A comparison of antibiotic prophylaxis regimens to decrease the risk of post-procedure urinary tract infection after onabotulinum toxin A injection.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate the risk of post-injection urinary tract infection (UTI) after onabotulinumtoxin A (BTX-A) treatment based on the timing of when antibiotic prophylaxis is started. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 111 women with refractory idiopathic overactive bladder who underwent intradetrusor injection of BTX-A. Two cohorts were identified: (1) 67 women who started antibiotic prophylaxis with ciprofloxacin 1 day prior to injection; (2) 44 women who received antibiotic prophylaxis with ciprofloxacin after injection only. We assessed for post-injection UTI within 90 days after BTX-A. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS: One hundred eleven women underwent BTX-A. In total, 30 (27%) had a UTI within 90 days; these included 15/67 (22%) of those who started antibiotics 1 day prior to injection and 15/44 (34%) of those receiving antibiotics after injection. While the unadjusted analysis showed no significant associations between timing of antibiotic administration and UTI (OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.24, 1.30; p = 0.18), an adjusted analysis showed the pre-procedure antibiotic group had a significant reduction in post-procedure UTI after controlling for age, history of UTI, diabetes, and urinary retention requiring catheterization (OR = 0.23; 95% CI = 0.07, 0.73; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Starting antibiotics 1 day prior to BTX-A injection decreases the odds of post-injection UTI compared with women who use post-procedure antibiotic prophylaxis over shorter duration. Consideration should be given to beginning antibiotic prophylaxis prior to the procedure and continuing it for 4 total days to decrease the risk of UTI.

Biomarkers Implicated in Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: Systematic Review and Pathway Analyses.

PURPOSE: Lower urinary tract symptoms are prevalent and burdensome, yet methods to enhance diagnosis and appropriately guide therapies are lacking. We systematically reviewed the literature for human studies of biomarkers associated with lower urinary tract symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed®, EMBASE® and Web of Science® were searched from inception to February 13, 2018. Articles were included if they were in English, performed in benign urological populations without neurological disorders or interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, and assessed a biomarker's association with or ability to predict specific lower urinary tract symptoms or urological conditions. Bioinformatic pathway analyses were conducted to determine whether individual biomarkers associated with symptoms are present in unifying pathways. RESULTS: Of 6,150 citations identified 125 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies (93.6%) assessed biomarkers at 1 time point and were cross-sectional in nature. Few studies adjusted for potentially confounding clinical variables or assessed biomarkers in an individual over time. No individual biomarkers are currently validated as diagnostic tools for lower urinary tract symptoms. Compared to controls, pathway analyses identified multiple immune response pathways that were enriched in overactive bladder syndrome and cell migration/cytoskeleton remodeling pathways that were enriched in female stress incontinence. CONCLUSIONS: Major deficiencies in the existing biomarker literature include poor reproducibility of laboratory data, unclear classification of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and lack of adjustment for clinical covariates. Despite these limitations we identified multiple putative pathways in which panels of biological markers need further research.

Does a Recent Urinary Tract Infection Increase the Risk of Postprocedure Urinary Tract Infection After Onabotulinum Toxin A?

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of postprocedure urinary tract infection (UTI) after injection of onabotulinum toxin A (BTX-A) in women who had a UTI within 30 days before procedure. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of women who underwent their first injection of BTX-A from 2010 to 2016. Two cohorts were identified: (1) recent UTI (within 30 days before injection) and (2) no recent UTI. Our primary outcome was UTI within 90 days after BTX-A. Continuous variables were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and categorical variables were analyzed using Fisher exact or χ2 tests. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-six women underwent their first BTX-A injection. Twenty-five (15%) had a recent UTI and 141 (85%) did not. Women with a recent UTI were more likely to have a subsequent infection (52% vs 26%, P < 0.01). However, in a logistic regression model, controlling for history of recurrent UTI, age, history of diabetes mellitus, periprocedural antibiotics, and urinary retention requiring catheterization, the association between having a recent UTI, and a subsequent UTI was no longer significant (adjusted odds ratio, 1.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-6.50; P = 0.26). CONCLUSIONS: Performing a first injection of BTX-A within 30 days of a UTI does not increase the odds of postprocedure UTI. Therefore, BTX-A therapy does not need to be delayed after a recent UTI.

