Understanding health-related quality of life after hypospadias repair: A qualitative study with pre-adolescent males and parents.

INTRODUCTION: Hypospadias is a common disease that affects approximately 1 in every 200 live male births in the United States, and long-term studies of individuals who have undergone repair demonstrate complication rates of 15%-70%. The Hypospadias-Specific Health-related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Conceptual Framework for youth and adults suggests that additional morbidity may be incurred from poor psychological, social, and sexual health. The current study sought to clarify hypospadias-specific HRQOL and care priorities in a pre-pubertal population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This IRB-approved, semi-structured interview study used rigorous qualitative research methods. Eligible patients were English-speaking 8-12-year-old males with hypospadias and their parents. Families completed a demographic questionnaire and separate youth and parent 30-min telephone interviews. We used hybrid thematic analysis to develop an operational codebook, analyze participant responses, and generate conceptual themes. Mixed methods analysis was used to explore patterns of experiences across groups defined by socioeconomic level. RESULTS: We interviewed 10 parents and 8 children (Median age 9 years, Range 8-11). We generated three overarching themes: Penile Factors, Psychosocial Concerns, and Expectations of Surgery and the Healthcare Team. These highest-order themes were generated for youth, parent-proxy, and parent self-reported experiences, and there were different sub-themes for each participant type (Figure). Youth were focused on avoidance of disclosure and the psychological impact of self-comparisons and embarrassment, while the parental perspective centered on worries about future fertility, complications, psychological health, and normality. Some youth and parents from disadvantaged neighborhoods or those with public insurance indicated a need for more education on normal penile functions and provision of strategies for long-term self-monitoring and facilitation of long-term follow-up on mixed methods analysis. CONCLUSION: These findings add insight into the multifaceted experiences of pre-pubertal youth and families dealing with hypospadias, and underscore the consistent, wide-ranging interplay between medical, psychological, and social concerns. Patterns in themes across socioeconomic status and insurance coverage suggest that access to information and quality care may vary significantly and could contribute to health disparities. Urologists should employ an individualized approach to counseling and care delivery. Future studies will seek to characterize care priorities in pubertal and post-pubertal age groups to design developmentally adjusted support tools for youth and adults with hypospadias and their families.

The conundrum of high-grade hydronephrosis with non-obstructive drainage on diuretic renography.

BACKGROUND: Patients with high grade hydronephrosis (HN) and non-obstructive drainage on mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG-3) diuretic renography (renal scans) can pose a dilemma for clinicians. Some patients may progress and require pyeloplasty; however, more clarity is needed on outcomes among these patients. OBJECTIVE: Our primary objective was to predict which patients with high-grade HN and non-obstructive renal scan, (defined as T ½ time <20 min) would experience resolution of HN. Our secondary objective was to determine predictors for surgical intervention. STUDY DESIGN: Patients with prenatally detected HN were prospectively enrolled from 7 centers from 2007 to 2022. Included patients had a renal scan with T ½<20 min and Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) grade 3 or 4 at last ultrasound (RBUS) prior to renal scan. Primary outcome was resolution of HN defined as SFU grade 1 and anterior posterior diameter of the renal pelvis (APD) < 10 mm on follow-up RBUS. Secondary outcome was pyeloplasty, comparing patients undergoing pyeloplasty with patients followed with serial imaging without resolution. Multivariable logistic regression was used for analysis. RESULTS: Of the total 2228 patients, 1311 had isolated HN, 338 patients had a renal scan and 129 met inclusion criteria. Median age at renal scan was 3.1 months, 77% were male and median follow-up was 35 months (IQR 20-49). We found that 22% (29/129) resolved, 42% of patients had pyeloplasty (54/129) and 36% had persistent HN that required follow-up (46/129). Univariate predictors of resolution were age≥3 months at time of renal scan (p = 0.05), T ½ time≤5 min (p = 0.09), SFU grade 3 (p = 0.0009), and APD<20 mm (p = 0.005). Upon multivariable analysis, SFU grade 3 (OR = 4.14, 95% CI: 1.30-13.4, p = 0.02) and APD<20 mm (OR = 6.62, 95% CI: 1.41-31.0, p = 0.02) were significant predictors of resolution. In the analysis of decision for pyeloplasty, SFU grade 4 (OR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.01-5.71, p = 0.04) and T ½ time on subsequent renal scan of ≥20 min (OR = 5.14, 95% CI: 1.54-17.1, p = 0.008) were the significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with high grade HN and reassuring renal scan can pose a significant challenge to clinical management. Our results help identify a specific candidate for observation with little risk for progression: the patient with SFU grade 3, APD under 20 mm, T ½ of 5 min or less who was 3 months or older at the time of renal scan. However, many patients may progress to surgery or do not fully resolve and require continued follow-up.

