Incidentally found focal xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis with extensive venous thrombus.

A 71-year-old woman with history of asthma presented with 2 months history of shortness of breath; on imaging an incidental left renal mass was noted. Subsequent renal protocol CT was obtained that showed a 4.5 cm left upper pole exophytic mass with renal vein thrombus extending into the inferior vena cava to the level of the caudate lobe concerning for renal cell carcinoma. She underwent an open left radical nephrectomy and IVC thrombectomy with subsequent postoperative pathology demonstrating xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis without renal cell carcinoma.

Impact of catheter size on pain and continence following robotic prostatectomy.

INTRODUCTION Continence and catheter related pain following prostatectomy are significant patient concerns, and it is unknown whether catheter size impacts these variables. In this study, patients undergoing prostatectomy were randomized to receive either a 16 French or 20 French catheter to assess the impact of catheter size on postoperative continence and pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were prospectively randomized to receive either a 16 French or a 20 French latex catheter at the completion of prostatectomy. Subjects were asked on postoperative day 7 to report their average catheter-related pain and the amount of opioid medication used. International Prostate Symptom Score, Quality of Life score and pads per day were recorded 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were randomized. Seven were excluded: surgeon catheter preference (3) or withdrawal of consent (4). Demographic and pathologic data did not differ between groups (all p > 0.20). Catheter pain scores and postoperative opioid use were not different between groups (all p > 0.78). Postoperative subjective urinary symptom scores, and pads per day did not differ between groups at both 6 and 12 weeks (all p > 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: Catheter size did not impact postoperative urethral and bladder pain or continence prostatectomy. These data suggest that surgeon preference should guide catheter selection between 16-20 French. Future studies might investigate precise intraoperative anastomosis size measurement and the impact of catheter size on pain scores in a nonoperative population.

Intraperitoneal Rupture of a Synovial Sarcoma of the Kidney.

Primary renal synovial sarcoma is an aggressive, extremely rare disease. Nearly all reported cases are characterized by SYT-SSX gene translocation (X;18)(p11;q11). We describe the case of a 43-year-old woman who presented with an intraperitoneal rupture of this rare sarcoma followed by a right radical nephrectomy. Follow-up imaging 1 month after surgery revealed peritoneal carcinomatosis. She began systemic chemotherapy with doxorubicin and dacarbazine, progressed after 3 months, and is currently receiving single-agent ifosfamide. Only one instance of intraperitoneal rupture has been reported previously. This case report contributes to the characterization of this rare disease.

Outcomes after Robotic-assisted Pyeloplasty in Patients Presenting with Pain Versus Nonpain Presenting Symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of presenting symptom or incidental finding on symptomatic and radiographic outcomes after robotic-assisted pyeloplasty (RAP). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 143 patients at our institution who received pyeloplasty from 2001-2017. Patients without both pre- and postoperative radiographic data were excluded. Patients were grouped by primary presenting symptom into either pain at presentation (pain) or nonpain primary presenting symptom, including incidental findings (nonpain). Primary outcomes were persistence of postoperative symptoms and improvement in diuretic renogram half-times. RESULTS: The study inclusion criteria was met by 105 patients. Pain was the most common presenting symptom (70.0%), followed by incidental finding (10.5%), infection (7.6%), hematuria (4.8%), hypertension (2.8%), elevated creatinine (2.8%), and nausea (1.0%). Patients with nonpain presentations were significantly more likely to have postoperative symptoms (P = .04), and less likely to improve on diuretic renogram (P = .03). Incidental presentation was found to be associated with greater likelihood of persistent postoperative symptoms compared with other presentations (36.3% vs 8.5%, P = .02). CONCLUSION: Ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) patients presenting with pain, experience better symptom and radiographic improvement following RAP compared with patients presenting without pain. Incidental UPJO was the most common nonpain presentation and is associated with less symptomatic and radiographic benefit after RAP. These findings will help reconstructive urologists counsel patients with UPJO regarding outcomes of RAP.

Exploring Structural Parameters for Pretargeting Radioligand Optimization.

