Applicability and feasibility of robot-assisted cystectomy and intracorporeal urinary diversion in a patient with right renal pelvic ectopia.

BACKGROUND: The ectopic pelvic kidney, a common renal anomaly, is often smaller and malformed, with a shorter and sometimes tortuous ureter (1). Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), constituting 15-25% of bladder cancer cases (2), mandates radical cystectomy with a 50% 5-year survival rate (2). Despite the growing use of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) (3, 4), there is limited data on its application in ectopic kidneys. Only one RARC case has been reported (5), in contrast to numerous open radical cystectomies (1, 6) involving an ectopic kidney. PATIENT AND METHODS: After being diagnosed with T2 high-grade urothelial carcinoma, the 66-year-old patient, previously treated with multiple transurethral resections and adjuvant BCG therapy, received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Preoperative staging CT revealed a 2.6 x 2.2 cm bladder neoformation and an ectopic right pelvic kidney. RESULTS: Using the da Vinci Surgical System, radical cystectomy with ileal conduit (sec Wallace II) and lymphadenectomy were performed. During the demolition phase, the shorter right ureter was dissected with care to avoid damage to the renal pedicle. The reconstructive phase included intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) and uretero-ileal anastomosis, facilitated by the favorable position of the kidney. The 8-hour console surgery resulted in minimal blood loss. Discharged on day 16 due to COVID-19, the patient exhibited positive outcomes. A 2-month CT follow-up revealed no cancer recurrence, metastasis, hydronephrosis, and complete regression of the lymphocele. Imaging follow-up continues without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Robotic surgery with intracorporeal urinary diversion holds potential for right-sided pelvic kidney cases, but additional studies are necessary for validation.

Preoperatory imaging evaluation in primary hyperparathyroidism and associated thyroid disease.

BACKGROUND: Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is an endocrinological disorder characterized by excessive secretion of parathormone. Minimally invasive approach has become a widespread surgical method for pHPT treatment due to the improvement of preoperative gland localization imaging techniques and the use of intraoperative PTH dosage (IOPTH). We discuss the results of different imaging technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have conducted a retrospective analysis of 80 patients that underwent surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism in the period between 01/01/2012 and 28/02/2018 and we have focused our data collection on preoperative study, intraoperative findings and follow-up data. We have evaluated the concordance between the findings of the most used imaging techniques, copresence of thyroid disease and IOPTH. RESULTS: SPECT-CT showed the best results in terms of positivity (93.1%), sensitivity (88.9%) and accuracy (82.8%). Neck ultrasound resulted to have the best positive predictive value (94.4%). IOPTH decrease was correlated with patients' healing (p <0.05). Age lower than 70 years, post-operative calcium and PTH serum levels were related to a higher chance of healing (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: US-scintigraphy combination is suitable for preoperative evaluation and SPECT/CT confirms to be the best additional examination; the presence of thyroid disease decrease the sensitivity. IOPTH is an important predictor of healing KEY WORDS: Intraoperative PTH, Hyperparathyroidism, Parathyroidectomy, SPECT/CT, Thyroid disease.

Applicability and feasibility of robot-assisted cystectomy and intracorporeal urinary diversion in a patient with right renal pelvic ectopia

ABSTRACT Background: The ectopic pelvic kidney, a common renal anomaly, is often smaller and malformed, with a shorter and sometimes tortuous ureter (1). Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), constituting 15-25% of bladder cancer cases (2), mandates radical cystectomy with a 50% 5-year survival rate (2). Despite the growing use of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) (3, 4), there is limited data on its application in ectopic kidneys. Only one RARC case has been reported (5), in contrast to numerous open radical cystectomies (1, 6) involving an ectopic kidney. Patient and methods: After being diagnosed with T2 high-grade urothelial carcinoma, the 66-year-old patient, previously treated with multiple transurethral resections and adjuvant BCG therapy, received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Preoperative staging CT revealed a 2.6 x 2.2 cm bladder neoformation and an ectopic right pelvic kidney. Results: Using the da Vinci Surgical System, radical cystectomy with ileal conduit (sec Wallace II) and lymphadenectomy were performed. During the demolition phase, the shorter right ureter was dissected with care to avoid damage to the renal pedicle. The reconstructive phase included intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) and uretero-ileal anastomosis, facilitated by the favorable position of the kidney. The 8-hour console surgery resulted in minimal blood loss. Discharged on day 16 due to COVID-19, the patient exhibited positive outcomes. A 2-month CT follow-up revealed no cancer recurrence, metastasis, hydronephrosis, and complete regression of the lymphocele. Imaging follow-up continues without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusion: Robotic surgery with intracorporeal urinary diversion holds potential for right-sided pelvic kidney cases, but additional studies are necessary for validation.