Native nephrectomy in advanced pediatric kidney disease: indications, timing, and surgical approaches.

In pediatric kidney failure, native kidneys may pose a risk to successful transplant outcomes. The indications and timing of native nephrectomy represent a controversial management decision. A lack of high-quality, outcomes-based data has prevented development of evidence-based guidelines for intervention. In this article, we review the published literature on medical indications for native nephrectomy and current knowledge gaps. In addition, we provide a surgical perspective regarding timing and approach.

Current state of inclusion and diversity in pediatric urology fellowship programs.

BACKGROUND: Increased racial/ethnic diversity of the physician workforce can improve health outcomes for marginalized populations. Currently, the pediatric urology workforce is less racially/ethnically diverse than the pediatric population it serves. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess current recruitment efforts and barriers to recruitment of underrepresented in medicine (URM) fellows in pediatric urology fellowship programs. METHODS: A 20-question REDCap survey was created and distributed to 27 pediatric urology fellowship program directors (PDs). The survey consisted of 4 sections of questions focused on PD demographics, program characteristics, recruitment efforts, and perceptions of barriers to recruitment. RESULTS: A total of 20 PDs responded to the survey (74 %), including 3 incomplete responses. A majority of participants identified as Caucasian/white (79 %), male (68 %), over 40 years of age (89 %), and had served as PD for 5 years or more (68 %). Most PDs (70 %) identified their program having 5-10 full-time pediatric urologists. Many PDs (75 %, 15/20) identified their program as less diverse than the patient population served, and 53 % (9/17) reported having no methods in place for diversity recruitment. Of those who reported a recruitment method, mentorship was the most common (35 %, 6/17). When asked about recruitment barriers, 59 % (10/17) reported that no barriers existed, while those who identified a barrier most commonly cited an overall limited applicant pool (18 %, 3/17). DISCUSSION: Pediatric urology fellowship programs are less diverse than the patient populations served; while PDs value program diversity, most PDs report that there are no mechanisms in place to recruit racially/ethnically diverse trainees. To address this, we recommend active and intentional efforts to increase URM recruitment in pediatric urology. By taking an active role in existing recruitment efforts, pediatric urologists can increase their visibility, broadcast their commitment to diversity, form relationships with trainees earlier in training and increase opportunities for mentorship and early exposure to the field. CONCLUSION: Intentional recruitment efforts are needed to recruit URM trainees to pediatric urology fellowship programs and ensure the diversity of the pediatric urology workforce can better reflect patients served.

Personalized Pre-clinic Nursing Telemedicine Visit: An Efficient and Efficacious Approach for Bowel and Bladder Dysfunction in Children.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of a Registered Nurse (RN) led educational pre-clinic telephone call on compliance and outcomes in children with bowel and bladder dysfunction (BBD). METHODS: A retrospective chart review of a prospectively applied protocol in a single academic institution was performed for children aged 4-17 presenting with BBD. All children underwent a pre-clinic RN telemedicine visit where they were educated on pathophysiology of BBD, provided personalized urotherapy and bowel recommendations and instructed to complete pre-clinic questionnaires and voiding diaries. Patients were evaluated by a provider 4weeks following RN call. Data collected included compliance with forms, bowel management and need for imaging/testing, medications, and biofeedback. Patients were considered to improve with urotherapy alone if they were discharged from urology without the need for medications and/or biofeedback. RESULTS: In total, 277 patients completed an RN call and 224 patients attended a provider visit between December 2020 and June 2022. Mean age was 9.4years (3:1 Female to Male ratio). During the RN call, 154 (56%) patients had bowel management initiated. Of the 224 patients seen by a provider, 69% (n = 154) had symptom improvement or resolution with urotherapy alone. Thirty-eight patients (17%) enrolled in biofeedback with 7 (3%) completing all 8 sessions. Thirty-two patients (14%) required medication for daytime bladder symptoms. CONCLUSION: Our novel RN-led pre-clinic telemedicine visit demonstrates excellent compliance and patient outcomes for children with BBD and can reduce the use of unnecessary imaging, medications, and time-consuming treatments such as biofeedback.

Use of Race in Pediatric Clinical Practice Guidelines: A Systematic Review.