Pretargeting offers a way to enhance target specificity while reducing off-target radiation dose to healthy tissue during payload delivery. We recently reported the development of an 18F-based pretargeting strategy predicated on the inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction as well as the use of this approach to visualize pancreatic tumor tissue in vivo as early as 1 h postinjection. Herein, we report a comprehensive structure: pharmacokinetic relationship study of a library of 25 novel radioligands that aims to identify radiotracers with optimal pharmacokinetic and dosimetric properties. This investigation revealed key relationships between molecular structure and in vivo behavior and produced two lead candidates exhibiting rapid tumor targeting with high target-to-background activity concentration ratios at early time points. We believe this knowledge to be of high value for the design and clinical translation of next-generation pretargeting agents for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Surgical solution to an intracorporeal nickel allergy.

A previously healthy 30-year-old man with a symptomatic varicocele underwent gonadal vein embolization using nickel vascular plugs. He developed a painful hypersensitivity to his nickel plugs and elected to pursue laparoscopic excision and proximal gonadal vein ligation. In the operating room, the gonadal vein was isolated from the ureter, and ligated proximal to the cephalad plug and distal to the caudal coil. His pain is completely resolved 5 months after surgery. Metal allergies are well documented in orthopedics and cardiology implants, but there are a limited number of case reports of metal allergies after varicocele embolization. Interestingly, nickel is the most common type of metal hypersensitivity.

Selective Imaging of VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 Using 89Zr-Labeled Single-Chain VEGF Mutants.

Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) acts via 2 vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, that play important and distinct roles in tumor biology. We reasoned that selective imaging of these receptors could provide unique information for diagnostics and for monitoring and optimizing responses to anticancer therapy, including antiangiogenic therapy. Herein, we report the development of 2 first-in-class 89Zr-labeled PET tracers that enable the selective imaging of VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2. METHODS: Functionally active mutants of scVEGF (an engineered single-chain version of pan-receptor VEGF-A with an N-terminal cysteine-containing tag for site-specific conjugation), named scVR1 and scVR2 with enhanced affinity to, respectively, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, were constructed. Parental scVEGF and its receptor-specific mutants were site-specifically derivatized with the 89Zr chelator desferroxamine B via a 3.4-kDa PEG linker. 89Zr labeling of the desferroxamine B conjugates furnished scV/Zr, scVR1/Zr, and scVR2/Zr tracers with high radiochemical yield (>87%), high specific activity (≥9.8 MBq/nmol), and purity (>99%). Tracers were tested in an orthotopic breast cancer model using 4T1luc-bearing syngeneic BALB/c mice. For testing tracer specificity, tracers were coinjected with an excess of cold proteins of the same or opposite receptor specificity or pan-receptor scVEGF. PET imaging, biodistribution, and dosimetry studies in mice, as well as immunohistochemical analysis of harvested tumors, were performed. RESULTS: All tracers rapidly accumulated in orthotopic 4T1luc tumors, allowing for the successful PET imaging of the tumors as early as 2 h after injection. Blocking experiments with an excess of pan-receptor or receptor-specific cold proteins indicated that more than 80% of tracer tumor uptake is VEGFR-mediated, whereas uptake in all major organs is not affected by blocking within the margin of error. Critically, blocking experiments indicated that VEGFR-mediated tumor uptake of scVR1/Zr and scVR2/Zr was mediated exclusively by the corresponding receptor, VEGFR-1 or VEGFR-2, respectively. In contrast, uptake of pan-receptor scV/Zr was mediated by both VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 at an approximately 2:1 ratio. CONCLUSION: First-in-class selective PET tracers for imaging VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 were constructed and successfully validated in an orthotopic murine tumor model.

(18)F-Based Pretargeted PET Imaging Based on Bioorthogonal Diels-Alder Click Chemistry.

A first-of-its-kind (18)F pretargeted PET imaging approach based on the bioorthogonal inverse electron demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reaction between tetrazine (Tz) and trans-cyclooctene (TCO) is presented. As proof-of-principle, a TCO-bearing immunoconjugate of the anti-CA19.9 antibody 5B1 and an Al[(18)F]NOTA-labeled tetrazine radioligand were harnessed for the visualization of CA19.9-expressing BxPC3 pancreatic cancer xenografts. Biodistribution and (18)F-PET imaging data clearly demonstrate that this methodology effectively delineates tumor mass with activity concentrations up to 6.4 %ID/g at 4 h after injection of the radioligand.

p-SCN-Bn-HOPO: A Superior Bifunctional Chelator for (89)Zr ImmunoPET.

