Quantifying the Educational History of the Endourological Society Fellowship Programs in the United States.

Introduction: We examined the history of the Endourological Society through the lens of its fellowship programs in the United States (U.S.). Methods: A review of the list of fellowship programs published annually in the Journal of Endourology from 1987 to 2015 allowed us to track the growth in fellowship programs over time. We reviewed the Endourological Society fellowship database and the websites for each of the fellowship programs for the names of graduates from each program. A survey was sent to each fellowship program director with a list of their graduates asking them to verify the names and to identify those graduates who had pursued a career in academic urology, and whether they had served as fellowship program director, residency program director or department chairperson. Seventeen of the 52 U.S. program directors (33%) responded to the survey. For those programs that did not respond to the survey each graduate's name was searched via Google, LinkedIn, and/or Doximity to determine if they had pursued a career in academic urology and served in a leadership position. Results: The number of U.S. Endourological Society fellowships has increased from 11 in 1987 to 52 in 2021. Five hundred and seventy-seven fellows have graduated from an Endourological Society Fellowship in the United States from 1987 to 2021. Two hundred and fifty fellows have pursued a career in academic urology (43.3%), 46 have served as fellowship program director (8.0%), 9 as residency program director (1.6%), and 13 have served as department chairperson (2.3%). Conclusions: The progress of the Endourological Society can be directly tied to the historical growth of its fellowship programs and the pursuit of an academic career by many of its graduates leading them to become the current and future educational leaders in the field.

Fully Automated Longitudinal Assessment of Renal Stone Burden on Serial CT Imaging Using Deep Learning.

Purpose: Use deep learning (DL) to automate the measurement and tracking of kidney stone burden over serial CT scans. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 259 scans from 113 symptomatic patients being treated for urolithiasis at a single medical center between 2006 and 2019. These patients underwent a standard low-dose noncontrast CT scan followed by ultra-low-dose CT scans limited to the level of the kidneys. A DL model was used to detect, segment, and measure the volume of all stones in both initial and follow-up scans. The stone burden was characterized by the total volume of all stones in a scan (SV). The absolute and relative change of SV, (SVA and SVR, respectively) over serial scans were computed. The automated assessments were compared with manual assessments using concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), and their agreement was visualized using Bland-Altman and scatter plots. Results: Two hundred twenty-eight out of 233 scans with stones were identified by the automated pipeline; per-scan sensitivity was 97.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 96.0-99.7). The per-scan positive predictive value was 96.6% (95% CI: 94.4-98.8). The median SV, SVA, and SVR were 476.5 mm3, -10 mm3, and 0.89, respectively. After removing outliers outside the 5th and 95th percentiles, the CCC measuring agreement on SV, SVA, and SVR were 0.995 (0.992-0.996), 0.980 (0.972-0.986), and 0.915 (0.881-0.939), respectively Conclusions: The automated DL-based measurements showed good agreement with the manual assessments of the stone burden and its interval change on serial CT scans.

Ureteroscopy and Shock Wave Lithotripsy Trends from 2012 to 2019 Within the US Medicare Dataset: Sharp Growth in Ureteroscopy Utilization.

Introduction and Objective: Both ureteroscopy (URS) and shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) are cornerstones in the surgical management of urolithiasis in the United States. We hypothesized that URS utilization outpaced SWL utilization in recent years and quantified the magnitude of change over time for caseloads of URS and SWL among urologists from a national Medicare database. Methods: Using the public "Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners" database (https://data.cms.gov), we determined case numbers of SWL (current procedural terminology [CPT] 50590) and URS (CPT 52356 or 52353) from 2012 to 2019. In a subanalysis, we identified "high-volume stone urologists" as those in the upper quartile of case numbers for both SWL and URS in baseline years of either 2012 or 2013 and trended their caseload from 2012 to 2019. Linear estimation models assessed annual rates of change and their statistical significance. Results: In 2012, urologists performed 41,135 SWL procedures vs 21,184 URS. URS overtook SWL in 2017 and by 2019 was the dominant modality (60,063 URS vs 43,635 SWL). Between 2012 and 2019, total URS cases annually increased by 5700 (15%/year, p < 0.001), while the number of SWL cases peaked in 2015 and has since declined on average -1.6%/year (p = 0.020). The number of urologists performing URS steadily rose from 1147 in 2012 to 2809 in 2019, reflecting an additional 246 urologists (21%/year) performing URS annually. The caseload of high-volume stone urologists showed similar trends with average URS cases increasing by 2.9/year/urologist (9.8%/year, p < 0.001) and average SWL cases declining by 0.9/year/urologist (-1.7%/year, p = 0.023). Conclusions: URS utilization has increased dramatically and outpaced SWL utilization from 2012 to 2019 within the Medicare population. URS was increasingly used by both the general urologist population and high-volume stone urologists while SWL utilization has begun to decline.

