Safety of Mesh for Vaginal Cystocele Repair: Analysis of National Patient Characteristics and Complications.

PURPOSE: The use of mesh in vaginal cystocele repair has decreased. We analyzed the ACS NSQIP® (American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project) database to compare outcomes of repairs with and without mesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CPT was used to identify patients who underwent cystocele repair with and without mesh from 2006 to 2013. Patient characteristics and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: We identified 6,849 patients, of whom 5,667 (82.5%) underwent native tissue repair and 1,182 (17.5%) underwent repair with mesh. Patients who received mesh were older (mean ± SD age 64 ± 11 vs 60 ± 12 years, p <0.001) and more had comorbidities (56% vs 47%, p <0.001). Mean mesh vs nonmesh operative time (97 ± 67 vs 95 ± 53 minutes, p = 0.2) and mean length of stay (1.3 ± 2.4 vs 1.4 ± 1.3 days, p = 0.2) were similar in the 2 groups. Urinary tract infection was the most common complication in cases without vs with mesh (3.8% vs 3.5%). Mesh procedure rates of mortality (0% vs 0.3%, p = 0.04) and overall surgical complications (1.8% vs 3.9% p <0.001) were higher. On multivariate analysis ASA® class 3 or greater (OR 1.4, p = 0.01), longer operative time (OR 1.004, p <0.001) and mesh (OR 1.32, p = 0.05) were associated with greater morbidity. Patient comorbidities, surgeon specialty and concomitant procedures did not confer an increased risk of complications. CONCLUSIONS: Native tissue repair is performed more commonly than mesh repair. ASA class, operative time and mesh use are associated with an increased risk of postoperative morbidity. These results suggest an increased risk of complications when using mesh in vaginal anterior repair, although the overall risk in each procedure was low.

Sling Procedures for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence: Comparison of National Practice Patterns between Urologists and Gynecologists.

PURPOSE: Sling procedures, which have become the dominant method of surgical management of stress urinary incontinence, are frequently performed by urologists and gynecologists. Few studies investigating trends in surgical management have focused on differences in provision of care between the specialties. In this study we compared national practice patterns of sling procedures by provider type. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the 2006 to 2013 ACS (American College of Surgeons) NSQIP (National Surgical Quality Improvement Program) database. CPT-4 codes were used to identify patients who underwent sling procedures and any concomitant pelvic floor procedures. Patient and operative characteristics were compared between urologists and gynecologists using bivariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Our analytical cohort included 22,192 sling procedures, of which 5,718 (25.8%) and 16,474 (74.2%) were performed by urologists and gynecologists, respectively. Urologists performed a greater percent of autologous fascial sling procedures than gynecologists (1.16% vs 0.06%, p <0.001). Concomitant prolapse repair was performed in 8,664 patients (44.1%), including 954 (16.7%) of urologists and 7,710 (46.8%) of gynecologists. On multivariable analysis urology patients were less likely to undergo concomitant prolapse repair or hysterectomy. Urology patients were more likely to have hypertension and be older, have a higher ASA® (American Society of Anesthesiologists®) class and be current smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Gynecologists perform the majority of sling procedures for stress urinary incontinence. While gynecologists perform more concomitant procedures, urologists tend to operate on older patients with more comorbidities. Urologists also perform a greater proportion of autologous fascial sling procedures. These findings demonstrate that, although gynecologists perform a greater number of surgeries, urologists treat a unique population of patients who require operative management of stress urinary incontinence.

Impact of Surgeon Case Volume on Reoperation Rates after Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Surgery.

PURPOSE: We investigated the impact of surgeon annual case volume on reoperation rates after inflatable penile prosthesis surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database was queried for inflatable penile prosthesis cases from 1995 to 2014. Multivariate proportional hazards regression was performed to estimate the impact of surgeon annual case volume on inflatable penile prosthesis reoperation rates. We stratified our analysis by indication for reoperation to determine if surgeon volume had a similar effect on infectious and noninfectious complications. RESULTS: A total of 14,969 men underwent inflatable penile prosthesis insertion. Median followup was 95.1 months (range 0.5 to 226.7) from the time of implant. The rates of overall reoperation, reoperation for infection and reoperation for noninfectious complications were 6.4%, 2.5% and 3.9%, respectively. Implants placed by lower volume implanters were more likely to require reoperation for infection but not for noninfectious complications. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that compared with patients treated by surgeons in the highest quartile of annual case volume (more than 31 cases per year), patients treated by surgeons in the lowest (0 to 2 cases per year), second (3 to 7 cases per year) and third (8 to 31 cases per year) annual case volume quartiles were 2.5 (p <0.001), 2.4 (p <0.001) and 2.1 (p=0.01) times more likely to require reoperation for inflatable penile prosthesis infection, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated by higher volume implanters are less likely to require reoperation after inflatable penile prosthesis insertion than those treated by lower volume surgeons. This trend appears to be driven by associations between surgeon volume and the risk of prosthesis infection.