Zirconium-89 has an ideal half-life for use in antibody-based PET imaging; however, when used with the chelator DFO, there is an accumulation of radioactivity in the bone, suggesting that the (89)Zr(4+) cation is being released in vivo. Therefore, a more robust chelator for (89)Zr could reduce the in vivo release and the dose to nontarget tissues. Evaluation of the ligand 3,4,3-(LI-1,2-HOPO) demonstrated efficient binding of (89)Zr(4+) and high stability; therefore, we developed a bifunctional derivative, p-SCN-Bn-HOPO, for conjugation to an antibody. A Zr-HOPO crystal structure was obtained showing that the Zr is fully coordinated by the octadentate HOPO ligand, as expected, forming a stable complex. p-SCN-Bn-HOPO was synthesized through a novel pathway. Both p-SCN-Bn-HOPO and p-SCN-Bn-DFO were conjugated to trastuzumab and radiolabeled with (89)Zr. Both complexes labeled efficiently and achieved specific activities of approximately 2 mCi/mg. PET imaging studies in nude mice with BT474 tumors (n = 4) showed good tumor uptake for both compounds, but with a marked decrease in bone uptake for the (89)Zr-HOPO-trastuzumab images. Biodistribution data confirmed the lower bone activity, measuring 17.0%ID/g in the bone at 336 h for (89)Zr-DFO-trastuzumab while (89)Zr-HOPO-trastuzumab only had 2.4%ID/g. We successfully synthesized p-SCN-Bn-HOPO, a bifunctional derivative of 3,4,3-(LI-1,2-HOPO) as a potential chelator for (89)Zr. In vivo studies demonstrate the successful use of (89)Zr-HOPO-trastuzumab to image BT474 breast cancer with low background, good tumor to organ contrast, and, importantly, very low bone uptake. The reduced bone uptake seen with (89)Zr-HOPO-trastuzumab suggests superior stability of the (89)Zr-HOPO complex.

Does a perioperative belladonna and opium suppository improve postoperative pain following robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy? Results of a single institution randomized study.

INTRODUCTION: Robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) is a common treatment for localized prostate cancer. Despite a primary advantage of improved postoperative pain, patients undergoing RALP still experience discomfort. Belladonna, containing the muscarinic receptor antagonists atropine and scopolamine, in combination with opium as a rectal suppository (B & O) may improve post-RALP pain. This study evaluates whether a single preoperative B & O results in decreased postoperative patient-reported pain and analgesic requirements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing RALP at Virginia Mason Medical Center between November 2008 and July 2009 were offered the opportunity to enter a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Exclusion criteria included: glaucoma, bronchial asthma, convulsive disorders, chronic pain, chronic use of analgesics, or a history of alcohol or opioid dependency. Surgeons were blinded to suppository placement which was administered after induction of anesthesia. All patients underwent a standardized anesthesia regimen. Postoperative pain was assessed by a visual analog scale (VAS) and postoperative narcotic use was calculated in intravenous morphine equivalents. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients were included in the analysis. The B & O and control groups were not significantly different in terms of age, body mass index, operative time, nerve sparing status or prostatic volume. Postoperative pain was significantly improved during the first two postoperative hours in the B & O group. Similarly, 24-hour morphine consumption was significantly lower in patients who received a B & O. No adverse effects secondary to suppository placement were identified. CONCLUSION: Preoperative administration of B & O suppository results in significantly decreased postoperative pain and 24-hour morphine consumption in patients undergoing RALP.

