A prospective evaluation of high- and low-power holmium laser settings for transurethral lithotripsy in the management of adults with large bladder calculi.

PURPOSE: To prospectively investigate the efficacy and safety of high-power (100 W) vs low-power (20 W) laser settings for transurethral laser lithotripsy in the management large vesical calculi (> 4 cm). METHODS: All patients with vesical calculi > 4 cm in the maximum dimension and scheduled for transurethral holmium laser lithotripsy were invited to participate in the study. Every alternate patient was treated with either the low- or high-power laser settings. We used a continuous irrigation resectoscope with laser bridge or a laser working element (Karl Storz) for laser lithotripsy of bladder stones. We compared the operative time, intra-operative/post-operative complications (up to 1 year), and stone-free rates between the treatment groups using IBM SPSS Statistics 24 software. Comparisons between treatment groups for continuous variables were assessed using the Welch test, while categorical variables were compared with either the Chi-square or Fisher's exact test. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Twenty patients with ten in each cohort were recruited. Preoperative data and mean bladder stone size were comparable in both groups. The duration of surgery was significantly reduced from 70.80 ± 25.28 min in low-power cohort to 40.90 ± 15.01 min in the high-power group (p = 0.005). There were no significant intra-operative complications in either group. All patients were stone-free following the procedure. CONCLUSION: High-power laser setting of up to 100 W results in a significant reduction in duration of surgery without any increase in the complication rate for treatment of large bladder stones.

Proteus mirabilis fimbriae- and urease-dependent clusters assemble in an extracellular niche to initiate bladder stone formation.

The catheter-associated uropathogenProteus mirabilisfrequently causes urinary stones, but little has been known about the initial stages of bladder colonization and stone formation. We found thatP. mirabilisrapidly invades the bladder urothelium, but generally fails to establish an intracellular niche. Instead, it forms extracellular clusters in the bladder lumen, which form foci of mineral deposition consistent with development of urinary stones. These clusters elicit a robust neutrophil response, and we present evidence of neutrophil extracellular trap generation during experimental urinary tract infection. We identified two virulence factors required for cluster development: urease, which is required for urolithiasis, and mannose-resistantProteus-like fimbriae. The extracellular cluster formation byP. mirabilisstands in direct contrast to uropathogenicEscherichia coli, which readily formed intracellular bacterial communities but not luminal clusters or urinary stones. We propose that extracellular clusters are a key mechanism ofP. mirabilissurvival and virulence in the bladder.

INTRAVESICAL MIGRATION OF A HEM-O-LOK CLIP AFTER ROBOT-ASSISTED RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY: A CASE REPORT.

The Hem-o-lok clips (HOLC) is frequently used for hemostasis of the lateral pedicles in robot-assisted prostatectomy (RARP) and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). We report a rare post-operative complication, the migration of a HOLC into the bladder leading to calculus formation after RARP. A 54 year-old man underwent RARP with nerve- sparing procedure with HOLCs in the left neurovascular bundle. Three months later, he was referred to our hospital for pollakisuria and spontaneous hematuria. Abdominal ultrasonographic examination and computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a bladder stone that was 7 mm in diameter. On cystourethroscopy, he was noted to have a yellow-colored stone at 9 o'clock position of vesicourethral anastomosis. A cystolithotripsy for a bladder stone was performed until the surface of it was broken. A HOLC with a calculus was revealed and retrieved by stone forceps through the urethra. Since then, Intravesical migration of a HOLC has not been observed.