Contemporary treatment patterns and outcomes of sarcomatoid bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: To characterize the treatment patterns and survival outcomes of sarcomatoid bladder cancer, a rare urothelial variant histology using a large population level cancer database. METHODS: The National Cancer Database was queried for all cases of sarcomatoid bladder cancer using International Classification of Disease-O-3 morphologic code 8122 between 2004 and 2014. Primary outcome was overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 489 patients met our inclusion criteria and were included in our analysis. Average age at diagnosis was 70.4 years. The majority of the population was male (61.8%) and Caucasian (92.2%). Tumor characteristics included 23.7% cT1, 41.1% cT2 and 15.3% cT3 or above. Median overall survival was 18.4 months (95% CI 13.3-23.6). On multivariate Cox proportional analysis, radical cystectomy alone or with multimodal therapy (chemotherapy or radiotherapy) resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the risk of death as compared to bladder preservation surgery alone. Survival in the radical cystectomy group did not differ between radical cystectomy alone and those receiving either neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcomatoid bladder cancer has poor prognosis with 18.4-month median overall survival. While our data suggest that aggressive treatment improves outcomes, the role of multimodal therapy is unclear. Future study should continue to focus on multi-institutional collaboration to determine the most effective therapy.

Diagnostic yield of cystoscopy in the evaluation of recurrent urinary tract infection in women.

AIMS: Due to a paucity of evidence-based guidelines, anecdotal practice patterns often dictate clinical management of recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) in women. Our aim was to identify pathologic findings of the urinary tract through cystoscopy and imaging in women with recurrent UTI, and to determine if specific risk factors are associated with a higher rate of abnormal findings. METHODS: In a single-institutional cohort, cystoscopy was performed for women with recurrent UTI between 1/2010 and 7/2014. All eligible patients were included in a maintained database and those with gross or microscopic hematuria were excluded. Abdominopelvic imaging was recommended and included in study data when completed. Associations between clinical risk factors (history of renal transplant, urogynecologic surgery, or urolithiasis) and abnormal findings were analyzed by Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: A total of 163 women (mean age 60.6 years) were included in final analysis. Abdominopelvic imaging was available in 133 (82%) cases. Cystoscopy identified 9 (5.5%) cases of significant clinical findings. Of these only 5 (3.8%) cases were uniquely identified on cystoscopy and missed on imaging modalities. When imaging was normal, cystoscopy was also normal in 94% of cases. The examined clinical risk factors were not associated with higher risk of abnormal cystoscopy (P = 0.49) or imaging (P = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS: Cystoscopy performed solely for recurrent UTI is low yield in patients with normal imaging studies, but a small number of abnormal findings may be missed by foregoing this element of the patient workup. No studied risk factor was predictive of an abnormal workup. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:692-696, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Vesicovaginal fistulas in the developed world: An analysis of disease characteristics, treatments, and complications of surgical repair using the ACS-NSQIP database.

AIMS: To analyze patient characteristics, complications, and surgical trends in vesicovaginal fistulas (VVF) from a national database. METHODS: Current Procedural Terminology was used to identify patients undergoing VVF repair from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP) database. Characteristics and treatments were identified. Logistic regression was used to identify characteristics associated with complications. RESULTS: From 2006 to 2013, 200 patients underwent VVF repair. Mean age was 50.3 ± 12.3 years. A large proportion of patients were overweight (72%) and recent smokers (30%). Predominant comorbidities were heart disease (29%) and type 2 diabetes (9.5%). Of all VVF repairs, 65% were repaired vaginally. Concomitant procedures included hysterectomy (n = 6), reconstructive flaps (n = 13), and slings (n = 2). Post-operative complications occurred in 15% of patients. The most common complication was urinary tract infection (8%) followed by blood transfusion (3%). Compared to the vaginal approach, abdominal VVF repairs had higher overall morbidity (22% vs 7% P = 0.003), longer length of stay (3.5 ± 2.3 vs 1.6 ± 2 days P = 0.00) and were more likely to be associated with sepsis (4.3% vs 0% P = 0.02), blood transfusion (7.1% vs 0.8% P = 0.017), and readmission (10.1% vs 0.8% P = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, abdominal approach was a significant predictor of complications within 30 days (P = 0.03, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In the US VVF remains a rare entity. Over half of VVFs were repaired vaginally. The occurrence of serious complications is low. A vaginal approach appears to be associated with fewer complications.

