Medical Advancements in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Treatments.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to identify and summarize the current literature on the most recent therapeutic agents and combination strategies for the medical management of lower urinary tract symptoms resulting from benign prostatic hyperplasia. RECENT FINDINGS: The latest advancements in BPH therapy have been in combination strategies. Alpha blockers continue to be the mainstay of treatment, but research is exploring the synergistic benefits of combining them with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs), phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors, and beta-3 agonists. The alpha-blocker + 5-ARI combination remains ideal for enlarged, significantly reducing clinical progression risk compared to monotherapy. Alpha-blocker + PDE5 inhibitor combinations appear safe and potentially beneficial for men with concomitant erectile dysfunction; sildenafil might hold an edge over tadalafil based on limited data. Beta-3 agonists show synergistic effects with alpha blockers for residual storage symptoms, offering similar efficacy to anticholinergics but with a better side effect profile.

The 2023 Stone-Free CT Mandate: Addressing the Two Sides of the Debate.

To the editors of the Journal of Endourology, we write to express our reservations in the recent announcement that starting in 2023 all reporting of stone-free rates be based on CT.

Assessing the Female and Underrepresented Minority Medical Student Experience in the Urology Match: Where Do We Fall Short?

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the experiences of female and underrepresented minority (URM) medical students pursuing urology and determine if discrimination was perceived at any point during the application process. METHODS: After the rank list submission deadline (January 2, 2020), we emailed an anonymous survey to all 353 applicants to our institution for the 2020 AUA Residency Match (80.0% of applicants nationally). The survey inquired about their experiences pursuing urology and the residency match process. Ordinal regression models were used to identify any significant predictors of survey responses. RESULTS: One hundred ninety applicants (136 male [72%], 54 female [28%]) completed the survey. A significantly higher percentage of females vs males noted discrimination (odds ratio: 2.53; confidence interval: 1.37-4.74, Fig. 1). URM students also reported higher frequencies of discrimination than non-URM students (odds ratio: 2.27; confidence interval: 1.07-4.83). Thirty-two percent of respondents tested positive on the Maslach Burnout Inventory; we did not identify any predictors of burnout. Higher proportions of female residents, faculty and leadership at a particular program had a more favorable impact on the rank lists of female applicants compared with males. Higher proportions of URM residents, faculty and leadership at a particular program had a more favorable impact on the rank lists of URM applicants compared with non-URM. CONCLUSION: Our collective findings suggest that URM and female medical students have less favorable experiences interacting with urology trainees and faculty than do their nonminority and male counterparts. Higher percentages of female and URM urology residents and faculty promote effective recruitment of female and URM applicants.

Single-Port Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy With Magnetic Retraction: A Video Demonstration.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal sacrocolpopexy is the gold standard for treatment of apical prolapse.1 Minimally invasive surgery offers many advantages over the open approach, including incision size, blood loss, postoperative pain while maintaining similar long-term outcomes.2,3 OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and feasibility of performing a magnetic-assisted single-port robotic sacrocolpopexy (MARS). MATERIALS: Prior to surgery, a magnetic controller was secured to the surgical bed. The Hassan technique was used to place a 25 mm SP port through a single 2.5 cm supra-umbilical incision. A 12 mm assistant port was placed 10 cm lateral to the SP port on the right side, this additional trocar placement may be obviated by using a gel-point for both ports. The SP robot was docked on the right side of the bed. The magnet was clipped onto the sigmoid mesentery and the outer magnet was repositioned to retract the sigmoid laterally. The sacral promontory was exposed, and the peritoneal incision was carried down to the vagina. The magnet was repositioned, and the bladder was reflected off the anterior vagina. The posterior dissection was carried out to reveal the posterior vagina. "Y" mesh was placed, appropriately tensioned, secured to the sacral promontory and retroperitonealized. Cystoscopy was performed. The magnet was removed from the sigmoid colon, and all incisions were closed. RESULTS: A 66-year-old G2P2 female, BMI 25, status-post prior abdominal hysterectomy presented with symptomatic stage IV prolapse. Surgery was uneventful with an operative time of 247 minutes and an estimated blood loss of 10cc. The patient was discharged the following day. At 3 months postoperatively, she had anatomic and symptomatic resolution of her prolapse. CONCLUSION: Using magnetic assistance, MARS can be offered to women who want a durable option for prolapse repair with improved cosmesis compared to conventional methods and may offer cosmetic benefits when paired with a concurrent hysterectomy.

