How Often is Digital Rectal Examination Performed? Is it Still Taught to Medical Students?

INTRODUCTION: Digital rectal examination is an essential skill. However, it is not clear how often it is performed by AUA (American Urological Association) members or if it is still taught in medical school. METHODS: Two web based surveys were administered to AUA members (practicing urologists and residents/fellows) and medical student members of the AUA. The surveys inquired how often digital rectal examination was performed, when and how it was taught, and how the AUA could promote it. RESULTS: There were 331 responses from AUA members and 160 responses from medical students. Most (64%) AUA members performed digital rectal examination on at least 50% of male patients. When respondents were subdivided according to the median age of 36 years, AUA members older than 36 years performed significantly more routine digital rectal examinations while those 36 years old or younger relied significantly more on prostate specific antigen screening (p <0.001). While few medical schools had a mandatory urology rotation, 89% of students reported that digital rectal examination was a required component of their medical school education and it was taught during the second year. While 81% of medical students were aware of the AUA Medical Student Curriculum only 43% of them were aware that the AUA has videos instructing students on digital rectal examination. Finally, AUA members and students provided insight as to how the AUA could promote digital rectal examination. CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the importance and general attitude of AUA members and students toward the digital rectal examination. In the future the AUA could further develop clinical guidelines, content and educational videos with particular emphasis on augmenting medical student education on digital rectal examination.

Robotic sacrocolpopexy for the management of pelvic organ prolapse: quality of life outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to investigate longer-term surgical and quality of life (QOL) outcomes in a cohort of women undergoing robotic-assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (RALS) for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study at a single institution of female patients undergoing RALS with and without concomitant robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy, urethral sling, and rectocele repair. Scores from the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI) and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ) surveys were used to evaluate QOL outcomes. Clinical improvement was defined by a decrease in a patient's PFDI and PFIQ postoperative score by ⩾70%. RESULTS: Clinical improvement was seen in 62.6% by the PFIQ and in 64% by the PFDI survey. Younger patient age (OR 0.92, p = 0.011) and worse preoperative American Urological Association (AUA) Quality of Life score (OR 1.42, p = 0.046) were associated with clinical improvement. Within the PFIQ, 35.6% of patients saw clinical improvement with their bowel symptoms, compared with bladder (54.1%, p < 0.001) and prolapse (45.6%, p = 0.053) symptoms. Within the PFDI, 45.5% of patients reached clinical improvement with their bowel symptoms, compared with bladder (56.7%, p = 0.035) and prolapse (62.6%, p < 0.001) symptoms. Of the patients who had a rectocele repair, 46.3% reached clinical improvement in their CRADI-8 score, and 51% saw clinical improvement in the bowel portion of the PDFI. CONCLUSIONS: Significantly fewer patients reached clinical improvement within the portions of the surveys that focus on bowel symptoms, compared with symptoms related to urination and POP. Of those that had a concomitant rectocele repair, approximately half reached clinical improvement with their bowel symptoms.

Robotic sacrocolpopexy for the management of pelvic organ prolapse: a review of midterm surgical and quality of life outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Transabdominal sacrocolpopexy is a definitive treatment option for vaginal vault prolapse with durable success rates. The aim of our study was to review subjective and objective outcomes including complications after robotic assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy for the repair of symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse. METHODS: Single-site retrospective cohort study of women undergoing robotic assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy with and without concomitant robotic assisted supracervical hysterectomy was performed. Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7 questionnaires were used preoperatively and postoperatively to evaluate patient subjective data, respectively. We established a strict improvement of greater than 70% on questionnaire's total score to determine clinical improvement. RESULTS: Complications were assessed at 6 months and 127 women were included in our review. Mesh extrusion occurred in 3 (2.4%) patients. Other complications reported were bowel injury (2.4%), readmission rate (2.4%), wound infection (1.6%), and postoperative hernia at port site (1.6%). Objective and subjective outcomes were assessed at 1 year in 92 women. Although there was no recurrent apical prolapse at 1 year, anterior prolapse was present in 7 patients. Clinical improvement was present in 72% by Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7 and in 68% by Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20. Predictors of poor clinical outcomes were lysis of adhesions (OR, 5.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-27.4; P = 0.026), urethrolysis (OR, 11.91; 95% CI, 1.2-117.9; P = 0.034), current smoking (OR, 7.9; 95% CI, 1.1-58.7; P = 0.042), and older age (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0-1.18; P = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Robotic assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy represents a safe and effective surgical therapy to manage symptomatic apical pelvic organ prolapse. Serious complication rates are low but not rare when assessing short-term outcomes.

Validating the incontinence symptom severity index: a self-assessment instrument for voiding symptom severity in women.

