphincter in women]. / Radiothérapie pelvienne et sphincter artificiel urinaire chez la femme.

OBJECTIVES: A retrospective evaluation of artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implantation in women with previous pelvic radiotherapy (PR). POPULATION AND METHODS: From May 1987 to December 2009, on the 215 women implanted with AUS, nine (4.2%) had previous PR. We compared two groups of women, the first one without PR (group 1; n=206) and the other group with PR (group 2; n=9). Previous preop. urodynamics were realized. Patients using more than one pad per day at the end of follow-up were considered in failure. RESULTS: Mean follow-up for these two groups was 6 years (SD: 5.6 years), with a mean age of 62.8 years. Mean delay between PR and surgery was 14 years. PR was indicated for cervix cancer in 78% (7/9), endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer in 9% (1/9) each. PR was responsible of an increased rate of AUS erosion and explantation (P<0.001). In group 2, more than half of women had AUS failure and 60% for AUS erosion, versus 22% and 26% respectively in group 1. In group 2, all the AUS eroded were explanted, one third of women, with a mean delay of 59.8 months (4-140) with AUS implantation. CONCLUSION: AUS implantation in a female population with previous PR is not necessary inconsistent, but the failure rate is high. This difficult surgery should be reserved for specialized centres.

[Imperative partial nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma: oncological and functional results]. / Néphrectomie partielle de nécessité pour carcinome à cellules rénales : résultats oncologiques et fonctionnels.

OBJECTIVES: To study oncological results and functional results after partial nephrectomy in imperative indication for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1990 to December 2009, 65 partial nephrectomies in 61 patients were performed in imperative indication for renal cell carcinoma. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 59.3 years. The mean follow-up was 47.4 months. The tumours were asymptomatic in 87.5%. The average tumour diameter was 4.3 cm. Twenty-nine percent of patients relapsed after a mean time of 27.4 months. The morbidity was 38.5%. Preoperative and endpoint serum creatinine and renal clearance were respectively 119 µmol/L and 63.1 mL/min versus 137 µmol/L and 50.9 mL/min (P=0.0003; 0.0002). Overall survival at one, three, five and ten years was 98.4%, 91.2%, 91.2% and 51.9%. CONCLUSION: Partial nephrectomy in imperative indication for renal cell carcinoma has helped preserve renal function but has a significant morbidity and recurrence rate.

[Surgical complications in kidney transplantation]. / Complications chirurgicales de la transplantation rénale.

Kidney transplantation has become the treatment of choice for patients with end stage renal disease since it offers an excellent quality of life. Moreover, the economic impact is considerable, particularly beyond the first year. Indeed, the annual cost of a successful renal transplantation is ten fold lower than haemodialysis. But surgical complications remain one of our main concerns. Surgical complications are various. They may be non-specific as haematomas, incision-induced hernias and wound infections. They may also be directly related to the procedure as vascular thrombosis and urinary fistula in the early postoperative period or arterial stenosis and ureteral obstruction in the late post-operative period. The accurate diagnosis and the appropriate management of these complications are the most important tasks for the surgical team. This review is based upon our experience in kidney transplantation and upon the medical published data.

A simple method to optimize hospital beds capacity.

OBJECTIVE: The number of acute hospital beds is determined by health authorities using methods based on ratios and/or target bed occupancy rates. These methods fail to consider the variability in hospitalization demands over time. On the other hand, the implementation of sophisticated models requires the decision concerning the number of beds to be made by an expert. Our aim is to develop a new method that is as simple to use as the ratio method while minimizing the roundabout approaches of these methods. METHOD: A score was constructed with three parameters: number of transfers due to lack of space, number of days with no possibility for S unscheduled admissions and number of days with at least a threshold of U unoccupied beds. The optimal number of beds is the number for which both the mean and the standard deviation of the score reach their minimum. We applied this method to two internal medicine departments and one urological surgery department and we compared the solutions proposed by this method with those put forward by the ratio method. RESULTS: The solutions proposed by this method were intermediate to those calculated by the local and national length of Stays ratio methods. Simulating an unusual increase in admission requests had no consequence on the bed number selected, indicating that the method was robust. CONCLUSION: Our tool represents a real alternative to the ratio methods. A software has been developed and is now available for use.

[Dangers of sub-group analysis and of multiple tests]. / Dangers des analyses en sous-groupes et des tests multiples.

