Urinary Sphingosine-1-Phosphate as a Biomarker for Bladder Pain Syndrome.

IMPORTANCE: Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a signaling molecule involved in inflammation and bladder contraction. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this case-control pilot study were to compare urinary S1P concentrations in bladder pain syndrome (BPS) participants to controls and determine whether these concentrations correlate with disease severity and duration. STUDY DESIGN: Adult females with BPS and controls were enrolled. Bladder pain syndrome participants completed an O'Leary-Sant questionnaire. Information on duration of symptoms and treatment history was obtained. Urinary S1P and creatinine concentrations were determined. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare groups, and Spearman correlation was used to test for associations between concentrations and duration and severity of symptoms. RESULTS: Twenty-five participants were in each group. Median S1P concentration was 1,225 ng/dL in the BPS group and 2,183 ng/dL in the control group, which was significantly different (P < 0.0001). This difference did not persist when normalized to urinary creatinine (P = 0.58). No differences were noted in urinary S1P concentrations between treated and untreated participants (P = 0.53) or with symptom scores of 13 or greater and less than 13 (P = 0.69). Sphingosine-1-phosphate levels did not correlate with O'Leary-Sant scores (P = 0.08) or duration of symptoms (P = 0.67). Results did not change when using S1P concentrations normalized to creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated successful quantification of human urinary S1P concentrations. A difference in urinary S1P was found between BPS participants and controls but not when normalized to creatinine. While this is the first study to investigate urinary S1P as a biomarker for BPS, results suggest that it may have a potential role as a biomarker requiring further research.

Urinary tract infection following intradetrusor onabotulinumtoxina injection for non-neurogenic urgency incontinence: single- vs. multi-dose prophylactic antibiotic treatment regimens.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Urinary tract infection is one of the most common adverse events following onabotulinumtoxinA injection for urgency incontinence. Our hypothesis was that those undergoing injection for urgency incontinence who received more than one dose of prophylactic antibiotics have lower post-procedure urinary tract infection rates compared to those who receive a single dose. METHODS: We conducted a multi-center retrospective cohort study in females who underwent onabotulinumtoxinA injection for non-neurogenic urgency incontinence to evaluate the effect of single- vs. multi-dose prophylactic antibiotic regimens on the risk of post-procedure urinary tract infection. The primary outcome was the rate of urinary tract infection within 30 days of injection. Our sample size calculation required 136 subjects per group. RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-one patients were included from four centers. The single-dose cohort included 145 patients (51.6%), and the multi-dose cohort included 136 patients (48.4%). The mean age was 65 years, and patients were primarily Caucasian (81.4%). There was no difference in the rate of urinary tract infections diagnosed within 30 days of injection between the cohorts (single dose 13.8% vs. multi-dose 10.3%, p = 0.369). Those with a positive urine culture within 30 days of injection had a 15.2 times greater odds of having a post-procedure infection than those who did not (95% CI 3.19-72.53). There was no significant difference between the two cohorts in terms of adverse health events following injection. CONCLUSIONS: In females with non-neurogenic urgency incontinence undergoing onabotulinumtoxinA injection, multi-dose prophylactic antibiotic regimens were not associated with lower post-procedure urinary tract infection rates.

Opioid Consumption After Urogynecologic Surgery: A Prospective Multicenter Observational Study Using a Text-Messaging Survey Tool.

IMPORTANCE: Understanding postoperative opioid consumption is key to reducing opioid misuse. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to quantify the amount of outpatient opioids consumed after urogynecologic surgery. STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective multicenter cohort study sponsored by the American Urogynecologic Society Fellow's Pelvic Research Network. Women undergoing pelvic organ prolapse or urinary incontinence surgery between May 2019 and January 2021 were included. Patients used text messaging to report daily opioid consumption, pain levels, and nonopioid analgesic consumption 2 weeks postoperatively. Demographic and perioperative factors associated with high opioid use (>75th percentile) were identified. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-one patients were included from 9 academic centers. The median (interquartile range) morphine milligram equivalents (MME) consumed were 28 (0-65) and prescribed were 75 (50-113). The median ibuprofen and acetaminophen tablets consumed were 19 (10-34) and 12 (4-26). The median pain level was 2.7 of 10 (1.7-4.4). Factors associated with high MME use (>65 MME) included body mass index greater than 30 ( P < 0.01), chronic pain ( P < 0.01), elevated baseline pain score ( P < 0.01), elevated blood loss ( P < 0.01), longer operating time ( P < 0.01), and southern region ( P < 0.01). High MME consumers more frequently underwent perineorrhaphy ( P = 0.03), although this was not significant on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Urogynecology patients consume a median of 28 MME (3-4 oxycodone 5-mg tablets) after surgery, and surgeons prescribe 3 times this amount (75 MME, 10 oxycodone tablets). In addition, there are several factors that can be used to identify patients who will require greater numbers of opioids. These data may be used to enhance existing prescribing guidelines.