Perioperative blood transfusion predicts short term morbidity after nephrectomy.

INTRODUCTION: To assess 30-day morbidity and mortality following partial nephrectomy (PN) and radical nephrectomy (RN) with relation to the administration of perioperative blood transfusions PBT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program was queried for patients with malignant renal tumors (International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision codes 189-189.2) who underwent RN (Current Procedure Terminology codes 50220, 50225, 50230, 50234, 50236, 50545, 50546, 50548) or PN (50240, 50543) between 2005-2013. Patients were stratified by transfusion status and assessed for postoperative outcomes both separately and in composite, including morbidity, mortality, infectious complications, and pulmonary complications. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify significant independent predictors of these composite outcomes. RESULTS: The overall transfusion rates were 15.8% and 8.2% for RN and PN, respectively. On multivariate analysis, PBT was associated with increased morbidity (RN: OR 2.147, 95% CI 1.687-2.733; PN: OR 2.081, 95% CI 1.434-3.022), mortality (RN: OR 2.308, 95% CI 1.159-4.598; PN: OR 5.166, 95% CI 1.207-22.12), infectious complications (RN: OR 1.656, 95% CI 1.151-2.383; PN: OR 1.945, 95% CI 1.128-3.354) and pulmonary complications (RN: OR 3.040, 95% CI 2.125-4.349; OR 3.771, 95% CI 2.108-6.746). CONCLUSIONS: For patients undergoing RN or PN there is a significant association between receipt of PBT and 30-day postoperative outcomes, specifically overall morbidity, mortality, infectious complications, and pulmonary complications. The mechanism that underlies these effects has not been elucidated, but it most likely involves immunomodulation and acute lung injury. Future research should focus on formulating comprehensive transfusion guidelines for oncologic-related nephrectomies.

Perioperative blood transfusion in radical cystectomy: Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether perioperative blood transfusion is associated with worse 30-day postoperative outcomes in radical cystectomy patients. METHODS: Utilizing the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we identified 2934 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer (International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision codes 188-188.9) who underwent radical cystectomy (Current Procedure Terminology codes 51570, 51575, 51580, 51585, 51590, 51595, 51596) between 2005 and 2013. Patients were stratified by transfusion status and assessed based on four composite postoperative outcomes: morbidity, surgical site infection, mortality and readmission. Multivariate regression models were used to determine significant independent predictors of the composite outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, 40.1% of patients received a transfusion, and there were significant differences in baseline variables such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking history and comorbidities. Transfusion was associated with increased morbidity, surgical site infection, readmission, operative time and length of stay on unadjusted analyses. On multivariate regression, transfusion was associated with increased morbidity (OR 1.361, 95% CI 1.131-1.638) and surgical site infection (OR 1.371, 95% CI 1.070-1.757). CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative blood transfusion is associated with increased risk of postoperative infection and morbidity. Previous work in this area has focused on negative long-term oncological outcomes, but this is the first study to examine short-term postoperative outcomes. Future research should focus on the immunosuppressive mechanism of perioperative blood transfusion and on restrictive transfusion guidelines for oncology patients.

Timing and Predictors of Early Urologic and Infectious Complications After Renal Transplant: An Analysis of a New York Statewide Database.

OBJECTIVES: The most common complications after renal transplant are urologic and are a cause of significant morbidity in a vulnerable population. We sought to characterize the timing and predictors of urologic complications after renal transplant using a statewide database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We queried the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database to identify patients who underwent renal transplant from 2005 to 2013. Postoperative complications included hydronephrosis, ureteral stricture, vesicoureteral reflux, nephrolithiasis, and urinary tract infections. Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess independent predictors of urologic complications. RESULTS: In total, 9038 patients were included in the analyses. Urologic complications occurred in 11.3% of patients and included hydronephrosis (12.0%), nephrolithiasis (2.8%), ureteral stricture (2.4%), and vesicoureteral reflux (1.5%). We found that 23% experienced at least one urinary tract infection. On multivariate analysis, predictors of urologic complications included medicare insurance, hypertension, and prior urinary tract infection. Graft recipients from living donors were less likely to experience urologic complications than deceased-donor kidney recipients (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Urologic complications occur in a significant proportion of renal transplants. Further study is needed to identify risk factors for complications after renal transplantation to decrease morbidity in this vulnerable population.