Cystoscopic findings in women with minimal and maximal lower urinary tract symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Glomerulations are not specific for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). Controversy exists about whether cystoscopic findings differ between patients with and without lower urinary tract symptoms. We sought to compare the prevalence of cystoscopic findings in women with "no or minimal" urinary symptoms to those with a "high" symptom burden. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study performed at a University Educational Facility. Participants in this study were part of a larger prospective study, in which female patients scheduled to undergo routine gynecologic procedures were all consented for cystoscopy with hydrodistension (CWHD). We defined the "minimally symptomatic group" as those with ≤1 on each of the O'Leary/Sant Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index (ICSI) subscores and without history of IC/BPS. The "highly symptomatic" cohort of women had composite ICSI score ≥12 and a Burning/Pain subscore of 4 or 5. All were non-smokers. RESULTS: A total of 84 women underwent CWHD, with 33 having minimal symptoms and 51 being highly symptomatic. The two groups were not statistically different when assessing for 'any glomerulations' compared to 'no glomerulations.' However, minimally symptomatic women had an eight-fold lower prevalence of significant glomerulations than highly symptomatic women (3.0% minimally symptomatic vs. 23.5% highly symptomatic, P<0.05.). CONCLUSIONS: Extensive glomerulations (≥10 in 3 or 4 quadrants) are rare in women with minimal urinary symptoms. These findings contrast with prior limited prospective data which quoted similar incidence of glomerulations in IC/BPS patients and asymptomatic patients. This study highlights the importance of evaluating objective evidence on CWHD and merits further investigation as part of the ongoing conversation regarding the definition of bladder health and pathology.

Evaluation of Host Immune Cellular and Extracellular Matrix Responses to Prolapse Mesh With and Without Tension in a Rat Model.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether vaginal host immune cellular and extracellular matrix responses are altered in a rat sacrocolpopexy model when lightweight polypropylene mesh is attached on tension versus without tension. METHODS: We performed hysterectomy and ovariectomy in 32 Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were assigned to 4 groups (n = 8/group): (1) controls with sham operation only (control), (2) mesh sutured only on the vagina (vaginal mesh), (3) sacrocolpopexy without tension, and (4) sacrocolpopexy with tension. Ninety days later, we excised vagina-mesh complexes. A histomorphologic scoring system of hematoxylin/eosin and Masson trichrome stained slides was used to assess host inflammatory responses. The cellular inflammatory response was further quantified using (1) identification of M1 and M2 macrophage subsets and (2) quantification of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The extracellular matrix response was evaluated by measuring (1) matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels and (2) type I/III collagen. RESULTS: Histomorphological tissue responses were greater in all groups with mesh compared with sham controls. Both sacrocolpopexy groups had similar scores, but each group scored significantly higher than the vaginal mesh group. Among the 4 groups, there were no statistically significant differences in M1 or M2 macrophage subsets, proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokines, or extracellular matrix remodeling responses. CONCLUSIONS: Attachment of prolapse mesh resulted in an increased histologic inflammatory response independent of tension. Other markers of cellular inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling showed no differences among experimental groups. Tension on lightweight polypropylene mesh did not significantly alter the host response in this rat sacrocolpopexy model.