Phase II trial of neoadjuvant docetaxel and gefitinib followed by radical prostatectomy in patients with high-risk, locally advanced prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer trials investigating neoadjuvant hormonal therapy, followed by surgery, have demonstrated that elimination of all tumor cells from the primary site is rare. The authors report a phase 2 trial assessing the efficacy and toxicity of docetaxel and gefitinib in patients with high-risk localized prostate cancer as neoadjuvant therapy before radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS: Thirty-one patients with high-risk prostate cancer were treated with docetaxel and gefitinib for 2 months before RP. All patients met the criteria of clinical stage T2b-3 or serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level >20 ng/mL, or Gleason score of 8 to 10. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response. Secondary objectives included clinical response. When available, endorectal coil magnetic resonance imaging (eMRI) was performed as part of clinical response evaluation. Immunohistochemical staining of epidermal growth factor receptor and HER-2/neu was performed on prechemotherapy and postchemotherapy prostate tissue. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 60 years, the median pretreatment PSA level was 7.43 ng/mL, and the median Gleason score was 8. Clinical staging prior to treatment consisted of: T1 in 4 patients, T2 in 17 patients, and T3 in 10 patients. One patient with enlarged pelvic adenopathy and T4 disease did not undergo RP. Thirty patients received all scheduled therapies including RP. Grade 3 toxicities included asymptomatic liver function test elevation in 4 (13%) patients, diarrhea in 1 (3%) patient, and fatigue in 1 (3%) patient. One patient experienced grade 4 toxicity with elevated alanine aminotransferase. RP specimen pathology demonstrated residual carcinoma in all cases. Twenty-nine (94%) patients achieved a clinical partial response, including 35% of patients who demonstrated radiographic improvement on eMRI. CONCLUSIONS: No pathologic complete response was noted in 31 patients treated with docetaxel and gefitinib. This combination was well tolerated, and did not result in increased surgical morbidity.

Comparison of laparoscopic and abdominal sacrocolpopexy for the treatment of vaginal vault prolapse.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSCP) offers a minimally invasive treatment for vaginal vault prolapse. We describe the surgical technique and offer insight into the learning curve. In addition, we performed a case series review comparing the laparoscopic procedure with its open surgical counterpart with respect to various demographic and perioperative parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Institutional Review Board-approved continence database at our institution was queried to identify all patients undergoing sacrocolpopexy between August 1999 and October 2004. The LSCP was performed in 25 patients, and open abdominal sacrocolpopexy (ASCP) was performed in 22 patients. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test and the Fisher exact test. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in the demographic characteristics of the patients undergoing the two approaches. The mean estimated blood loss (P = 0.0002) and mean length of hospitalization (P < 0.0001) were significantly less for LSCP, whereas the operative time was significantly longer (219.9 minutes v 185.2 minutes; P = 0.045). The success rate for LSCP at 5.9 months was 100%; the ASCP success rate at 11.0 months was 95%. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy led to shorter hospitalization, better hemostasis, and less pain than the open procedure. Early follow-up suggests that LSCP is as effective as ASCP for the treatment of vaginal vault prolapse.

Mechanical failure rate of da Vinci robotic system.

INTRODUCTION: Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RLRP) is playing an increasing role in the surgical management of prostate cancer. The benefits of minimally invasive surgery, enhanced surgeon familiarity with the instrumentation, and increased patient demand has led to the popularity of this surgical technique. There are, however, shortcomings specifically associated with this technology. Notably, instrumentation failure associated with robotic procedures represents a new and unique problem in urological surgery. We examine the rate of mechanical failure of the da Vinci robotic system and its impact on our prostate cancer program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed our prospective, institutional review board-approved database of the first 350 RLRP procedures that were scheduled for surgery at our institution. We identified all cases in which mechanical failure of the da Vinci robotic system resulted in surgery being cancelled, postponed, or converted to a conventional laparoscopic or an open radical prostatectomy. RESULTS: Nine of the 350 (2.6%) scheduled RLRPs were unable to be completed robotically secondary to device malfunction. Six of the malfunctions were detected prior to anesthesia induction and surgery was rescheduled. Three other malfunctions occurred intraoperatively and were converted either to a conventional laparoscopic (1 case) or an open surgical approach (2 cases). The etiology of the malfunctions included the following: set-up joint malfunction (2), arm malfunction (2), power error (1), monocular monitor loss (1), camera malfunction (1), metal fatigue/ break of surgeon's console hand piece (1) and software incompatibility (1). CONCLUSIONS: Although uncommon, malfunction of the da Vinci robotic system does occur and may lead to psychological, financial, and logistical burdens for patients, physicians, and hospitals. Patients should be carefully counseled preoperatively regarding the possibility of robotic mechanical failure.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: an objective assessment and review of the literature.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RLRP) has become an accepted treatment option for men with prostate cancer. A search of the available literature through January 2006 was performed to analyze the surgical technique, outcomes data, and other unique issues regarding RLRP. While prospective, randomized trials and long-term data are lacking, short-term data from single institution series have demonstrated outcomes for RLRP that appear to be equivalent to those for open radical prostatectomy (ORP). Although not yet proven, some encouraging data suggest that RLRP may be able to achieve improved cancer control, postoperative urinary control, and erectile function compared to open surgery for prostate cancer. Definite advantages of RLRP over ORP are not yet established. Future studies will determine the role of RLRP in the surgical treatment of men with prostate cancer.

