Outpatient ureteric stent removal following kidney transplantation.

During a kidney transplant, a plastic tube (stent) is placed in the ureter, connecting the new kidney to the bladder, in order to keep the new join open during the initial phase of transplantation. The stent is then removed after a few weeks via a camera procedure (cystoscopy), as it is no longer needed. The present study compared performing this in the operating theatre or in clinic for transplanted patients using a new single-use type of camera with an integrated grasper system. The results have shown that it is safe and cost-effective to do this in clinic, despite patients being susceptible to infection after transplantation.

Patient-reported outcomes of blue-light flexible cystoscopy with hexaminolevulinate in the surveillance of bladder cancer: results from a prospective multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate blue-light flexible cystoscopy (BLFC) with hexaminolevulinate in the office surveillance of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer with a high risk of recurrence by assessing its impact on pain, anxiety, subjective value of the test and patient willingness to pay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, multicentre, phase III study was conducted during which the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety, Pain and 'Was It Worth It' questionnaires were administered at baseline, after surveillance with BLFC and after resection for those referred to the operating room. Comparisons of scores were performed between groups. RESULTS: A total of 304 patients were enrolled, of whom 103 were referred for surgical examination. Of these, 63 were found to have histologically confirmed malignancy. Pain levels were low throughout the study. Anxiety levels decreased after BLFC (∆ = -2.6), with a greater decrease among those with negative pathology results (P = 0.051). No differences in anxiety were noted based on gender, BLFC results, or test performance (true-positive/false-positive). Most patients found BLFC 'worthwhile' (94%), would 'do it again' (94%) and 'would recommend it to others' (91%), with no differences based on BLFC results or test performance. Most patients undergoing BLFC (76%) were willing to pay out of pocket. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety decreased after BLFC in patients with negative pathology, including patients with false-positive results. Most of the patients undergoing BLFC were willing to pay out of pocket, found the procedure worthwhile and would recommend it to others, irrespective of whether they had a positive BLFC result or whether this was false-positive after surgery.

Ureteral stent removal using an extraction string after uncomplicated ureteroscopy: a cost-benefit analysis.

PURPOSE: Some urologists used the extraction strings for removal of ureteral stent without cystoscopy. While some urologists may have concern about perceived risks, including accidental dislodgement, infection, renal?colic?and lower urinary tract symptoms. Therefore, we performed a retrospective study to help address this conflict. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who had an indwelling ureteral stent with(n=58) or without(n=82) extraction strings inserted after ureteroscopy for unilateral ureteral stones were enrolled. For ureteral stent removal, the strings were pulled by physician, no string-stents were removed by cystoscopic. Postoperative morbidity was assessed. Patients' medical expense due to postoperative morbidity was collected. RESULTS: Patients with extraction string had shorter stent dwell time((5.3±1.8 versus 11.2±3.2 day, P= .001)  and  less cost (8.97±3.07 versus 455±0 CNY, P = .001)) for ureteral stent removal. However, six patients with extraction string had an accidental dislodgement, additional medical expenses were 345±137.9 CNY. There was no difference in the cost due to urinary tract infection, renal?colic?and LUTS between the two groups. The overall cost in patients without an extraction string was significantly more than in patients with an extraction string (86.7±167.7 versus 507.9±147.8 CNY, p =.008). CONCLUSION: Despite an increase in stent dislodgement related risks  to the extraction string, it results in significant cost savings for patients, and most of patients remove with extraction strings might benefit from it.  INTRODUCTION Nowadays, most of urologists place an indwelling ureteral stent following uncomplicated ureteroscopy(URS). However, ureteral stent may impact quality of life (QoL) of patients. And the additional suffering due to cystoscopic extraction is even more painful. Current ureteral stents are manufactured with a string attached to the distal end, allowing for removal without cystoscopy, which may lead to a reduction of the dwell time(usually less than one week)[1-8]. Although stent extraction strings have many advantages, more than two-thirds of urologists remove extraction strings prior to their insertion[9]. Surgeons who do not adopt?this?method?may have concern about perceived risks, including accidental dislodgement, infection, renal?colic?and lower urinary tract symptoms(LUTS). But how about incidence?rate of the risk aforementioned??does this increase the patient's financial burden compared with patients remove without extraction strings? Whether patients remove with extraction strings might benefit from it? Therefore, we performed a retrospective study to help address these questions by comparing patients those who underwent ureteric stent placement with and without extraction strings after URS for stone disease.