Subgroup analyses, "retrospective" statistics, and multiple tests, motivated by the search for explanatory covariables, are frequently used in the medical literature. However, these data manipulations induce modifications of the groups defined by initial randomization, an unverifiable increase of the alpha risk, a reduction of the power of the study and a risk of circular reasoning. Taking the example of an article concerning the hormonal treatment of prostate cancer, several situations are discussed, according to whether or not the study is prospective, whether or not the covariables are defined from the outset, and whether or not the results for the primary endpoint are significant.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy for metastatic ampullary and pancreatic tumors.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To report the clinical presentation, diagnosis and results of aggressive surgical management in patients with metastatic ampullary and pancreatic tumors. METHODOLOGY: Twelve patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for ampullary or pancreatic metastases from January 1, 1987, to June 30, 1998, in 2 institutions. The primary cancer was renal cell carcinoma (n = 5), melanoma (n = 2), venous leiomyosarcoma (n = 1), carcinoid tumor (n = 1), colon carcinoma (n = 1), breast carcinoma (n = 1) and small-cell lung carcinoma (n = 1). The mean interval between primary treatment and metachronous pancreatic metastasis was 88 months. In 3 cases, pancreatic metastases were synchronous with the primary tumor. The main symptoms were jaundice (n = 8) and upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding (n = 2). The principal investigations were computed tomography scan (n = 9), arteriography (n = 7), duodenoscopy (n = 6) and fine-needle aspiration (n = 4). A correct preoperative diagnosis was made for 8 patients. RESULTS: In all cases, the pancreatic tumor was resected with intention to cure or provide useful palliation, using pancreaticoduodenectomy for isolated tumors (n = 11) or total pancreatectomy for multiple lesions (n = 1). Three out of 12 patents had positive lymph nodes, and the resection margin was free of disease in all cases. There was no postoperative mortality. Survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy averaged 26 months. Overall survival of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy was 35% at 2 years and 17% at 5 years. One patient is still alive more than 10 years after pancreaticoduodenectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreaticoduodenectomy can be performed safely, representing a suitable option for resection in patients with symptomatic or late isolated pancreatic metastases in the absence of widely metastatic disease. The best indications are solitary metastases from renal cell carcinoma, sarcoma and neuroendocrine tumors. However, there is no evidence of survival benefit after pancreaticoduodenectomy for synchronous tumors or metachronous tumors from melanoma or colon carcinoma.

[Outcome of nephrogenic metaplasia of the bladder in kidney transplant recipients]. / Devenir de la métaplasie néphrogène vésicale chez les transplantés rénaux.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the risk of recurrence and malignant degeneration of vesical nephrogenic metaplasia in renal transplant recipients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fourteen patients with known nephrogenic metaplasia were systematically followed. Vesical biopsies were performed with a resector, stained with eosin haemalun saffron, analysed and compared to initial results. Labelling by anti-EBV and anti-CMV monoclonal antibodies was performed in 5 cases of intense inflammatory reactions. RESULTS: All patients were males, with a median age of 39 years. Nephrogenic metaplasia had been diagnosed 7 to 80 months after renal transplantation (median = 37.8). Twelve patients were reviewed 5 to 116 months after the initial diagnosis (median = 52). Relapse was observed in 83% of cases, but without any malignant degeneration. CONCLUSION: Nephrogenic metaplasia is therefore a benign recurrent disease. The importance of the initial blood supply and fibrosis in the case of recurrence suggest a disorder of the blood supply, probably traumatic in origin. Only symptomatic patients are currently followed.

[Incidence of the form and caliber of urethral resistance. Evaluation for a normal masculine urethra and in cases of obstruction due to prostatic hypertrophy]. / Incidence de la forme et du calibre dans la résistance uréthrale. Evaluation pour un urèthre masculin normal et en cas d'obstruction par hypertrophie de prostate.

Certain forms of benign prostatic hypertrophy are associated with a reduction of the calibre of the prostatic urethra of the median lobe, a defect of infundibulisation of the bladder neck and a dilated appearance of the bulbar urethra. The objective of this study was to verify whether hydrodynamic arguments could be used to confirm the concept that defective infundibulisation of the bladder neck is directly responsible for an obstructive syndrome or via a reduction in the calibre of the bladder neck orifice. More generally, this study was designed to quantify the distribution of resistance to flow along the normal urethra and to define the role of cervicoprostatic and urethral deformities in the obstruction associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy. Urodynamic studies are unable to answer this question, as the instantaneous urethral resistance is evaluated globally by the Pressure-Flow relation. The authors performed morphological analysis to divide the urethra into simple hydraulic segments for which the corresponding pressure drop coefficients were calculated. These coefficients constitute an approach to segmental resistance to flow and can be used to quantify changes in shape observed on voiding urethrography or ultrasonography. Digital analysis of voiding urethrographies showed that, under normal conditions, urethral resistance was regularly distributed along the urethra and essentially depended on friction of the urethral wall. In the case of benign prostatic hypertrophy, even with a median lobe, the increase in the pressure drop coefficients was due to a reduction in the calibre of the bladder neck orifice and prostatic urethra. Cervical deformities appeared to be minimally obstructive, according to urodynamic parameters, if they were not associated with a reduction in the calibre of the bladder neck orifice.

