Lean body mass in living kidney donors impacts postoperative renal function.

PURPOSE: A living donor kidney transplant is the optimal treatment for chronic renal impairment. Our objective is to assess if lean skeletal muscle mass and donor factors such as body mass index, hypertension, and age impact on renal function following donor nephrectomy. METHODS: Potential donors undergo CT angiography as part of their work-up in our institution. Using dedicated software (Horos®), standardized skeletal muscle area measured at the L3 vertebrae was calculated. When corrected for height, skeletal muscle index can be derived. Skeletal muscle mass index below predefined levels was classified as sarcopenic. The correlation of CT-derived skeletal muscle index and postoperative renal function at 12 months was assessed. Co-variables including donor gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and presence of pre-op hypertension were also assessed for their impact on postoperative renal function. RESULTS: 275 patients who underwent living donor nephrectomy over 10 years were included. Baseline pre-donation glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal function at one year post-op were similar between genders. 29% (n = 82) of patients met the criteria for CT-derived sarcopenia. Sarcopenic patients were more likely to have a higher GFR at one year post-op (69.3 vs 63.9 mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.001). The main factors impacting better renal function at one year were the presence of sarcopenia and younger age at donation. CONCLUSION: When selecting donors, this study highlights that patients with low skeletal mass are unlikely to underperform in terms of recovery of their renal function postoperatively at one year when compared to patients with normal muscle mass and should not be a barrier to kidney donation.

Diagnostic Tests for Female Bladder Outlet Obstruction: A Systematic Review from the European Association of Urology Non-neurogenic Female LUTS Guidelines Panel.

CONTEXT: Female bladder outlet obstruction (fBOO) is a relatively uncommon condition compared with its male counterpart. Several criteria have been proposed to define fBOO, but the comparative diagnostic accuracy of these remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To identify and compare different tests to diagnose fBOO through a systematic review process. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review of the literature was performed according to the Cochrane Handbook and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist. The EMBASE/MEDLINE/Cochrane databases were searched up to August 4, 2020. Studies on women ≥18 yr of age with suspected bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) involving diagnostic tests were included. Pressure-flow studies or fluoroscopy was used as the reference standard where possible. Two reviewers independently screened all articles, searched reference lists of retrieved articles, and performed data extraction. The risk of bias was assessed using Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2). EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Overall, 28 nonrandomised studies involving 10 248 patients were included in the qualitative analysis. There was significant heterogeneity regarding the characteristics of women included in BOO cohorts (ie, mixed cohorts including both anatomical and functional BOO). Pressure-flow studies ± fluoroscopy was evaluated in 25 studies. Transperineal Doppler ultrasound was used to evaluate bladder neck dynamics in two studies. One study tested the efficacy of transvaginal ultrasound. The urodynamic definition of fBOO also varied amongst studies with different parameters and thresholds used, which precluded a meta-analysis. Three studies derived nomograms using the maximum flow rate (Qmax) and voiding detrusor pressure at Qmax. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy ranges were 54.6-92.5%, 64.6-93.9%, and 64.1-92.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence on diagnostic tests for fBOO is limited and heterogeneous. Pressure-flow studies ± fluoroscopy remains the current standard for diagnosing fBOO. PATIENT SUMMARY: Evidence on tests used to diagnose female bladder outlet obstruction was reviewed. The most common test used was pressure-flow studies ± fluoroscopy, which remains the current standard for diagnosing bladder outlet obstruction in women. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: The available evidence on diagnostic tests for female bladder outlet obstruction is limited and heterogeneous. The most common test used was video-urodynamics, which remains the current standard for diagnosing bladder outlet obstruction in women.

Designing and assessing a urethral catheter skills workshop for intern doctors in a university teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Urethral catheterisation (UC) is a frequently performed medical procedure and catheter-related injuries can lead to significant morbidity for patients. The aims of this study are to assess interns' exposure to UC and to design, implement and assess a structured UC skills workshop for hospital interns. METHODS: A 10-item anonymous questionnaire on UC was distributed to interns in two university teaching hospitals. Respondents were invited to participate in a skills workshop. Teaching methods for correct UC technique included a lecture, a video tutorial and a simulated patient model. Participants' catheter insertion skills were assessed using a 20-item OSCE checklist when the UC workshop concluded. RESULTS: In total, 40 interns completed the initial questionnaire of whom 26 (65%) had not received any dedicated catheter skills training prior to commencing internship. Fourteen (35%) were unsupervised during their first UC. Fifteen (37%) interns attended the dedicated skills workshop. All interns found the workshop beneficial and 12 (80%) reported an improvement on confidence afterwards. Following the workshop, the mean (± standard deviation) catheter insertion OSCE score was 92% (± 14.1). CONCLUSIONS: Interns have a lack of knowledge, experience and confidence with catheter insertion. Current training models are deficient. The introduction of a structured skills workshop may help to improve catheter insertion skills among interns.

Paratesticular sarcomas: a case series and literature review.

Paratesticular soft tissue tumours are remarkably rare entities, with malignant subtypes accounting for approximately 30%. Due to the paucity of cases, a consensus on the best treatment has not yet been reached, presenting a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for clinicians. Although rare, three such cases presented to the care of our institution serving a population of approximately 400,000 in the space of 13 months. These were three gentlemen, aged 54, 82 and 86 years old, presenting with left sided testicular swellings. Ultrasound in each case confirmed an extratesticular mass. Only the second gentleman complained of associated pain, however he had experienced scrotal trauma in the preceding weeks. Only one patient had suspicions of metastatic disease, with a 9 mm pulmonary nodule on computed tomography. All patients underwent a radical inguinal orchidectomy with high ligation of the spermatic cord, in keeping with best accepted guidelines. Histology confirmed a well-differentiated liposarcoma, a dedifferentiated liposarcoma and a leiomyosarcoma respectively, all high grade. One gentleman returned to theatre for re-excision of margins. Our case series emphasises the need for full multidisciplinary team specialist sarcoma input, as well as radical resection with judicious margins in order to reduce the risk of local recurrence, in the treatment of these rare tumours.

Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma With Osteosarcomatous Heterologous Differentiation: A Case Report With Molecular Genetic Analysis and Review of the Literature.

Sarcomatoid differentiation can occur in all subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In rare cases, heterologous differentiation has been described. We present a case of heterologous osteosarcomatous differentiation in association with sarcomatoid papillary RCC including an analysis of chromosomal copy number alteration. This is the first case to identify heterologous differentiation in association with papillary RCC. The patient was a 70-year-old man who had a mass in the right kidney. Speckled calcification was seen on computed tomography scan. Histological assessment demonstrated papillary RCC merging with areas of sarcomatoid change and malignant bone formation simulating osteosarcoma. Cytogenetic evaluation demonstrated additional copies of chromosome 7 in both epithelial and osteosarcomatous components. A literature review identified 33 previous cases of heterologous differentiation in association with RCC. Of the 14 cases that reported an epithelial subtype, 13 cases were reported to be chromophobe RCC and 1 case was reported to be clear cell RCC.