Ureteral Wall Injury with Ureteral Access Sheaths: A Randomized Prospective Trial.

Objective: To compare two commercially available ureteral access sheaths in their ability to access the renal collecting system and assess ureteral wall trauma using a prospective, randomized trial. Patients and Methods: Ninety-five patients undergoing ureteroscopy for renal stones were randomized to Cook Flexor™ or Boston Scientific Navigator HD™ 12/14F sheaths. If the initial sheath failed to advance, an alternate sheath was attempted. The primary outcome was the difference in these access sheaths to obtain access to the upper collecting system and the postoperative ureteral injury using standardized five-point classification system. Results: The overall success rate for sheath placement was 87.4% and did not differ for sheath groups. The Navigator HD was successful in 43% of the Flexor failures and was subjectively rated as easier to place (p = 0.018). Male gender, large stone burden, longer time of sheath insertion, and a more difficult subjective rating for sheath placement were associated with high-grade (grade 2 or 3) ureteral injury. Limitations include a small sample size and absence of long-term follow-up. Conclusion: Sheaths had equal success of placement and there was no significant difference in ureteral wall injury between the two sheaths. Subjectively difficult sheath placement and longer time of placement were associated with high-grade injury, suggesting that surgeons should carry a low threshold for switching to a smaller sheath when resistance is felt or if placement time is long. Clinical Trial number: Nct03349099.

Reversing the Decline in Urology Residency Applications: An Analysis of Medical School Factors Critical to Maintaining Student Interest.

OBJECTIVE: To identify institutional factors that predict medical student decision to apply for the urology match. MATERIALS AND METHODS: American Urological Association (AUA) Match data from 2015 to 2019 were used to determine the number of applicants from each medical school who submitted rank lists. Associations between the applicant counts from each medical school and medical school characteristics were assessed using multivariable Poisson regression models. Data were obtained using publicly available datasets and a survey of urology program coordinators. RESULTS: There were 1916 medical students from 199 medical schools who submitted rank lists to the urology residency match. After adjusting for class size, schools with a urology residency program produced significantly greater number of urology applicants (RR 2.7; 95% CI, 2.2-3.4, p<0.001). Additional predictors included a shorter preclerkship curriculum (less than 18 months; RR 1.2, 95% CI 1.09-1.35, P <.001), number of urology residents (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.17, P <.001), urology faculty (RR 1.1; 1.04-1.2; P = .01; per 10 faculty), top 20 residency ranking on Doximity (RR 1.2; 1.1-1.4, P <.001), and presence of urology interest group (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6, P = .005). Approximately 28% of applicants were female, and the percentage of female urology faculty at their institution significantly correlated with number of female applicants (ß = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.01-0.44; P = .049). CONCLUSION: To recruit more medical students into urology, departments should foster early preclinical exposure to specialty-specific interest groups, interaction with residents, and development of a diverse faculty.

Can a Simplified 12-Hour Nighttime Urine Collection Predict Urinary Stone Risk?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there is correlation between nighttime 12-hour and traditional 24-hour urine collection in regard to chemistry values and the supersaturations of calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, and uric acid for the metabolic evaluation of nephrolithiasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-five patients were prospectively enrolled from 2013 to 2015. Patients >18 years of age who presented to a tertiary stone clinic and who would normally be counseled for 24-hour urine collection were eligible for the study. Participants completed 24-hour urine collections twice, with each divided into 2 separate 12-hour collections. Day-time collection began after the first morning void and continued for 12 hours. The night collection proceeded for the next 12 hours through the first morning void. RESULTS: Forty-nine 24-hour samples from 35 patients met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Overall, there was strong correlation between the night 12-hour and the 24-hour urine collections with R2 ranging from 0.76 for pH to 0.96 for Citrate. In our analysis of variability, the nighttime 12-hour collection differed from the 24-hour collection by 30% in 1-9 patients (2.0%-18.4%) based on individual chemistry value. Diagnosis of underlying metabolic abnormalities was concordant in 92% of patients. CONCLUSION: A 12-hour nighttime collection has strong correlation with 24-hour urine collection. As such, simplifying the metabolic evaluation to a 12-hour overnight collection may be feasible-improving compliance and decreasing patient burden.