Dextrose Instillation as an Alternative Agent to Observe Ureteral Efflux During Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use, cost, postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI) rates, and complications of dextrose instillation during cystoscopy. METHODS: The medical records of patients who underwent cystoscopy during pelvic reconstructive surgery between June 2016 and June 2017 were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups: patients who had one ampule of dextrose 50% (D50) directly instilled and patients who did not have D50 instilled during cystoscopy. Preoperative demographics, UTI rates, and postoperative complications were compared. Pharmaceutical cost and availability were reported by the pharmacy at our institution. RESULTS: Out of 63 patients identified, dextrose instillation was used in 20 patients and no dextrose was used in 43 patients. Each ampule of D50 cost $2.18 and there were no problems with supply shortage. As D50 was directly instilled into the bladder, there was immediate visualization of ureteral efflux at the time of surgery. Three patients (15%) in the dextrose group and 10 patients (23%) in the nondextrose group developed postoperative UTIs. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative UTI rates between the two groups (p = 0.43) and there were no differences in postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Dextrose is a safe, cost-effective, readily available agent that provides instantaneous visualization of ureteral efflux without an increased risk of postoperative UTI.

Prospective, multi-institutional pain assessment of 150 women undergoing diagnostic cystoscopy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to prospectively assess women's pain during rigid and flexible diagnostic cystoscopy and afterwards during a one-week follow-up. METHODS: Prospective, multi-institutional trial analyzing numeric rating scales (NRS) of women undergoing diagnostic cystoscopy. Pain categories: no (0 points), mild (1-3), moderate (4-6) and severe pain (7-10). Assessing of pain before, during cystoscopy, and at day 1, 4 and 7 of follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 150 women undergoing rigid (N.=85) or flexible (N.=65) diagnostic cystoscopy were analyzed. Women undergoing flexible cystoscopy were more frequently pain-free (64.6% vs. 40%, P=0.003) and experienced mild pain less frequently (27.7% vs. 52.9% vs. P=0.002). No significant differences were noted among moderate (6.2% vs. 5.9%, P=0.95) and severe pain (1.5% vs. 1.2%, P=0.85). Patients undergoing their first (P=0.14) and repeat cystoscopy (P=0.08) had similar pain perception. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, women undergoing flexible cystoscopy had a 2.6 increased chance of being pain-free (OR=2.6, CI: 1.28-5.11, P=0.08) and their odds of experiencing mild pain were significantly lower (OR=0.34, CI: 0.17-0.71, P=0.004). The likelihood of experiencing moderate (OR=1.1, CI: 0.28- 4.4, P=0.83) or severe pain (OR=2.42, CI: 0.11-51.79, P=0.57) differed insignificantly. CONCLUSIONS: Rigid and flexible cystoscopies were well-tolerated by most women. However, flexible cystoscopy was associated with a higher likelihood of being pain-free and lower chances of experiencing mild pain. Patients' previous experience with cystoscopy did not influence pain perception.

Use of Lidocaine 2% Gel Does Not Reduce Pain during Flexible Cystoscopy and Is Not Cost-Effective.

PURPOSE: To compare the use of lubricant gel with lidocaine versus lubricant gel without anesthetic in flexible cystoscopy in terms of pain and tolerability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this observational non-randomized study, 72 patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 included 38 patients in whom lidocaine gel 2% was used and group 2 included 34 patients in whom lubricant gel without anesthetic was administered. The main variables analyzed were score in visual analogue scale (VAS) and score in Spanish Pain Questionnaire (SPQ). Student's t-test and Chi-square test were used to compare differences between 2 groups. The P values < .05% were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Mean age of patients in group 1 was 64.50 ± 12.39 years and 67.79 ± 10.87 years in group 2 (P = .23). The distribution according to sex was 29 men and 9 women in group 1 and 25 men and 9 women in group 2 (P = .78). The total VAS score was 2.21 ± 2.05 in group 1 versus 1.59 ± 1.61 in group 2 (P = .16). In the SPQ, the current intensity value was 1.82 ± 0.86 in group 1 versus 1.53 ± 0.74 in group 2 (P = .14), and the total intensity value was 1.92 ± 1.86 in group 1 versus 1.03 ± 1.75 in group 2 (P = .04). The cost of gel with lidocaine is 1.25 euro and gel without anesthetic 0.22 euro. CONCLUSION: The use of lidocaine gel does not produce benefit in terms of pain relief in flexible cystoscopy and also is costly.