[The prevention of the recurrence of stage pTa bladder tumors using intravesical instillation of BCG]. / Prévention des récidives des tumeurs de vessie de stade pTa par instillation endovésicale de BCG.

45 patients were included in a retrospective study designed to assess the long-term efficacy and tolerance of immunotherapy by intravesical BCG instillation in the treatment of stage pTa bladder tumours (mean follow-up 52.7 months, range: 12-87 months). 41 patients (91% responded to immunotherapy: 24 (53%) did not develop anu recurrences with a mean follow-up of 49.4 months (range: 19-87 months) and 17 (37.7%) were improved by treatment as the interval between recurrences was significantly increased. 4 patients (8.8%) failed to respond to BCG therapy with progression to stage pTa G3 vesical papillomatosis in one patient. The local tolerance was poor for twelve patients (26.6%), requiring discontinuation or spacing of the instillations. Other complications such as prostatitis and intense fever were observed. Three patients had persistent disturbances of micturition following treatment in the form of urinary frequency due to the decreased bladder volume. Neither the grade, nor the frequency of recurrences prior to treatment, nor the solitary or multifocal nature, nor the site of the initial tumour appeared to influence the response to BCG therapy and did not constitute independent individual prognostic indicators.

New urodynamic model to explain micturition disorders in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients. Pressure-flow relationships in collapsable tubes, hydraulic analysis of the urethra and evaluation of urethral resistance.

How can the hydrodynamic disorders caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) be explained? And how can they be measured in order to assess the efficiency of treatment? To answer these questions, a model based on the results of experiments performed in collapsable tubes and on a hydraulic analysis of the urethra is elaborated. A BPH combining hypertonia and/or hypertrophy, essentially leads to a rise in the opening pressure which increases bladder work before micturition, as well as a reduction in the functional caliber of the prostatic urethra. Whatever its origin, this reduction in caliber is the only explanation for the importance of the urethral resistance increase noticed in cases of BPH. Instantaneous resistance calculation, based on the pressure/maximum flow rate relationship, measured when the flow is steady (for a few seconds), would be a good experimental physical parameter. However, on a clinical basis, an exact calculation is impossible, which makes its precision and reliability not as good as they should be. In order to calculate the resistance to micturition as a whole, particularly taking into account the difficulty in urethral opening, it was suggested to include the opening pressure in the pressure/flow study. But this fits neither with fluid mechanics data nor with the results of experiments carried out in collapsable tubes. Eventually, considering that no evaluation method of the resistance to urinary flow is acknowledged to be accurate on a hydraulic basis or urodynamically applicable, one wonders whether placing more confidence in simple data obtained in a noninvasive way, and used without mathematical tricks, is not preferable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Nonsurgical treatment evaluation in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients.

The development of new methods for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) requires the choice of reliable criteria in order to assess their efficiency. It is, first of all, necessary to choose clinical as well as urodynamic criteria. Clinical criteria must be quantified and then gathered in scores, so that they can be compared. These changes, essential to the statistician, alter the true meaning of symptoms. The value of urodynamic parameters to 'measure' obstruction differs widely: the pressure/flow relationship as well as micturitional bladder pressure are probably the most reliable. Statistical data processing for both qualitative and quantitative variables, is still likely to alter the true meaning of these variables. This article takes a critical approach to all these problems, and also focuses on the real aim of the BPH treatment, which above all is to restore comfortable functional balance but not necessarily urodynamic performance.

[Multifactorial urodynamic study of 115 patients with dysuria and benign prostatic hypertrophy]. / Etude multifactorielle des équilibres urodynamiques chez 115 patients dysuriques porteurs d'une hypertrophie bénigne de prostate.

Discriminant analyses based on preoperative urodynamic parameters have proved inaccurate in predicting functional results after prostatectomy. To investigate the cause of this failure, we studied a group of 115 patients consecutively referred for prostatism and selected for prostatic surgery only on clinical criteria and flow rate. A preoperative urodynamic work-up was performed, including cystometry and urethrometry. The patients were reexamined 2 months postoperatively and underwent control uroflowmetry. All preoperative urodynamic data were computed simultaneously using principal component analysis and canonical discriminant analysis. The significance of the diagrams obtained with these multifactorial analyses was more closely examined than in previous studies. The results of classification by the discriminant function demonstrating the best combination of preoperative urodynamic variables resulted in 44% of patients being correctly rated. Examination of the diagrams showed that the major cause of failure in previous studies was the great variety of urodynamic conditions in men with prostatism, which indicates a need for multifactorial interpretation of the results of urodynamic explorations.