Uric acid stones in the urinary bladder of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) knockout mice.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) knockout mice raised in the laboratory of Fujii-Kuriyama have been under investigation for several years because of the presence in their urinary bladder of large, yellowish stones. The stones are composed of uric acid and become apparent in the bladders as tiny stones when mice are 10 wk of age. By the time the mice are 6 mo of age, there are usually two or three stones with diameters of 3-4 mm. The urate concentration in the serum was normal but in the urine the concentration was 40-50 mg/dL, which is 10 times higher than that in the WT littermates. There were no apparent histological pathologies in the kidney or joints and the levels of enzymes involved in elimination of purines were normal. The source of the uric acid was therefore judged to be from degradation of nucleic acids due to a high turnover of cells in the bladder itself. The bladder was fibrotic and the luminal side of the bladder epithelium was filled with eosinophilic granules. There was loss of E-cadherin between some epithelial cells, with an enlarged submucosal area filled with immune cells and sometimes invading epithelial cells. We hypothesize that in the absence of AhR there is loss of detoxifying enzymes, which leads to accumulation of unconjugated cytotoxins and carcinogens in the bladder. The presence of bladder toxins may have led to the increased apoptosis and inflammation as well as invasion of epithelial cells in the bladders of older mice.

Post-renal acute renal failure due to a huge bladder stone.

A 63-year old male was referred to our emergency unit due to acute renal failure. The level of serum renal function tests levels, blood urea nitrogen (BUN)/creatinine, were 63 mmol/L/848 µmol/L. CT (Computarised Tomography) scan showed a huge bladder stone (5 cm x 6 cm x 5 cm) with increased bladder wall thickness. Post-renal acute renal failure due to bilateral ureterohydronephrosis was diagnosed. The huge bladder stone was considered to be the cause of ureterohydronephrosis and renal failure. The patient was catheterised and received haemodialysis immediately. He received haemodialysis four times during ten days of hospitalization and the level of serum renal function tests levels (BUN/ creatinine) decreased 18 mmol/L/123 µmol/L. After improvement of renal function, we performed cystoscopy that demonstrated normal prostatic urethra and bladder neck and bilaterally normal ureteral orifices. Bladder wall was roughly trabeculated and Bladder outlet was completely obstructed by a huge bladder stone. After cystoscopy open, cystolithotomy was performed to remove calcium phosphate and magnesium ammonium phosphate stone weighing 200 g removed. Four days after operation the patient was discharged uneventfully and urethral catheter was removed on the seventh day. Post-renal acute renal failure due to large bladder stones is rare in literature. According to the our knowledge; early diagnosis of the stone avoid growth to large size and prevent renal failure.

Giant vesical calculus.

BACKGROUND: Giant bladder calculi are not common in modern urologic practice and many have been found to grow to enormous proportions with minimal symptoms. METHOD: We report a 1.6 kg stone removed from the urinary bladder of a 48 year old Nigerian man. The stone increase in size associated with troublesome urinary frequency, which necessitated removal by open vesicolithotomy. RESULTS: The calculus weighed 1.6 kg and measured 3cm x 9.5cm x 9.2cm in length breadth and height; and contained calcium carbonate, calcium oxalate, magnesium phosphate and uric acid. It was a complex stone, sticking to the hypertrophied bladder wall. A biopsy of the bladder mucosa revealed no malignancy. The patient was on continuous bladder drainage for 10 days and had a urine flow rate of 20 mls/sec on discharge. He has been seen in the surgical outpatient department 2 weeks and 4 weeks after discharge with no complaints. CONCLUSION: Giant vesical calculi are rare and can present with few symptoms. It is very important to exclude lower urinary tract obstruction as the aetiology though a significant number have no such obstruction. The stones are usually mixed because of associated urinary tract infection.

Cystine urolithiasis in a caracal (Caracal caracal).

In July 2009, a 14-yr-old male caracal (Caracal caracal) at the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa was found, on abdominal ultrasound, to have a single large cystolith. The cystolith was removed, and the composition was determined to be 100% cystine. Blood and urine samples were also collected from three other apparently healthy caracals at the zoo and were submitted, together with the samples from the affected animal, for analysis using gas chromatograph mass spectrometry for cystine, lysine, alanine, and ornithine levels. The cystine levels in the urine, the fractional excretion of cystine, and the normalized excretion of cystine (micromol/g of creatinine) were all higher in the affected caracal than in the healthy animals. Only a single other case of cystine urolithiasis has been previously reported in any wild felid in the literature.