AMBULANT FLEXIBLE CYSTOSCOPY FOR FOLLOW-UP OF Ta-TI UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA OF THE URINARY BLADDER: PAIN PERCEPTION AND COST EFFECTIVE.

Ambulant flexible cystoscopy is the standard procedure in the urological practice for follow-up of Ta-T1 urothelial carcinoma (UC) due to its ability to survey the bladder for a variety of indications. It is the principal means of diagnosis and surveillance of bladder tumors. The follow-up of patients treated for Ta-T1 UC is of great importance because of the high incidence of recurrence and progression of the disease, whereby patients with Ta-T1 UC undergo cystoscopy every three months. The aim of this study to evaluate the procedure of ambulant flexible cystoscopy in proper diagnostic follow-up of Ta-T1 UC, patient's acceptance in regard to pain tolerance, non-hospital stay and expenses. Twenty one patients (18 male and 3 female) were diagnosed before as Ta-T1 UC by rigid cystoscopy and transuretheral resection of bladder (TURB) lesion scheduled for follow up by flexible cystoscopy under local anesthesia using 20 ml 2% lidocain gel on an ambulatory bases. Comparison was done using a cohort of 32 patients who underwent the procedure of follow-up of Ta-T1 cystoscopy and TURB using rigid cystoscopy and resectoscope. Seventeen patients 80.9% (16 male and 2 female) proved to be bladder free from recurrent lesion, 4 patients {19.1 %} (3 males and one female) which revealed recurrent lesions in spite of that the urinary bladder was free in pelvic ultrasonography. Cold cup biopsy from the lesions sent for histopathological examination which revealed recurrence of the tumor in 3 patients (two patients with Ta and one patient T1. TURB was done to have complete resection in 4 patients, the histopathological examination revealed ulcerating mucosa and free lamina propria in 3 specimens, and T2 in the fourth specimen. Comparison between the 2 groups revealed more patient's acceptance for the flexible cystoscopy group as regard pain tolerance, non-hospital stay and expenses. Ambulatory flexible cystoscopy with 20 ml of 2% lidocaine gel anesthesia is tolerated well by patients, with advantage of no hospital stay in the regular follow up of Ta-T1 tumors, pain perception was accepted by all patient provided delayed cystoscopy after lidocaine-gel instillation.

Laparoscopic Hysterectomy and Urinary Tract Injury: Experience in a Health Maintenance Organization.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence, detection, characteristics, and management of urinary tract injury in a cohort undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy, and to identify potential risk factors for urinary tract injury with laparoscopic hysterectomy. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, 2001 to 2012. PATIENTS: Women who underwent attempted laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign indications. INTERVENTIONS: Total laparoscopic hysterectomy, laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy, and laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Demographic and clinical characteristics, surgical techniques, and perioperative complications were abstracted from the medical record. Multivariable logistic regression analysis assessed independent risk factors for ureteral or bladder injury. RESULTS: A total of 3523 patients (mean age, 45.9 ± 8.0 years; median parity, 2; range, 0-10), with a median body mass index (BMI) of 29 kg/m(2) (range, 16-72 kg/m(2)), underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy; 20% had intraoperative cystoscopy. The incidence of urinary tract injury was 1.3% (46 of 3523); of the 46 patients with injuries, 19 (0.54%) had ureteral injuries, 25 (0.71%) had bladder injuries, and 2 (0.06%) had both types. Of the 21 ureteral injuries, 6 (29%) were diagnosed intraoperatively and 15 (71%) were diagnosed postoperatively, including 4 with normal intraoperative cystoscopy. Of the 27 bladder injuries, 23 (85%) were identified intraoperatively. In multivariable logistic analysis, a BMI of 26 to 30 kg/m(2) (compared with >30 kg/m(2)) was associated with an increased risk of ureteral injury, and a BMI ≤25 kg/m(2) (compared with >30 kg/m(2)) and the presence of endometriosis were associated with an increased risk of bladder injury. CONCLUSION: Urinary tract injury occurred in 1.3% of laparoscopic hysterectomies, with ureteral injuries almost as common as bladder injuries. Normal intraoperative cystoscopy findings did not exclude the presence of ureteral injury.