PURPOSE: Most voiding symptom self-assessment instruments assess either symptom bother or effect on quality of life. The Incontinence Symptom Severity Index is an instrument for self-assessment of severity of female urinary storage and voiding symptoms, rather than symptom bother or effects of symptoms on quality of life. We assessed the validity of the Incontinence Symptom Severity Index for female voiding symptom self-assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Incontinence Symptom Severity Index assesses 8 symptom domains, including emptying, urgency, urge incontinence, nocturia, daytime frequency, stress incontinence, leakage with physical activity and pad use. Three separate cohorts of women with a mean age of 59, 60 and 63 years, respectively, who underwent evaluation for urinary complaints associated with incontinence and vaginal prolapse were analyzed. Internal consistency was assessed via item-total correlations and Cronbach's alpha. Concurrent validity against the Urogenital Distress Inventory and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-Short Form were studied by correlating similar symptom domains of the Incontinence Symptom Severity Index with both instruments. We assessed criterion validity by comparison with the objective measures of post-void residual urine, voiding logs and self-reported pad use. Response to change was assessed by comparing pretreatment and posttreatment Incontinence Symptom Severity Index scores. RESULTS: Significant item total correlations were seen for each Incontinence Symptom Severity Index item and Cronbach's alpha was 0.69. All Incontinence Symptom Severity Index items significantly correlated with similar items of the Urogenital Distress Inventory and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-Short Form. Significant posttreatment reductions were also observed for all 8 Incontinence Symptom Severity Index items. Progressively higher post-void residual urine was noted for the 4 severity scores of Incontinence Symptom Severity Index item 1 (emptying) (p = 0.07). Incontinence Symptom Severity Index items 3 (nocturia) and 4 (daytime frequency) showed significantly increasing nighttime and daytime voids with worsening severity scores for each (p <0.0001 and <0.0041, respectively). Incontinence Symptom Severity Index items 5 to 8 (stress incontinence, urge incontinence, leakage with activity and pad use) showed significantly increasing trends in mean daily pad use (p <0.0001, 0.022, <0.0001 and <0.0001, respectively) among the 4 severity scores for each. CONCLUSIONS: The Incontinence Symptom Severity Index demonstrates good reliability and validity. It is a useful instrument for assessment of female incontinence and voiding symptom severity in clinical and research settings.

Coordinated chemoradiation therapy with genital preservation for the treatment of primary invasive carcinoma of the male urethra.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the efficacy of a combined chemoradiation therapy protocol for the primary treatment of primary invasive carcinoma of the male urethra. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1991 to December 2006, 18 patients with invasive carcinoma of the male urethra referred to our institution were treated with a chemoradiation therapy protocol, consisting of 2 cycles of 5-fluorouracil (1,000 mg/m(2)) on days 1 to 4 and days 29 to 32, and mitomycin-C (10 mg/m(2)) on days 1 and 29 with concurrent external beam radiation therapy (45 to 55 Gy in 25 fractions during 5 weeks) to the genitalia, perineum, and inguinal and external iliac lymph nodes. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to assess overall, disease specific and disease-free survival. RESULTS: The stage and node distribution was T2N0 in 2 patients (11%), T3N0 in 8 (44%), T4N0 in 2 (11%), TXN1 in 1(6%) and TXN2 in 5 (28%). The most prevalent histology was moderately (7 of 18 patients or 39%) or poorly (10 of 18 or 56%) differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (17 of 18 or 95%). Overall 83% (15 of 18) of the patients had a complete response to the primary chemoradiation therapy protocol, and the 5-year overall and disease specific survival rates were 60% and 83%, respectively. Five-year disease-free survival rates after chemoradiation therapy and after chemoradiation therapy with salvage surgery were 54% and 72%, respectively. The 3 nonresponders died of disease after undergoing salvage surgery and 5 of the 15 complete responders (30%) had recurrence. Complex urethral reconstruction was required in 3 of 10 patients (30%) who had prolonged disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: The chemoradiation therapy protocol is an alternative primary treatment modality for invasive urethral carcinoma. It enables an unprecedented potential for organ preservation.

Familial transmission of urogenital prolapse and incontinence.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize recent evidence suggesting a genetic basis for the development of urogenital prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. RECENT FINDINGS: Epidemiological evidence suggests that some women have a genetic predisposition to the development of urogenital prolapse and stress incontinence. Abnormal expression of various structural proteins is thought to be the molecular genetic mechanism for the development of these conditions. A group of families with an autosomal dominant pattern of transmission of urogenital prolapse with high penetrance has been identified. No similar cohort of families with familial stress incontinence currently exists, although candidate genes have been identified that appear to predispose women to urogenital prolapse and stress incontinence. Additionally, animal models of urogenital prolapse have been developed that closely parallel the development of prolapse in humans. SUMMARY: A growing body of evidence suggests a genetic basis for the development of urogenital prolapse and stress incontinence. Candidate genes have been identified that may result in alteration of the normal metabolism of various structural proteins which may ultimately predispose some women to both urogenital prolapse and stress incontinence. Further research into the genetic basis of these conditions may provide a comprehensive understanding of the biological basis of these disorders.