Importance: National clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) guide medical practice. The use of race in CPGs has the potential to positively or negatively affect structural racism and health inequities. Objective: To review the use of race in published pediatric CPGs. Evidence Review: A literature search of PubMed, Medscape, Emergency Care Research Institute Guidelines Trust, and MetaLib.gov was performed for English-language clinical guidelines addressing patients younger than 19 years of age from January 1, 2016, to April 30, 2021. The study team systematically identified and evaluated all articles that used race and ethnicity terms and then used a critical race theory framework to classify each use according to the potential to either positively or negatively affect structural racism and racial inequities in health care. Findings: Of 414 identified pediatric clinical practice guidelines, 126 (30%) met criteria for full review because of the use of race or ethnicity terms and 288 (70%) did not use race or ethnicity terms. The use of a race term occurred 175 times in either background, clinical recommendations, or future directions. A use of race with a potential negative effect occurred 87 times (49.7%) across 73 CPGs and a positive effect 50 times (28.6%) across 45 CPGs. Conclusions and Relevance: In this systematic review of US-based pediatric CPGs, race was frequently used in ways that could negatively affect health care inequities. Many opportunities exist for national medical organizations to improve the use of race in CPGs to positively affect health care, particularly for racial and ethnic minoritized communities.

How I Do It: The pudendal nerve block for pediatric ambulatory urologic surgery.

Regional analgesia is an important adjunct for perioperative pain management in the setting of pediatric penile surgeries. Caudal epidural analgesia (CEA) is the most common analgesic technique performed, but it has limitations and associated morbidity. The pudendal nerve block (PNB) is an effective alternative to CEA with a lower risk profile; in prior examination of the approach, PNB has been demonstrated to have similar postoperative pain control outcomes. We describe our technique and highlight observations made as we have transitioned from CEA to PNB for many patients.

Program Directors' Perspectives of ACGME Requirements and Effectiveness of Training Urology Residents: A National Survey in the Era of the Next Accreditation System.

OBJECTIVE: To qualitatively assess Urology program directors' perspectives on the effectiveness of training residents after implementation of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) 2011 Next Accreditation System, and identify differences in current perspectives and prior surveyed perspectives toward the ACGME Outcome Project. METHODS: A national survey was developed by an ad hoc committee and distributed electronically to 105 Urology program directors. Thirty-four (34) multiple-choice, Likert-scale questions were administered. Data were evaluated and the results from the survey were compared to the one performed 15 years earlier to determine changes in the learning environment and effectiveness of training urology residents. RESULTS: The current survey response rate was 89% which was similar to the 2005 response rate of 88%. Most program directors (61%) agreed that 20% protected time for program directors helped with administrative work and 31% felt this time needs to increase for larger residency programs. Seventy percent (70%) agreed that dedicated program administrator time has helped their program. More than half of the respondents agree that the ACGME is training the current workforce effectively. CONCLUSION: Current program directors appear to be more accepting of changes required by the Next Accreditation System as compared to the Outcome Project 15 years ago. Our study supports the need for protected time to train residents and to overcome barriers to change.

The pudendal nerve block for ambulatory urology: What's old is new again. A quality improvement project.

INTRODUCTION: Caudal epidural analgesia (CEA) is a common analgesic technique performed for pediatric penile surgeries; however, it has associated morbidity. The pudendal nerve block (PNB) has been described as an effective analgesic alternative to CEA. OBJECTIVE: In this quality improvement study, we aim to assess the efficacy of PNB as compared to CEA within our ambulatory surgery center (ASC). We demonstrate our initial experience employing PNB for ambulatory pediatric urology procedures. STUDY DESIGN: Using retrospective, non-randomized, time-series, observational data, a comparative effectiveness study of CEA and PNB was performed. Patients less than three years old, who underwent circumcision, hypospadias repair, congenital chordee repair, correction of penile angulation/torsion, and buried penis repair with or without scrotoplasty, between January 1, 2015-September 9, 2019 with either CEA or PNB in an ASC at a single institution were included. Standard protocols for local and postoperative analgesia were used. Outcome measures were post anesthesia care unit (PACU) pain scores, morphine rescue rates, and PACU length of stay (LOS). These were analyzed using statistical process control (SPC) charts; standard SPC rules were used to detect special cause variation. RESULTS: A total of 999 patients were identified; 746 (74.7%), 172 (17.2%) and 81 (8.1%) received CEA, ultrasound guided PNB (US-PNB) and landmark directed PNB (LD-PNB), respectively. Demographic data was comparable between the three cohorts. There was no special cause variation in the outcome measures between the CEA, US-PNB and LD-PNB cohorts for maximum pain score, morphine rescue rates and PACU LOS. DISCUSSION: Pain outcomes and PACU LOS were similar between the CEA, US-PNB and LD-PNB cohorts, suggesting equivalent postoperative pain control between these techniques within our cohort. Previous published data has reported lower postoperative pain scores with PNB as compared to CEA for patients undergoing circumcision and hypospadias repair. CONCLUSION: PNB is non-inferior to CEA for analgesia for pediatric penile surgery, with LD-PNB being as effective as US-PNB. Given the simplicity and documented lower risk profile, PNB may be preferred to CEA for ambulatory pediatric urology procedures.