Surgical advances in bladder cancer: at what cost?

Bladder cancer is the most expensive cancer to treat from diagnosis to death. Frequent disease recurrence, intense follow-up, and expensive, invasive techniques for diagnosis and treatment drive these costs for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Fluorescence cystoscopy increases the detection of superficial bladder cancer and reduces costs by improving the quality of resection and reducing recurrences. Radical cystectomy with intestinal diversion is the mainstay of treatment of invasive disease; however it is associated with substantial cost and morbidity. Increased efforts to improve the surgical management of bladder cancer while reducing the cost of treatment are increasingly necessary.

Pre-procedural antibiotics for endoscopic urological procedures: Initial experience in individuals with spinal cord injury and asymptomatic bacteriuria.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the safety, efficacy, quality-of-life impact, and costs of a single dose or a longer course of pre-procedural antibiotics prior to elective endoscopic urological procedures in individuals with spinal cord injury and disorders (SCI/D) and asymptomatic bacteriuria. DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia, USA. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty persons with SCI/D and asymptomatic bacteriuria scheduled to undergo elective endoscopic urological procedures. INTERVENTIONS: A single pre-procedural dose of antibiotics vs. a 3-5-day course of pre-procedural antibiotics. OUTCOME MEASURES: Objective and subjective measures of health, costs, and quality of life. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in vital signs, leukocytosis, adverse events, and overall satisfaction in individuals who received short-course vs. long-course antibiotics. There was a significant decrease in antibiotic cost (33.1 ± 47.6 vs. 3.6 ± 6.1 US$, P = 0.01) for individuals in the short-course group. In addition, there was greater pre-procedural anxiety (18 vs. 0%, P < 0.05) for individuals who received long-course antibiotics. CONCLUSION: SCI/D individuals with asymptomatic bacteriuria may be able to safely undergo most endoscopic urological procedures with a single dose of pre-procedural antibiotics. However, further research is required and even appropriate pre-procedural antibiotics may not prevent severe infections.

Outpatient laser ablation of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: is it safe, tolerable and cost-effective?

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety, tolerability and effectiveness of outpatient (office-based) laser ablation (OLA), with local anaesthetic, for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in an elderly population with and without photodynamic diagnosis (PDD). To compare the cost-effectiveness of OLA of NMIBC with that of inpatient cystodiathermy (IC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients with NMIBC treated with OLA by one consultant surgeon between March 2008 and July 2011 A subgroup of patients had PDD before undergoing OLA. Safety and effectiveness were determined by complications (In the immediate post operative period, at three days and at three months), patient tolerability (visual analogue score) and recurrence rates. The long-term costs and cost-effectiveness of OLA and IC of NMIBC were evaluated using Markov modeling. RESULTS: A total of 74 OLA procedures (44 white-light, 30 PDD) were carried out in 54 patients. The mean (range) patient age was 77 (52-95) years. More than half of the patients had more than three comorbidities. Previous tumour histology ranged from G1pTa to T3. One patient had haematuria for 1 week which settled spontaneously and did not require hospital admission. There were no other complications. The procedure was well tolerated with pain scores of 0-2/10. Additional lesions were found in 21% of patients using PDD that were not found using white light. At 3 months, the percentage of patients who had recurrence after OLA with white light and OLA with PDD were 10.6 and 4.3%, respectively. At 1 year, 65.1% and 46.9% of patients had recurrence. The cost of OLA was found to be much lower than that of IC (£538 vs £1474), even with the addition of PDD (£912 vs £1844). Over the course of a patient's lifetime, OLA was more clinically effective, measured in quality-adjusted life-years (QALY), than IC (0.147 [sd 0.059]) and less costly (£2576.42 [sd £7293.07]). At a cost-effectiveness threshold of £30,000/QALY, as set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, there was an 82% probability that OLA was cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to demonstrate the long-term cost-effectiveness of OLA of NMIBC. The results support the use of OLA for the treatment of NMIBC, especially in the elderly.