Polycarbonate Urethane Mesh: A New Material for Pelvic Reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Polycarbonate urethane (PCU) is a new biomaterial, and its mechanical properties can be tailored to match that of vaginal tissue. We aimed to determine whether vaginal host immune and extracellular matrix responses differ after PCU versus lightweight polypropylene (PP) mesh implantation. METHODS: Hysterectomy and ovariectomy were performed on 24 Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were divided into 3 groups: (1) PCU vaginal mesh, (2) PP vaginal mesh, and (3) sham controls. Vagina-mesh complexes or vaginas (controls) were excised 90 days after surgery. We quantified responses by comparing: (1) histomorphologic scoring of hematoxylin and eosin- and Masson trichrome-stained slides, (2) macrophage subsets (immunolabeling), (3) pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines (Luminex panel), (4) matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and (5) type I/III collagen using picrosirius red staining. RESULTS: There was no difference in histomorphologic score between PCU and PP (P = 0.211). Although the histomorphologic response was low surrounding all mesh fibers, groups with PCU and PP mesh had a higher histomorphologic score than the control group (P < 0.005 and P < 0.002, respectively). There were no differences between groups in terms of macrophage subsets, pro-inflammatory cytokines, anti-inflammatory cytokines, MMP-2 and MMP-9, or collagen ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Polycarbonate urethane, an elastomer with material properties similar to those of vaginal tissue, elicits minimal host inflammatory responses in a rat model. Because its implantation does not elicit more inflammation than currently used lightweight PP, using PCU for prolapse mesh warrants further investigation with larger animal models.

Vaginal Uterosacral Ligament Suspension: A Retrospective Cohort of Absorbable and Permanent Suture Groups.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare anatomic results after vaginal uterosacral ligament suspension with absorbable versus permanent suture. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of women who underwent vaginal uterosacral ligament suspension, from 2006 to 2015. We compared 2 groups: (1) absorbable suspension suture and (2) permanent suspension suture (even if accompanied by absorbable suture). Our primary outcome was composite anatomic failure defined as (1) recurrent prolapse in any compartment past the hymen or (2) retreatment for prolapse. Continuous variables were analyzed using the Student t test or Mann-Whitney U test, and categorical variables were analyzed using χ or Fisher exact test. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to control for confounders. P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Of the 242 patients with medium-term follow-up (3 months to 2 years after surgery), 188 underwent vaginal uterosacral ligament suspension with only absorbable suture, and 54 underwent suspension with permanent suture. Compared with the absorbable suture cohort, the permanent suture cohort was more likely to have had advanced preoperative prolapse (P = 0.01), less likely to have had a prior hysterectomy (P = 0.01), and less likely to have undergone a concomitant posterior colporrhaphy/perineoplasty (P < 0.01). Overall, there were no differences in composite anatomic failure between the absorbable and permanent suture groups (17.0% vs 20.4%, P = 0.41). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, when controlling for covariates, there remained no difference in composite anatomic failure between permanent and absorbable suture groups. CONCLUSIONS: Completion of vaginal uterosacral ligament suspension using only absorbable suture affords similar anatomic outcomes in the medium term as compared with suspension with additional permanent suture.

The Feasibility of Clean Intermittent Self-Catheterization Teaching in an Outpatient Setting.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of teaching clean intermittent self-catheterization (CISC) in an outpatient setting to women planning surgery for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and/or urinary incontinence (UI). METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of 55 women who planned surgical correction of POP and/or UI. All women were taught CISC as part of their preoperative education. The ability to learn CISC and the amount of time needed to teach CISC were recorded. Multivariate modeling, χ2 test, Fisher exact test, and Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the 55 subjects consecutively enrolled, 51 subjects (93%) were able to learn CISC and demonstrate competency (P < 0.00001). Four subjects (7%) were unable to learn CISC. The median time to teach CISC with demonstrated proficiency was 3.7 minutes (range, 1.8-7.4 minutes). Of the subjects who learned CISC and had surgery, the mean (SD) time in days from preoperative teaching to the postoperative voiding trial was 16 (11) days (range, 2-39 days). Of the 41 subjects who completed the postoperative voiding trial and had data recorded, 33 (80%) were able to self-catheterize without nurse assistance or with minimal verbal coaching, whereas 8 (20%) subjects required hands-on nursing assistance or were unable to perform CISC (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clean intermittent self-catheterization can be taught to most patients undergoing POP/UI surgery in a short time (median, 3.7 minutes). The overwhelming majority of patients are able to retain the CISC skill weeks after being taught in the clinic.