Low Income and Nonwhite Race are Strongly Associated with Worse Quality of Life in Patients with Nephrolithiasis.

PURPOSE: Kidney stones are a source of significant morbidity which have been shown to negatively impact health related quality of life. We sought to understand the association between health related quality of life, socioeconomic status and race among patients with kidney stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with stones at a total of 11 stone centers across the United States completed the WISQOL (Wisconsin Stone Quality of Life questionnaire). The patient ZIP Code™ was used to estimate household income. A mixed effects regression model was constructed for analysis with ZIP Code as the random intercept. RESULTS: A total of 2,057 stone formers completed the WISQOL. Lower income was independently associated with significantly lower health related quality of life (ß = 0.372, p = 0.014), as were nonwhite race (ß = -0.299, p = 0.001), unemployed work status (ß = -0.291, p = 0.008), female gender (ß = -0.204, p <0.001), body mass index greater than 40 kg/m2 (ß = -0.380, p <0.001), 5 or more medical comorbidities (ß = -0.354, p = 0.001), severe recurrent stone formation (ß = -0.146, p = 0.045), enrollment at an acute care visit, or a preoperative or postoperative appointment (ß = -0.548, p <0.001) and recent stone symptoms (ß = -0.892, p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Lower income, nonwhite race and unemployed work status were independently associated with lower health related quality of life among patients with kidney stones. While clinical characteristics such as body mass and stone disease severity were also associated with health related quality of life, this study shows that socioeconomic factors are similarly important. Further research to understand the specific mechanisms by which socioeconomic status and race impact health may lend insight into methods to optimize clinical treatment of stone formers and patients with other chronic diseases.

A survey of patient preferences regarding medical expulsive therapy following the SUSPEND trial.

INTRODUCTION: Several recent trials have reported limited benefit for medical expulsive therapy (MET) in terms of stone passage rates, analgesic requirements, or need for intervention. We evaluated patient attitudes regarding MET after explaining these new findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a 12 week period, an investigator-designed survey was offered to sequential patients during routine appointments in our urologic clinic. A brief summary of the conflicting data for MET was provided. Patients then answered questions about their attitudes toward using MET. RESULTS: Patients (n = 200; 103 M, 97 F) were 56 ± 14 years old (range 20-103 years) and were mostly being seen for management of kidney stones (88%). Forty-nine percent reported they would try tamsulosin despite the new data; 26% said they would not, and 25% were unsure. Of patients indicating they would take tamsulosin, 35% stated they would also be willing to take steroids. Thirty-five percent of patients said they were willing to pay the full price of tamsulosin if needed. Seventy-one percent said they would prefer to try medical therapy prior to pursuing surgical therapy, again, despite new evidence regarding the efficacy of MET. CONCLUSION: In this initial report of patient attitudes about MET after SUSPEND trial results, we found that nearly half of patients would still try MET and that the vast majority of patients prioritize medical over surgical therapy when possible. As new research emerges, ways to translate this information to patients and to assess their attitudes and perceptions should be developed.

The economics of stone disease.

The rising prevalence of kidney stone disease is associated with significant costs to healthcare systems worldwide. This is in part due to direct procedural and medical management costs, as well as indirect costs to health systems, patients, and families. A number of manuscripts evaulating the economics of stone disease have been published since the 2008s International Consultation on Stone Disease. These highlight costs associated with stone disease, including acute management, surgical management, and medical management. This work hopes to highlight optimization in care by reducing inefficient treatments and maximizing cost-efficient preventative strategies.

Treatment expectations and health-related quality of life in stone formers.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The objective of this article is to address patients' expectations of stone treatment - both surgical and medical - and their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We present a rationale for greater inclusion of measures to assess patient expectations, satisfaction, and HRQOL into surgical and medical management for patients with recurrent urolithiasis. RECENT FINDINGS: Patients' treatment expectations and HRQOL are fundamental and progressive new areas of interest in urolithiasis. Patients whose treatment regimens result in outcomes that match their expectations are likely to be more satisfied, which may influence their HRQOL, a valid and valuable outcome of any medical treatment or procedure. Patient perceptions of treatment effects for stones, whether surgical or medical, are complex and may not reflect only stone-free rates, surgical complication rates, and side-effects, the outcomes of traditional interest in urology. SUMMARY: If we understand the issues of most importance to our patients, we can provide appropriate information and education that ensures the most realistic expectations, minimizes disappointment and risk, and contributes most to the patients' HRQOL.