Percutaneous intervention of large bladder calculi in neuropathic voiding dysfunction.

PURPOSE: To report our results and rationale for treating large bladder calculi in patients with neuropathic voiding dysfunction (NVD) using percutaneous cystolithalopaxy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with a previously diagnosed NVD presenting with a large stone burden were identified from our department database and a retrospective review of case notes and imaging was performed. RESULTS: Percutaneous access to remove bladder stones (range 8x7 to 3x2 cm) had a mean surgery length of 150 min and blood loss of 23 mL. Six of the seven patients treated percutaneously were discharged on the day of surgery and suffered no complications, while one patient experienced poor suprapubic tube drainage and required overnight admission with discharge the following day. Transurethral removal of stone burden (range 4x4 to 4x3 cm) had a mean surgery length of 111 min and blood loss of 8 mL. Each of these three patients were under our care for less than 23 hours, and one patient required a second attempt to remove 1x0.5 cm of stone fragments. There was no statistical difference between mean operative times and estimated blood loss, p = 0.5064 and p = 0.0944 respectively, for the two treatment methods. CONCLUSION: In this small series, percutaneous cystolithalopaxy was a safe, effective, and often preferred minimally invasive option for removal of large calculi in patients with NVD. We suggest possible guidelines for best endoscopic approach in this population, although a larger and prospectively randomized series will be ideal for definitive conclusions.

Giant bladder lithiasis: case report and bibliographic review.

OBJECTIVE: Urinary lithiasis is a very frequent urological disease but bladder lithiasis is very uncommon.Patients usually refer voiding symptoms and hematuria. The diagnosis is made after imaging tests. We report a clinical case describing a giant bladder stone and perform a bibliographic review. METHODS: A 43 year old man with the diagnosis of giant bladder stone (more than 10 cm diameter). We searched Medline using the terms: giant bladder stone, giant bladder lithiasis, bladder lithiasis, giant bladder lithiasis. RESULTS: We made the diagnosis of giant bladder stone after a simple kidney, ureter and bladder (KUB) X Ray. The treatment for this patient was a cystolithotomy. We found more than 230 reports at Medline and chose the most referred ones and the last 10 years reports. CONCLUSIONS: Giant bladder lithiasis is a very rare pathology. The gold standard for diagnosis is cystoscopy but sometimes with a KUB Xray or an ultrasound is enough. Because of its size, cistolitotomy is the correct treatment for giant bladder stone.

A huge bladder calculus causing acute renal failure.

We present a 39-year-old man with repeated urinary tract infection and lower abdominal pain. Kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) and IVU film showed a huge 450-g elliptical pelvic calculus that was surgically removed with excellent results. Surgical intervention by cystolithotomy or endoscopic cystolithotripsy can achieve satisfactory results. Bladder outlet obstruction should be treated simultaneously. Bladder stone is a common disease, but it is rare for such a calculus to be so large as to cause bilateral hydronephrosis. Close follow-up, however, is mandatory because the recurrence of urolithiasis is high in those patients with voiding problems and recurrent urinary infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest bladder stone in a human male.

In vitro comparison of plain radiography, double-contrast cystography, ultrasonography, and computed tomography for estimation of cystolith size.

OBJECTIVE: To compare accuracy of estimates of cystolith size obtained by means of plain radiography, double-contrast cystography, ultrasonography, and computed tomography. SAMPLE POPULATION: 30 canine cystoliths ranging from 1 to 11 mm in diameter with various mineral compositions. PROCEDURES: A bladder phantom model was created by filling a rubber balloon with saline (1% NaCl) solution and positioning it on top of a 2% gelatin cushion at the bottom of a water-filled 4-quart container. Cystoliths were individually placed in the bladder phantom and imaged by each of the 4 techniques. For each image, cystolith size was measured by 2 radiologists with computerized calipers, and size estimates were compared with actual cystolith size. RESULTS: Mean cystolith size estimates obtained by means of radiography, cystography, and computed tomography did not differ significantly from each other. However, for ultrasonographic images, mean +/- SD difference between actual and estimated cystolith size (2.95 +/- 0.73 mm) was significantly higher than mean difference for radiographic, cystographic, and computed tomographic images. For ultrasonography, mean +/- SD percentage overestimation in cystolith size was 68.4 +/- 51.5%. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicated that measurements of cystolith size obtained by means of ultrasonography may overestimate the true size. This suggests that cystolith size estimates obtained by means of ultrasonography should be interpreted with caution whenever cystolith size may influence patient management.