Preoperative Antibiotics Before Bladder Biopsy: Are They Necessary?

OBJECTIVE: To compare postoperative infectious outcomes of bladder biopsies performed in the office without antibiotic prophylaxis vs those done with preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in the operating room (OR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our institutional review board-approved database was retrospectively reviewed for patients who underwent bladder biopsy in the office or in the OR between July 2014 and August 2015. All patients with bladder biopsies performed in the OR and none in the office received preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis. Patient characteristics and post-procedural outcomes including bacteriuria, urinary tract infection (UTI), and febrile UTI were recorded. The rates of these outcomes were compared between the 2 groups using the chi-square test. Patients were excluded from analysis if they experienced a UTI or were prescribed antibiotics within 30 days before their procedure. RESULTS: In all, 216 biopsies were identified (106 in the office and 110 in the OR). No difference was noted in the rate of UTI (0.94% vs 0.91%, P = .98), or febrile UTI (0% vs 0.91%, P = .33) between those undergoing bladder biopsy in the office and those in the OR. There was no difference in the incidence of new urinary symptoms (2.8% vs 5.5%, P = .33) or post-procedural bacteriuria (3.8% vs 3.6%, P = .96). CONCLUSION: Since the introduction of the mandated use of antibiotics for routine procedures such as bladder biopsy, antibiotic use has markedly increased. Our data suggest that the preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis that is recommended may not confer benefit to select patients. At a time when antibiotic stewardship is of utmost importance, guidelines regarding its use should be reconsidered.

Micropapillary Bladder Cancer: Insights from the National Cancer Database.

Introduction: Micropapillary bladder cancer (MPBC) is a variant histology of urothelial carcinoma (UC) that is associated with poor outcomes however given its rarity, little is known outside of institutional reports. We sought to use a population-level cancer database to assess survival outcomes in patients treated with surgery, radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for all cases of MPBC and UC using International Classification of Disease-O-3 morphologic codes between 2004-2014. Primary outcome was survival outcomes stratified by treatment modality. Treatments included radical cystectomy (RC) with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) or adjuvant chemotherapy (AC). Results: Overall 869 patients with MPBC and 389,603 patients with UC met the inclusion criteria. Median age of the MPBC cohort was 69.9 years (58.9-80.9) with the majority of the cohort presenting with high-grade (89.3%) and muscle invasive or locally advanced disease (47.6%). For cT1 MPBC, outcomes of RC and BPS were not statistically different. For≥cT2 disease, NAC showed a survival benefit compared with RC alone for UC but not for MPBC. On multivariable analysis, MPBC histology independently predicted worse increased risk of death. On subanalysis of the MPBC RC patients, NAC did not improve survival outcomes compared with RC alone. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy utilization and early cystectomy did not show a survival benefit in patients with MPBC. This histology independently predicts decreased survival and prognosis is poor regardless of treatment modality. Further research should focus on developing better treatment options for this rare disease.

Utilization of Preoperative Laboratory Testing for Low-risk, Ambulatory Urologic Procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical significance of preoperative laboratory testing for low-risk ambulatory urologic procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database from 2005 to 2013 was queried for urethral sling procedures, cystoscopic procedures, and scrotal procedures. Multivariate analysis was used to assess for independent predictors of preoperative laboratory testing utilization and for postoperative complications. RESULTS: Overall, 7378 procedures were identified, with 73.9% undergoing 1 or more laboratory tests, including 37.9% who had no comorbidities. Patients who were tested were older, had a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists class, and had more preoperative comorbidities. Of these procedures, only 2.9% resulted in any complication. Most laboratory tests were drawn within 1 week of the procedure. On multivariate analysis of testing utilization, increasing age and medical comorbidities were predictive of testing. Multivariate analysis of postoperative outcomes showed that abnormal test laboratory findings were not predictive of postoperative complications in those with and without NSQIP-defined comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Abnormal preoperative laboratory testing was not a significant independent predictor of postoperative complications. Almost 40% of patients received preoperative testing despite having no NSQIP-detected comorbid conditions. A multidisciplinary approach should be taken to define procedures in which preoperative laboratory testing may be eliminated.