Does socioeconomic status, age, or gender influence appointment attendance and completion of 24-hour urine collections?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of age, gender, and socioeconomic status with appointment attendance and completion of 24-hour urine collections to identify patient characteristics associated with barriers to treatment. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed under institutional review board approval for new patients scheduled at a single metabolic stone clinic over a 1.5-year period. Postal codes were used to identify poverty and education levels using US Census Bureau data. We evaluated 3 years of adherence based on "no shows," percentage of stone clinic appointments attended, and percentage of 24-hour urine collections completed. Quintile analyses were used to further explore nonlinear data. RESULTS: A total of 447 patients were included (246 men and 201 women). Mean age was 49 ± 14.5 years. Younger age, areas of higher poverty, and areas of lower education were all weakly to moderately associated with increased "no show" rates and decreased clinic attendance. Men tended to not show for appointments more frequently than women (P = .043). When grouped by age groups, younger age was strongly correlated with decreased 24-hour urine collection completion (R = 0.75). When divided into age quintiles, relationships between "no shows" and clinic attendance were strengthened as they were when patients were divided into poverty quintiles. CONCLUSION: It is critical for providers to be aware of health disparities in medical stone management. Low education, high poverty, and younger age are associated with suboptimal evaluation follow-up. Of note, the lowest adherence was in younger patients, a population that requires the most urgent workup.

Current practice patterns of urologists providing nutrition recommendations to patients with kidney stones.

OBJECTIVE: To assess urologists' practice patterns and beliefs about dietary therapy for stone prevention. Dietary therapy is offered to stone formers (SFs) by a subset of urologists. While some may involve a registered dietitian (RD) to provide medical nutrition therapy (MNT), most do not as MNT is Medicare-covered only for diabetes and chronic kidney disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An investigator-created survey was distributed to assess Endourological Society members' opinions, confidence, and practices regarding nutrition therapy. RESULTS: Respondents (n=217) practice largely in academic, hospital/clinic, and private settings. Most (82%) felt dietary therapy should be provided regardless of the number of stone events. Most (90%) said the urologist should provide dietary recommendations and more than half (52%) do so for ≥75% of patients (10% provide it for <25%). Time spent with SFs for nutrition varied from ≤4 to ≥10 minutes (31% and 23%) with 64% feeling this to be insufficient time. Of urologists providing counseling, 58% assess their patients' diets. Self-confidence in determining dietary contributors to risk factors and in quantifying intake of foods/nutrients varied (range 45%-82%). Most (76%) said they would like another provider to give recommendations; 23% partner with an RD to do so. CONCLUSIONS: Urologists are interested in dietary stone prevention, despite the fact that the majority have inadequate time to provide it. We identified areas of educational need, specifically, quantifying patients' intake of certain foods/nutrients and identifying whether stone risk factors are diet related. Urologists' skill gaps are precisely the strengths of RDs, and thus, a partnership between RDs and urologists could be beneficial.

Current practices in percutaneous nephrolithotomy among endourologists.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize current practices of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) among endourologists in relation to practice setting, experience, and fellowship training. METHODS: An Internet survey was administered to active Endourological Society members. Responses were grouped based on demographic information pertaining to setting of practice, number of years practiced, and fellowship training in endourology. PCNL technique details were evaluated and compared by each group. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. RESULTS: Two hundred ninety-three completed responses of 2000 were received. There was a significant difference in the experience level among respondents (p < 0.001), with a relatively greater proportion being 11-20 years in practice. The majority of respondents were academic urologists (74%), with 18% being within a group-based private practice. Seventy-seven percent of respondents obtained their own access while 19% had access by interventional radiologists. Sixty-two percent were endourology fellowship trained, and fellows were significantly more likely to obtain their own access (82% vs 71%, p=0.022). Eighty-six percent used the prone position to obtain access, 10% used supine, and 4% used lateral decubitus. An antegrade approach was preferred by 68%, while 18.5% used a retrograde, and 12% used a combined approach. Overall, 76% placed a nephrostomy tube for postoperative drainage; a ureteral stent or catheter was placed in 28% or 11% of respondents, respectively, and only 6 respondents (2%) performed a "tubeless" procedure without any drainage. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of Endourological Society members performing PCNLs who responded obtain their own access, and there is a higher proportion of self-obtained access in fellowship-trained endourologists. Prone positioning is predominant, and more than 75% of respondents leave a nephrostomy tube postoperatively, underscoring that the tubeless approach is rare.