High complication rate identified in sacrocolpopexy patients attributed to silicone mesh.

OBJECTIVES: To report on our experience using a preconfigured Y-shaped silicone-coated polyester mesh and polypropylene mesh for vaginal vault suspension. A variety of materials have been used for both open and laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy in the management of vaginal vault prolapse. Recently, a preconfigured Y-shaped silicone-coated polyester mesh was introduced to facilitate the vaginal cuff suspension to the sacrum. METHODS: We reviewed the data of 45 consecutive patients who underwent abdominal (n = 28) or laparoscopic (n = 17) sacrocolpopexy. Of the 45 patients, 21 underwent silicone mesh suspension of the vaginal cuff to the anterior sacrum, with a mean follow-up of 23 months (range 16 to 41). A comparative analysis was performed of 24 patients who underwent the same procedure with polypropylene mesh. RESULTS: Of the 21 patients in the silicone group, 5 (23.8%) have had a major complication (four vaginal mesh erosions and one mesh infection) after a median follow-up of 9.5 months (range 4 to 20). The presenting symptoms were persistent or new vaginal discharge and/or nonspecific pelvic pain. One patient underwent successful removal of the mesh transvaginally, but the rest required abdominal exploration. To date, the 24 patients who underwent vaginal cuff suspension with polypropylene mesh have had no vaginal mesh extrusions or infections, with a mean follow-up of 12 months (range 1 to 38). CONCLUSIONS: Silicone-coated polyester mesh has recently been associated with a high rate of vaginal erosion when used as a transvaginal suburethral sling. Our experience specifically with vaginal vault suspension corroborates this. We have abandoned the use of silicone mesh because of the unacceptably high extrusion rate and presently use polypropylene mesh.

Multiple bilateral perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) of the kidneys.

Perivascular Epithelial Cell (PEComa) Tumors are extremely rare. These tumors are often regarded as low grade Sarcomas and treated as such. We report a case of a 70 year old female with a history of nonspecific complaints and on routine CT scan had bilateral multiple renal masses with no other extra renal disease. The largest mass on the right was 11 cm x 7 cm x 11 cm and the left there were multiple smaller masses. She underwent a right radical nephrectomy that showed a PEComa and an adjacent renal cell carcinoma. Her contralateral kidney was followed for 3 years with no evidence of growth or metastasis.

Treatment of radiation induced hemorrhagic cystitis with hyperbaric oxygen.

PURPOSE: Hemorrhagic cystitis can occur 6 months to 10 years after pelvic radiation therapy with moderate to severe persistent rates of hematuria as 3% to 5% after radiotherapy for pelvic malignancies. Current treatment modalities for hemorrhagic cystitis include oral and intravenous agents, intravesical therapy and selective embolization of the hypogastric arteries. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is now a widely accepted treatment option for radiation induced hemorrhagic cystitis. We assess the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen for treatment of hemorrhagic cystitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From May 1988 through March 2001, 62 patients with radiation induced hemorrhagic cystitis were treated with hyperbaric oxygen at our institution. Followup ranged from 10 to 120 months. The primary pathological conditions were prostate cancer (81%) and bladder cancer (10%). Mean patient age was 70 years (range 15 to 88). Mean time between completion of radiation therapy and onset of hematuria was 48 months (range 0 to 355). Patients received an average of 33 hyperbaric oxygen treatments (range 9 to 68). RESULTS: Of the 62 patients treated information on 57 was available for analysis. Of the 57 patients (86%) 49 experienced complete resolution or marked improvement of hematuria following hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Of the 8 patients who did not improve 4 received fewer than 40 hyperbaric oxygen treatments and 7 prematurely terminated treatment (medical co-morbidities 4, claustrophobia 2, temporary resolution of symptoms 1). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for radiation induced hemorrhagic cystitis is an efficacious treatment modality for patients in whom other forms of management have failed.