Intraoperative assessment of ureteral and graft reperfusion during robotic kidney transplantation with indocyanine green fluorescence videography.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to report the first preliminary experience with intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence videography (IFV) to assess graft and ureteral reperfusion during robot-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT). METHODS: We prospectively collected data from consecutive patients undergoing RAKT and IFV from living-donors at our Institution between January 2017 and April 2018. RAKT was performed following the principles of the Vattikuti-Medanta technique. ICG was injected intravenously after vascular anastomoses to quantitate graft and ureteral fluorescence signal. The signal intensity within selected intraoperative snapshots was evaluated for renal parenchyma, ureter and vascular anastomoses. A systematic review of the English-language literature about the topic was performed according to the PRISMA statement recommendations. RESULTS: Six patients were included. Neither conversions to open surgery nor major intra- or postoperative complications were recorded. At a median follow-up of 12 months (IQR 8-13), median estimated glomerular filtration rate was 64.2 mL/min/1.73 m2 (IQR 45.3-98.4). Intraoperative quantitative assessment of ICG fluorescence was successful in all patients. Of the five studies selected by our review, mostly prospective studies, all including open KT series. Yet, most studies were limited by lack of quantitative measures of IFV fluorescence. CONCLUSIONS: IFV during RAKT is feasible and safe and provides a reliable assessment of graft reperfusion. Larger studies are needed to standardize the technique and to evaluate the association between fluorescence signal, ultrasound parameters and postoperative kidney function.

Is Preoperative Assessment and Treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Necessary for Reducing the Risk of Postoperative Symptomatic Urinary Tract Infections After Urologic Surgical Procedures?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether it is always necessary to test for the presence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (AB) in patients undergoing urologic surgical procedures, and if present, whether to treat AB with antimicrobial prophylaxis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients who underwent urologic surgical procedures from December 2008 to October 2013 in a tertiary referral urologic center were considered for this study. All patients received antimicrobial prophylaxis in line with European Association of Urology guidelines on urologic infections. AB was diagnosed if ≥105 colony-forming units/mL were cultured. The population was subdivided into 2 groups: group A, patients with preoperative AB, and group B, patients without AB. Data on postoperative symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs) were compared for the 2 groups. RESULTS: A total of 2201 patients were considered eligible for this study and were analyzed; 668 (30.4%) patients were found to harbor AB (group A), and 1533 (69.6%) patients did not have AB (group B). Microbiologically verified symptomatic postoperative UTIs occurred in 198 patients (8.9%). No difference in terms of overall rate of postoperative symptomatic UTI was found between the 2 groups (group A: 70 [10.4%] and group B: 128 [8.3%]; OR: 1.28 95%CI 0.94-1.74; P = .12), as well as in terms of urosepsis (group A: 2 [0.30%] and group B: 4 [0.26%]; P = 1.0). CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing urologic surgical procedures who are receiving antimicrobial prophylaxis in accordance with European Association of Urology guidelines, the preoperative presence of AB in this study was not associated with a higher incidence of postoperative symptomatic UTI.

Contemporary monopolar and bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate: prospective assessment of complications using the Clavien system.

PURPOSE: A modified version of the Clavien system has been recently suggested to allow a standardized assessment of complications associated with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Aim of this multicentre study was to validate the use of this assessment tool in a contemporary cohort of patients undergoing monopolar or bipolar TURP. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing TURP in five Italian institutions from April 2011 to March 2012 were prospectively included in this study. Complications occurring within first postoperative month were recorded and graded according to the modified Clavien system. Univariate and binary logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety-five patients were included in the study. Overall, 47 complications were recorded in 44 patients. There was no difference in terms of postoperative complications between those who underwent monopolar TURP (27 pts; 9.2 %) versus those who underwent bipolar TURP (17 pts; 5.2 %, p = 0.142). Overall perioperative morbidity rate was 15.5 %. Most of the complications were Clavien type I (37 cases; 78 %) and II (6 cases; 12 %). High-grade complications were few as follows: Clavien type IIIb in two cases (4 %) and IV in two cases (4 %). No TURP-related deaths were reported. In the monopolar TURP group, a longer-operative time (OR 1.024; 95 % CI 1.007-1.040, p = 0.004) is an independent predictors of postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: A modified Clavien system can be considered a practical and easily applicable tool in grading postoperative complications in patients undergoing TURP. Our findings confirm that TURP is a safe procedure associated with minimal perioperative morbidity.

Visual assessment of uroflowmetry curves: description and interpretation by urodynamists.

The aim of study is to verify the aptitude of urodynamists to carry out an objective description of uroflowmetric parameters and to formulate a diagnostic suspicion by using merely the visual interpretation of uroflowmetry curves. An anonymous questionnaire including ten uroflowmetry curves was administered to urologists participating in the XXVI Congress of the Italian Society of Urodynamics (SIUD). To evaluate the accuracy in the description of uroflowmetry pattern, we asked to classify as "normal" or "abnormal" all uroflowmetry parameters; to assess the capability to outline a diagnostic suspicion, we requested to choose one out of six possible diagnoses. Inter- and intraobserver agreements were calculated. We overall recruited 105 questionnaires out of 300 urologists attending the SIUD Congress. Substantial interobserver agreement was obtained for maximum flow rate, average flow rate, flow time, and voiding time (K=0.79, 0.79, 0.77, and 0.72), whereas substantial intraobserver agreements were evidenced for maximum flow rate and flow time (K=0.70 and 0.63). We noted substantial agreement for the "No abnormalities" diagnosis (K=0.72), fair agreement for "Urethral stricture" (K=0.30), and slight agreement for both "Benign prostatic obstruction" and "Bladder outflow obstruction" (K=0.17 and 0.20); moreover, we reported a moderate intraobserver agreement (K=0.05) on diagnostic suspicion. Maximum flow rate, average flow rate, flow time, and voiding time are properly assessed by the large part of urodynamists. Flow curves from healthy men or from patients with urethral stricture or benign prostatic obstruction are easily recognizable. Long experience and daily practice may make the difference in the assessment of uroflowmetry curves.