Shared medical appointments for patients with kidney stones new to medical management decrease appointment wait time and increase patient knowledge.

PURPOSE: Urolithiasis is associated with pain and other health related quality of life decrements. Lack of access to multidisciplinary care is a barrier to prevention. We developed a shared medical appointment to improve access as well as patient education and exposure to multidisciplinary care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 112 patients (51 ± 14 years, range 19 to 87) were seen in 27 shared medical appointments during 14 months. Patients were seen using existing clinic space, staff and providers. We targeted new patients for the shared medical appointments. We incorporated presentations as well as multidisciplinary rounding in a group setting to provide care for the participants. Patients were surveyed to measure satisfaction as well as knowledge of key prevention concepts. RESULTS: Appointment wait time decreased steadily from 180±77 days before shared medical appointments to 84±39 days. The number of patients seen per month increased by 43%. The number of new clinic patients, which includes those seen in shared medical appointments and in individual appointments, who received nutrition education and intervention increased from approximately 50% before shared medical appointments to nearly 75%. Patients who attended a shared medical appointment overwhelmingly (87%) rated their satisfaction as excellent or very good; 90% of patients said they would recommend this kind of visit to others. Posttests revealed that patients in shared medical appointments had superior knowledge (p<0.02) than controls. CONCLUSIONS: Shared medical appointments can be an efficient way to evaluate and manage new patients for urolithiasis prevention. Patient satisfaction was high and knowledge about prevention was higher than that of patients seen in individual appointments.

Development of an instrument to assess the health related quality of life of kidney stone formers.

PURPOSE: Urolithiasis is associated with pain and other decreases in health related quality of life, yet there is no urolithiasis specific instrument to measure quality of life. Quality of life is an important end point in the management of urolithiasis. Therefore, we developed the Wisconsin StoneQOL, a disease specific instrument to assess the quality of life of patients with urolithiasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients and urology providers identified important concepts related to quality of life of stone formers in groups and in individual cognitive interviews. Patients were recurrent stone formers including those with and those without current stones. A preliminary instrument was created, followed by patient feedback and item reduction. A 28-question instrument was ultimately developed which was tested for reliability as well as internal face, construct and discriminant validity in 248 stone formers. RESULTS: The internal consistency (for questions within domains) was high (mean Cronbach's α = 0.81). Correlation between domains was confirmed (Cronbach's α = 0.86). Discriminant validity was shown as stone formers with current stones scored lower than those who were stone-free. Among patients with active stones, those with symptoms scored lower on most questions and for the total score (p <0.0001) than those who were asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: The Wisconsin StoneQOL holds promise as a disease specific instrument that captures the unique symptoms and challenges associated with urolithiasis. As such, the Wisconsin StoneQOL is capable of assessing the health related quality of life of stone formers at various points along the disease continuum. Future assessment will establish minimal clinically important differences for use in individual patients.

Automated volumetric assessment by noncontrast computed tomography in the surveillance of nephrolithiasis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of automated volumetric assessment for stone surveillance and compare the results with manual linear measurement. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients seen in our stone clinic who had undergone 2 noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) scans without stone intervention during the interval between scans. Thirty patients met our inclusion criteria and underwent longitudinal assessment for urolithiasis via NCCT (mean interval 583.2 days, range 122-2030). Fifty-two discrete calculi were analyzed. Three board certified radiologists measured maximal linear stone size in the axial plane using electronic calipers on soft tissue (ST) and bone windows (BWs). Automated stone volume was also obtained by each reader using a dedicated prototype software tool for stone evaluation. RESULTS: Mean stone linear size and volume was 4.9 ± 2.8 mm (ST), 4.5 ± 2.6 mm (BW), and 116.2 ± 194.6 mm(3) (window independent), respectively. Mean interobserver variability for linear size measurement was 16.4 ± 10.5% (ST) and 20.3 ± 13.8% (BW). Interobserver variability for volumetric measurement was 0%. Of the 52 persistent stones, the mean percent change in linear stone size between CT studies was 39.3 ± 46.7% (ST) and 42.9 ± 53.1% (BW) growth, compared with 171.4 ± 320.1% (window independent) growth for automated volume measurement over a mean of 583.2 days. However, discordant results for increased vs decreased interval size was seen between linear and volumetric assessment in 19/52 stones (36.5%). CONCLUSION: Automated volumetric measurement of renal calculi via NCCT is independent of specific reader and window settings. Volumetric assessment amplifies smaller linear changes over time, whereas as much as one third of cases show linear-volume measurement discordance. Volumetric assessment is therefore preferable, particularly for longitudinal surveillance of renal calculi.