Assessment of efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain management during office-based flexible cystoscopy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for its effectiveness in eliminating or minimizing discomfort during office-based flexible cystoscopy. METHODS: A total of 148 patients were prospectively randomized into one of three groups: flexible cystoscopy with no analgesics, a placebo TENS, or an activated TENS. The patient data collected included patient parameters, number of previous flexible cystoscopies, visual analog pain scores during and after the procedure, surgeon's difficulty rating of procedure, and International Prostate Symptom Score before and 24 hours after the procedure. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found among the three groups regarding patient parameters. The visual analog pain scores were similar before and after the procedure. At 30 seconds, the mean visual analog scale score for the control group, placebo group, and TENS study group was 3.73, 3.65, and 3.52, respectively (control versus placebo, control versus active, and placebo versus active: P = 0.97, 0.29, and 0.53, respectively). At 1 and 5 minutes, the corresponding scores were 3.44, 4.37, and 3.50 (P = 0.88, P = 0.99, and P = 0.99) and 0.86, 1.23, and 0.88 (P = 0.97, P = 0.35, and P = 0.56), respectively. The surgeon's mean difficulty rating for the control procedures was 1.08 and for the placebo group was 2.30 (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: All patients undergoing flexible cystoscopy in the office setting experienced discomfort. The TENS device provided no significant benefit for pain. The trend toward greater pain scores in the control group could be attributed to the greater degree of difficulty.

Diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder using fluorescence endoscopy.

Bladder cancer is a frequent disease and represents the second most common genitourinary neoplasm. Although many aspects of the management of superficial bladder cancer are now well established, significant challenges remain, which influences patient outcome. Early detection and treatment of recurrent disease is required to optimize bladder preservation, reduce patient morbidity, and increase quality of life and survival. Fluorescence endoscopy, often referred to as 'photodynamic diagnosis' (PDD), with intravesical application of photosensitizing agents, has been developed to enhance the early detection of bladder cancer. There is growing evidence that PDD using 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA), hexyl-ALA ester or hypericin enhances the detection of bladder cancer, particularly of high-grade flat lesions. Furthermore, transurethral resection of bladder tumour under fluorescence guidance reduces the risk of recurrent tumours. However, the impact on the progression of disease remains unclear and must be investigated in prospective randomized trials.

Bacteriological safety and cost-effectiveness of a nonrefluxing valve in the irrigation system during outpatient flexible cystoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: To critically evaluate the infection rate associated with the use of a nonrefluxing irrigation system for outpatient flexible cystoscopy, by comparing it with conventional irrigation systems, and to determine the costs and benefits of this system of irrigation delivery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients undergoing flexible cystoscopy on scheduled outpatient lists were considered for inclusion in the study; 143 patients of 220 undergoing cystoscopy fulfilled the study criteria. The study group of patients underwent cystoscopy with a new single-use nonrefluxing valve inserted into the same irrigation delivery system that was used for the whole endoscopy session, and the control group had the complete irrigation system changed after each endoscopic examination. Midstream urine samples were taken for analysis before cystoscopy and again 3-4 days later. Infection was defined as a pure growth of >/= 105 organisms/mL, with associated pyuria defined as >/= 10 pus cells per high power microscopic field. RESULTS: Complete data were available on 133 patients, with a further nine being excluded from the statistical analysis because they had a pre-existing urinary tract infection, leaving 64 patients in the study and 69 in the control groups. The overall infection rate for flexible cystoscopy was 3.2%, with no significant difference between the study and control groups. Cost savings of > 35% can be expected using the nonrefluxing valve method of irrigation delivery. CONCLUSION: The nonrefluxing valve caused no detectable increase in patient morbidity from bacterial infection when compared with conventional irrigation systems for flexible cystoscopy, and can save considerable costs.

Flexible cystoscopy.

Flexible cystoscopy allows examination of the bladder under local or general anaesthesia. This article describes the technique and the situations in which it is used, as well as its advantages and deficiencies. As the range of therapeutic applications of flexible cystoscopy increases, the need for rigid cystoscopy may disappear completely.

Practical experience with flexible fibrescope cystoscopy in out-patients.

Four hundred and seventy-four patients were examined by flexible cystoscopy under topical urethral anaesthesia in the out-patient clinic in the first year after the technique was introduced as the routine method for diagnostic cystoscopy. The technique has proved safe, efficient and highly cost-effective.

Asepsis and out-patient cystoscopy.

Cystoscopy was performed on a control group of 74 patients under full sterile precautions and on a study group of 83 patients under aseptic conditions, which required fewer materials. The incidence of urinary infections in the two groups was 4 and 6% respectively; this difference is not statistically significant. Rigors were rare in both groups (1%). The financial savings achieved by using an aseptic technique for out-patient cystoscopy are discussed.