Progression of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: improved outcomes with the extraperitoneal approach and a running anastomosis.

PURPOSE: To compare the operative and perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing either a transperitoneal or an extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (TLRP or ELRP) with either an interrupted or a running urethrovesical anastomosis (IUVA or RUVA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 2003 through December 2004, 265 patients underwent LRP by one surgeon at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center. They were divided into three groups according to the operative approach (TLRP or ELRP) and the suture anastomosis (IUVA or RUVA): group 1 = TLRP and IUVA (N = 58; 21.6%), group 2 = TLRP and RUVA (N = 35; 13.1%), and group 3 = ELRP and RUVA (N = 172; 64.2%). RESULTS: Group 3 had statistically better outcomes, as judged by operative time (222, 191, and 170 minutes for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively; P < 0.0001), postoperative analgesic use (39.6, 30.4, and 18.9 mg of narcotic; P < 0.0001), length of stay (3.76, 2.74 days, and 1.67 days; P < 0.0001), leak on postoperative cystogram (17.9%, 11.4%, and 3.5%; P = 0.001), and complication rate (32.8%, 11.4%, and 9.9%; P < 0.0001). The groups had similar estimated blood loss (168, 145, and 176 mL) and positive surgical-margin rates (15.5%, 14.3%, and 14.5%). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate improved surgical outcome for ELRP with RUVA in regard to operative time, analgesic use, length of stay, leak rate, and complication rate. Long-term follow-up will determine whether a difference exists in disease recurrence, continence, and erectile function.

Laparoscopic radical cystectomy with continent urinary diversion.

Laparoscopic radical cystectomy with urinary diversion, although challenging even for the skilled laparoscopist, has evolved rapidly throughout the past decade. These advances are attributable to a series of well-designed animal studies transitioned carefully to humans. Short-term data have shown that this is a feasible technique that respects the basic principles of surgical oncology. However, the possibility of decreased blood loss, improved visualization, shorter hospital stay, and less postoperative pain are balanced against technical difficulty, long operative times, and unproved long-term efficacy compared with the open gold standard. The goal of this review is to reflect the available literature with regard to surgical indications, the current technique in evolution, short-term morbidity, and oncologic outcomes.

Transperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: descending technique.

Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy has evolved over the last decade to become a common treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer at specialized institutions. During that time, various technical modifications have been pioneered by groups throughout the world. We present our technique of transperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy through a descending approach. We believe that the transperitoneal approach affords better visual landmarks, a larger operative space, and a stable pneumoperitoneum. Our technique employs a five-trocar approach to the prostate. All dissection and suturing is performed intracorporeally. The perioperative morbidity and short-term efficacy are similar to those of the open procedure.

A randomized double-blind prospective study evaluating patient tolerance of transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the prostate using prebiopsy rofecoxib.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the use of a prebiopsy outpatient analgesia using the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent rofecoxib (Vioxx). Urologists perform approximately 500,000 transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsies of the prostate per year, commonly without analgesia. Recent reports, however, have determined that a significant proportion of patients undergoing TRUS-guided biopsies have pain. METHODS: We performed a prospective randomized double-blind study of 56 men referred for TRUS biopsy of the prostate. They were randomly assigned to receive 50 mg of oral rofecoxib or placebo before TRUS biopsy. After the biopsies, the patients were asked to score the severity of pain by filling out a visual analog pain scale. At the end of 1 week, all patients were asked to mail in a questionnaire regarding the morbidity of the prostate biopsy, including dysuria, hematuria, urinary retention, postbiopsy fever, and rectal bleeding. Analysis was completed to assess whether rofecoxib decreased the patients' perception of pain. The postbiopsy morbidity of patients receiving placebo versus rofecoxib was compared. RESULTS: Thirty-seven percent of patients receiving placebo and 42% of patients receiving rofecoxib had significant pain (5 or greater on the visual analog pain scale). The median pain score of patients receiving rofecoxib (4.0) versus placebo (4.0) was not significantly different statistically (P = 0.3139) using a Wilcoxon rank sum analysis. The incidence of postbiopsy morbidity was not different. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the findings of previous studies demonstrating that a significant proportion of patients undergoing prostate biopsies have pain. More importantly, we found that prebiopsy rofecoxib did not significantly decrease the patients' severity of discomfort. Finally, the morbidity after biopsy was not increased with the use of rofecoxib.