Comparison of percutaneous and laparoscopic cryoablation for the treatment of solid renal masses.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to compare the outcome, complications, and charges of percutaneous renal cryoablation and laparoscopic cryoablation of solid renal masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 percutaneous renal cryoablations (mean tumor size, 2.1 cm) in 30 patients (mean age, 67.0 years) and 60 laparoscopic renal cryoablations (mean tumor size, 2.5 cm) in 46 patients (mean age, 67.4 years) were compared. The size of the tumor, procedural complications, hospital charges, length of hospital stay, and tumor follow-up parameters were recorded. Monitoring after ablation was performed every 3 months using contrast-enhanced MRI or CT. RESULTS: Both percutaneous cryoablation and laparoscopic cryoablation of solid renal masses had a high technical success rate (30/30 [100%] and 59/60 [98.3%]). There was no significant difference in the rate of residual disease (3/30 [10%] and 4/60 [6.7%], p = 0.68), and the secondary effectiveness rate is 100% for both groups to date. One renal mass treated using laparoscopic cryoablation had a local recurrence, but none of the masses treated using percutaneous cryoablation had a recurrence. The disease-specific survival is 100% in both groups with no significant difference in the mean follow-up time (14.5 vs 14.6 months, p = 1.0) or major complication rate (0/30 [0%] vs 3/60 [5.0%], p = 0.55). For the treatment of solid renal masses, percutaneous cryoablation was associated with 40% lower hospital charges (mean, $14,175 vs $23,618, p < 0.00001) and a shorter hospital stay (mean +/- SD, 1.1 +/- 0.3 vs 2.4 +/- 2.1 days; p < 0.0001) than laparoscopic cryoablation. CONCLUSION: Although certain tumors require laparoscopic intervention because of the location or size of the tumor, percutaneous renal cryoablation is safe and effective and is associated with lower charges when used for the treatment of small renal tumors.

Quantitative assessment of citric acid in lemon juice, lime juice, and commercially-available fruit juice products.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Knowledge of the citric acid content of beverages may be useful in nutrition therapy for calcium urolithiasis, especially among patients with hypocitraturia. Citrate is a naturally-occurring inhibitor of urinary crystallization; achieving therapeutic urinary citrate concentration is one clinical target in the medical management of calcium urolithiasis. When provided as fluids, beverages containing citric acid add to the total volume of urine, reducing its saturation of calcium and other crystals, and may enhance urinary citrate excretion. Information on the citric acid content of fruit juices and commercially-available formulations is not widely known. We evaluated the citric acid concentration of various fruit juices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The citric acid content of 21 commercially-available juices and juice concentrates and the juice of three types of fruits was analyzed using ion chromatography. RESULTS: Lemon juice and lime juice are rich sources of citric acid, containing 1.44 and 1.38 g/oz, respectively. Lemon and lime juice concentrates contain 1.10 and 1.06 g/oz, respectively. The citric acid content of commercially available lemonade and other juice products varies widely, ranging from 0.03 to 0.22 g/oz. CONCLUSIONS: Lemon and lime juice, both from the fresh fruit and from juice concentrates, provide more citric acid per liter than ready-to-consume grapefruit juice, ready-to-consume orange juice, and orange juice squeezed from the fruit. Ready-to-consume lemonade formulations and those requiring mixing with water contain < or =6 times the citric acid, on an ounce-for-ounce basis, of lemon and lime juice.

Cryoablation of small renal masses: assessment of the outcome at one institution.

OBJECTIVE: To report our 5-year experience with laparoscopic and percutaneous cryoablation (LCA and PCA) for managing small renal masses. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analysed patients undergoing LCA and PCA between October 2000 and March 2006 at our institution. After approval from the Institutional Review Board, charts were reviewed retrospectively for variables during and after CA, and for clinical outcomes, the latter including the efficacy of the procedure in achieving overall, cancer-specific and recurrence-free survival. RESULTS: In all, 78 patients had CA of 88 small renal masses, by LCA in 58 and PCA in 20. The median American Society of Anesthesiology score was 3 and the mean body mass index was 30 kg/m(2). All procedures were done under general anaesthesia, with a mean anaesthesia time of 220 min. The mean tumour size was 2.6 cm and the mean hospital stay was 2.1 days. At a mean follow-up of 19 months, the overall, cancer-specific and recurrence-free survival rates were 88.5%, 100% and 98.7%, respectively. Four patients required a repeat treatment due to persistent disease and one had progression to locally advanced disease. Five patients had complications during CA and seven had complications afterward. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that CA is a safe, minimally invasive treatment option for patients with small renal masses, at the intermediate-term follow-up.