Jackstone Calculus.

Jackstone calculus is a rare bladder stone with a unique appearance, presenting a stippled and spiculated contour. Correct diagnosis is important because it may have therapeutic implications, as this distinctive shape correlates with a specific mineral composition of calcium oxalate dihydrate, which tend to be easily fragmented by lithotripsy, allowing to attempt an endoscopic treatment instead of surgery in larger stones. We present the case of a 77-year-old male where a 2 cm bladder calculus was incidentally found on CT, with features that allowed to make straightforward the diagnosis of a jackstone calculus.

Single-stage Simultaneous Retrograde and Antegrade Endoscopic Treatment of Giant Prostatic and Bladder Urethral Calculi.

INTRODUCTION: Calculi encountered in the lower urinary tract typically reside within the bladder, less often in the urethra. In this video, we present a minimally invasive endoscopic approach for removal of the largest total stone volume in the lower urinary tract reported in the literature to date. METHODS: A 25-year-old male (body mass index 61 kg/m2) with neurogenic bladder presented with urosepsis and acute kidney injury secondary to obstructive uropathy. Computerized tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated bilateral severe hydroureteronephrosis, a 4.2-cm bladder stone, and 3 urethral stones, including a 7.7-cm prostatic urethral stone and 2 membranous urethral stones (Fig. 1). Urgent bilateral percutaneous nephrostomy tubes were placed. The patient elected for endoscopic management. RESULTS: The patient was placed in the supine lithotomy position. His buried penis and narrow urethra only accommodated a 16-French flexible cystoscope. Multiple stones were encountered in the membranous urethra. A 60-W SuperPulse Thulium Fiber laser at 2 J and 30 Hz was utilized to dust the urethral stones efficiently. Simultaneous ultrasound-guided percutaneous access into the bladder was obtained and ultrasonic lithotripsy via shockpulse was used to clear the bladder stone and prostatic stone from above. Total stone treatment time was 240 minutes. Suprapubic and urethral catheters were placed at the conclusion. Postoperative day 1 CT scan confirmed stone-free status and he was discharged postoperative day 2. Outpatient nephrostogram demonstrated patency of bilateral ureters and nephrostomy tubes were removed. CONCLUSION: Higher morbidity procedures including open or laparoscopic approaches have been described for management of large lower urinary tract stones. In this video, we demonstrate a minimally invasive approach of combined simultaneous antegrade and retrograde lithotripsy to achieve a stone-free status in this morbidly obese and complicated patient.

Erosion of an intrauterine contraceptive device through the bladder wall causing calculus: management and review of the literature.

Intrauterine contraceptive devices have been in use for more than 30 years. Although perforation of the uterus by an intrauterine device is not uncommon, intravesical migration with secondary stone formation is a rare complication. A 46-year-old women is described in whom intravesical migration of the intrauterine device was complicated by bladder stone formation. Endoscopic management was applied with an excellent outcome.

[Tuberculous vesicovaginal fistula complicated by bladder stones: about an exceptional case]. / Calculs vésicaux multiples compliquant une fistule vésico-vaginale d'origine tuberculeuse: à propos d'un cas exceptionnel.

Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) continues to be a major public health problem in developing countries. Given the particular association of VVF with stones, the question that arises is whether the fistula is primary or secondary to bladder stone and then whether to use single-stage or two-stage treatment. But what is special about this study is that these rare clinical features are due to tuberculosis. We here report the case of a 62-year old female patient with a history of treated tuberculous spondylodiscitis. The patient had been declared cured 4 years before. For the previous 2 years she had been suffering from continuous urinary incontinence. Clinical examination showed almost complete vaginal synechia. Complementary scannography and cystography showed the presence of 3 stones on the way to the VVF. The largest stone measured 6cm along its longer axis with passage of contrast material into the uterovaginal cavity through the fistula. The patient was admitted to the operating room where she underwent cystolithotomy with ablation of the stones that were on the way to the fistula, biopsy of the fistulous tract and single-stage closure of the VVF in two layers without interposition of the autologous tissue. Anatomopathological results confirmed the presence of active tuberculosis on the way to the fistula, requiring resumption of antibacillary treatment for 9 months. During the follow-up visit at 3, 6 and 9 months the patient showed good clinical status with absence of urinary incontinence. VVF secondary to tuberculosis associated with urinary stones appears very little in literature. Our case demonstrates the feasibility of antibacillar medical treatment associated with single-stage surgical treatment with very satisfactory results despite the history of our patient and the duration of his disease.

Laparoscopic excision of a urachal cyst containing large stones in an adult.

Stone-containing urachal cysts are extremely rare in adults. Here, we report the case of a 58-year-old man with a urachal cyst who had lower abdominal pain and urinary frequency. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed hyperdense stones in the urachus. He was treated with a laparoscopic excision using a transperitoneal approach. The pathological diagnosis was an inflammed urachal cyst. This rare case illustrates an inflammed urachal cyst containing stones treated with laparoscopy.

Evaluation of risk factors associated with suture-nidus cystoliths in dogs and cats: 176 cases (1999-2006).

OBJECTIVE: To characterize and evaluate risk factors for suture-associated cystoliths in dogs and cats. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. Animals-163 dogs and 13 cats with suture-associated cystoliths and 326 control dogs and 26 control cats with non-suture-associated cystoliths. PROCEDURES: Submissions to the Canadian Veterinary Urolith Centre received from 1999 to 2006 were reviewed. Case dogs and cats had cystoliths associated with visible suture or with hollow, cylindrical channels or suture knot impressions consistent with dissolved suture. Control dogs and cats had at least a single recurrent non-suture-associated cystolith submitted closest in time to the sample case. Associations among cystolith composition, recurrence times, sex, age, and breed were evaluated. RESULTS: Cases consisted of 92 dogs and 7 cats with visible suture and 71 dogs and 6 cats with dissolved suture. Suture-associated cystoliths represented 0.6% of canine cystoliths, 9.4% of recurrent canine cystoliths, 0.17% of feline cystoliths, and 4% of recurrent feline cystoliths. Sexually intact and neutered males were at increased odds of suture-associated cystoliths, relative to spayed female dogs. Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos, and Pomeranians were significantly predisposed to form suture-associated cystoliths. In dogs, compound suture-associated cystoliths were significantly more likely than other cystolith types (OR, 8.6). Dogs with suture-associated cystoliths had significantly shorter recurrence times than did control dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Suture remnants in the bladder have an important role in recurrent cystolithiasis in dogs. Identification of risk factors is important for avoiding recurrence of iatrogenic cystoliths.

Leiomyoma of the urinary bladder with bladder stone.

Leiomyoma of the urinary bladder is a rare benign mesenchymal tumour. We describe here a case of leiomyoma of the urinary bladder in a 65-year-old gentleman who presented with haematuria, passage of clots and combined obstructive and irritative urinary symptoms. The investigations revealed a vesical calculus and a mass on the left lateral wall of the urinary bladder. Cystolitholapaxy and transurethral resection of the tumour was performed. Histopathological report of the resected tumour revealed a leiomyoma of the urinary bladder. So far, a leiomyoma of the urinary bladder and a concomitant vesical calculus have not been described in literature.