[Prevention of complications in inguinal lymphadenectomy]. / Prévention des complications de la lymphadénectomie inguinale.

Inguinal lymphadenectomy, as indicated in the treatment of metastases of carcinoma of the penis and of malignant melanoma in the inguinal lymph nodes, involves considerable mortality and morbidity. From February, 1988, to January, 1990, we performed 15 inguinal lymphadenectomies in 10 patients with an average age 51.9 +/- 5.3 years. The technique used combined a transverse incision parallel to the inguinal fold, complete inguinal lymphadenectomy, transposition of the sartorius muscle and vaporization of a film of fibrin glue. The last 2 operations, besides the effectives protection of the femoral pedicle, aim at suppressing dead spaces that may produce hematomas, subcutaneous infection or lymphoceles, and at avoiding the insertion of an aspiration drain, which causes persistent lymphorrhea. Out of the 15 cases of lymphadenectomy, 5 presented with a small- (48 ml in average) or medium-volume (200 ml) lymphocele, which was treated by a simple evacuating puncture. No necrosis of the skin edges, subcutaneous infection or lymphorrhea were observed. These results are encouraging, since our patients can rapidly resume their social life and have an acceptable quality of survival.

[Electrocoagulation of the paraurethral glands (Reiser's operation) in women with urethro-cystalgia]. / L'électrocoagulation des glandes para-urétrales (opération de Rieser) dans les uréthro-cystalgies de la femme.

One hundred nineteen cases of women with chronic urethrocystalgia were reviewed. The symptoms were dominated by urethral burning (83%) and pollakiuria (75%). Electrosection of the paraurethral glands according to Rieser's technique and resection of the urethral floor (100% of cases) were combined with hymeneoplasty in 9% of cases. The results concern 67 women with a mean follow-up of 6 years: cure: 36%; marked improvement: 34%; no change: 30%. The authors discuss the presence of paraurethral glands, their role in the urethrocystalgia syndrome and the place of Rieser's operation in their treatment.

Management of regional lymph nodes in carcinoma of the penis.

In the management of carcinoma of the penis, standard treatment of the primary tumor is by radiotherapy for small lesions (Tis, T1, T2 located in the glans) and by amputation in other cases (T2 with invasion of the shaft). The diagnosis and treatment of regional lymph nodes are thus the essential problems with this cancer. In our series of 45 patients with a minimum 5-year follow-up, clinical assessment was incorrect in 22.5% of cases (22% of the patients with negative bilateral biopsy of the superficial inguinal nodes developed metastases), and many of the complications (flap necrosis, lymphedema) occurring after inguinal lymphadenectomy contributed to a poorer quality of patient survival. A therapeutic approach to the management of regional lymph nodes in order to combat the carcinoma more effectively and improve patient survival quality is suggested.

[Changes in bladder contractility in spinal cord diseases]. / Evolution de la contractilité vésicale dans les lésions médullaires centrales.

Changes in bladder contractility were studied by repeated cystomanometry in 147 patients suffering from central medullary lesions of sudden onset, including 93 cases of spinal shock. The morphology of contraction was always modified in the same fashion though intermediate stages were apparent, some being quite characteristic of neurological dysfunction. This process, which ends in a phasic contraction reproduces the stages of ontogenesis. When contractions are present, but do not produce complete bladder emptying, spontaneous improvement is unlikely in the presence of a complete lesion; sphincterotomy should therefore be considered at an early stage.

[Does perineal muscle testing provide information on the quality of the urethral sphincter in women?]. / Le testing des muscles périnéaux renseigne-t-il sur la qualité des sphincters urétraux de la femme?

A prospective study was carried out on 100 women presenting with urinary incontinence with the intent of determining whether a relationship could be found between the quality of the perineal musculature, as assessed by testing the levatores, and that of the urethral sphincters, as assessed by a study of the urethral pressure profile, thereby defining the respective importance of each of these tests. The mean maximum closing pressure values were compared for three groups whose testing was scored good, fair or nil. Evidence of a positive relationship existing between the levatores testing and the maximum closing pressure against rest (p less than 0.05) and stress (holding-back) (p less than 0.01) urethral pressure profiles was brought forth. However, this relationship does not allow to extrapolate the testing results to the sphinters. In practice, at the individual patient level, one may be satisfied by merely testing the pelvic musculature in case of reeducational treatment of incontinence. Nevertheless, whenever surgery is indicated, objective assessment of the urethral sphincters by ways of an urethral pressure profile study is mandatory.