Gender and Invited Authorship in the Journal of Pediatric Urology.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evolving role of gender in invited authorship and editorial positions in the Journal of Pediatric Urology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recorded editorial board members and first and senior authors for all editorials and invited commentaries for all issues of the Journal of Pediatric Urology from 2005 to August 2018. We also recorded first and senior authors for original research articles from selected years for comparison. Gender was confirmed for each individual by visiting institutional websites and performing internet searches. The same was done for the Societies for Pediatric Urology membership. RESULTS: A total of 143 editorials and 162 invited commentaries were identified within the study period, with numbers increasing each year. Overall, these publications had 448 first and senior authorships, of which 10% were female. Of the 898 editorial board positions over the study period, 7% were held by females. The proportion of female authorships increased over time (P = .04), while the proportion of female board members did not (P = .9). CONCLUSIONS: Female invited authorship has increased over the past 13 years in the Journal of Pediatric Urology. However, editorial board membership has lagged, indicating an opportunity for improvement.

Disparities in Access and Regionalization of Care in Testicular Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Timely mobilization of specialized resources are needed to achieve optimal outcomes in testicular cancer. We used the National Cancer Database to investigate the hospital and demographic features driving disparity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We identified adult men with testicular tumors diagnosed from 2004 to 2013. We a priori examined the association among race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), travel burden, hospital characteristics, and indicators of delays in testicular cancer care. The outcomes included large primary tumor, stage III at diagnosis, orchiectomy delay, and mortality. The analyses included multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression for time-dependent outcomes and logistic regression for categorical outcomes. RESULTS: Of 31,964 men, 29% had a large primary tumor, 17% presented with stage III disease, 10% experienced an orchiectomy delay, and 6% died. Black race or Hispanic ethnicity, low SES, and underinsurance were associated with poorer outcomes (P < .001 for all). Higher hospital volume, cancer center status, and lower travel burden were associated with improved outcomes (P < .001 for all). CONCLUSION: Nonwhite race/ethnicity, low SES, and underinsurance were associated with diminished access to testicular cancer care. Insurance status, a marker of SES, had the most consistent association with poor outcomes. This finding highlights the oncologic imperative to improve access to adequate health insurance. Regionalization of subspecialty care might, paradoxically, improve outcomes but also create additional barriers in the form of an added travel burden.

Acute Ischemic Priapism Management: An Educational and Simulation Curriculum.

Introduction: Ischemic priapism is a urologic emergency managed by both urologic and nonurologic providers in the community. Given ischemic priapism's rare occurrence and the time-sensitive nature of treatment, effective provider education on management of this entity is imperative. We sought to develop a low-cost effective simulation model and curriculum to enhance trainee education. Methods: A comprehensive didactic curriculum based on national urologic guidelines was developed, along with a low-cost, easily reproducible priapism simulator using hot dogs and Red Vines candy. The simulators cost $1.25 each, and assembly took 10 minutes. All materials were reviewed by three urology faculty members. The curriculum was piloted with two andrology fellowship-trained urology faculty among eight urology residents (PGY2-PGY4/U1-U2) and one medical student. Participants provided feedback regarding the overall course as well as the face and content validity of the simulator. Results: Cognitive test scores significantly improved on average by 15.0% (p = .002), and confidence improved from baseline somewhat or very much among 88.9% of participants after completion of the curriculum. The task trainer was rated easy to use (average score: 4.78 out of 5), and 77.8% of participants though it was somewhat or very useful for training (average score: 4.00 out of 5). Additionally, 77.8% recommended its incorporation into resident training (average score: 4.00 out of 5). Discussion: This simulation curriculum is effective, inexpensive, and easily reproducible, making it ideal for groups with limited resources. Expanding access to simulation-based curricula on priapism management may improve education of both urologic and nonurologic trainees.