Vaginal Hysterectomy Rates Before and After Implementation of a Multiple-Tier Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To assess a multiple-tier intervention to increase vaginal hysterectomy rates. METHODS: We performed a cohort study assessing hysterectomy performance before and after implementation of a multiple-tier intervention to increase vaginal hysterectomy rates at a single tertiary care medical center. This intervention involved resident and attending education and simulation, professional development, design of a clinical pathway to assist in hysterectomy decision making, and development of a surgical mentorship program. RESULTS: Data from 698 hysterectomies (253 preintervention and 445 postintervention) were included. The preintervention time period extended from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017 (24 months), and the postintervention period from January 1, 2018, to February 28, 2020 (26 months). The intervention was implemented over the month of December 2017 but was not complete until January 1, 2018. The preintervention and postintervention cohorts were similar in most demographic and clinical aspects. Postintervention, the proportion of vaginal hysterectomies was higher (26.5% vs 5.5%, odds ratio 6.2, 95% CI 3.52-11.35), including in those performed for reasons other than prolapse (6.8% vs 0%, P<.001). Logistic regression revealed that prolapse, uterine weight less than 250 g, and surgery during the postintervention cohort were significantly associated with vaginal hysterectomy. Operative complications did not differ significantly by hysterectomy type. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a multiple-tier intervention was associated with an increase in vaginal hysterectomies.

Gynecological associated disorders and management.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pelvic pain syndrome is complex and involves multiple organ systems. The gynecological aspects of chronic pelvic pain syndrome can be divided into four different areas: intra-abdominal, vaginal, pelvic floor muscles and sexual pain. This article provides an overview of gynecological evaluation in patients with chronic pelvic pain and reviews the most common gynecological diagnoses and their management. METHODS: An extensive review of the literature including guidelines from the International Continence Society, the European Association of Urology, and the International Association for the Study of Pain was performed. RESULTS: Gynecological evaluation of patients with chronic pelvic pain begins with a thorough history and physical examination. Laboratory tests, imaging studies and diagnostic procedures can be used as adjuncts to make a diagnosis. Treatment modalities include physical therapy, medications, trigger points injections, and surgery. CONCLUSION: Common gynecological diagnoses of chronic pelvic pain include endometriosis, adenomyosis, vulvodynia, high tone pelvic floor dysfunction, and genitopelvic pain/penetration disorder. Gynecology is one of the many systems that can be associated with chronic pelvic pain. Managing patients with chronic pelvic pain requires a multimodal and multidisciplinary approach.

Long-Term Outcomes of Women With Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis After a Course of Maintenance Antifungal Therapy.

OBJECTIVES: Data about long-term clinical outcome after a course of maintenance fluconazole in those with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) is lacking. We aimed to determine the rate of recurrence at a minimum of 6 months after completion of maintenance therapy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of women with Candida albicans RVVC from January 2008 to January 2017 was performed using chart review to obtain information about recurrence after maintenance therapy. Patients were considered resolved if they had no further episodes of candidiasis, sporadic with less than 3 episodes yearly and ongoing with greater than 3 episodes yearly. RESULTS: Approximately 1,672 patients with C. albicans vaginal isolates were identified. Of these, 201 met the criteria for RVVC. The mean age was 40.4 years; 151 (77.4%) were white, 133 (66.2%) had comorbid vulvar conditions, and 76 (37.8%) had a risk factor for vulvovaginal candidiasis. One hundred twenty complete charts were further analyzed. The mean length of follow-up after discontinuing maintenance therapy was 39.9 months. After the initial course, 23 (19.2%), 21 (17.5%), and 76 (63.3%) were resolved, sporadic and ongoing, respectively. Risk factors, comorbid vulvar conditions, obesity, menopause status, and length of therapy were not associated with relapse. Age 40 or older was associated with relapse (p = .018). Of the 201 total patients with RVVC, 22 (10.9%) of patients self-reported at least 1 adverse event. The most common was gastrointestinal symptoms (8 [4%]). CONCLUSIONS: Although RVVC can be controlled, relapse is common after an initial course of maintenance fluconazole. Ongoing maintenance remains the most effective treatment option.

Subjective and neural responses to intravenous alcohol in young adults with light and heavy drinking patterns.

Heavy alcohol consumption during young adulthood is a risk factor for the development of serious alcohol use disorders. Research has shown that individual differences in subjective responses to alcohol may affect individuals' vulnerability to developing alcoholism. Studies comparing the subjective and objective response to alcohol between light and heavy drinkers (HDs), however, have yielded inconsistent results, and neural responses to alcohol in these groups have not been characterized. We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover alcohol challenge study comparing functional magnetic resonance imaging and subjective response to intravenously administered 6% v/v ethanol to a target blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or placebo between HDs and social drinkers (SDs). During the imaging, we presented emotional cues in order to measure how emotion modulated the effects of alcohol on the brain's reward circuitry. We found that, at equivalent blood alcohol concentrations, HDs reported lower subjective alcohol effects than SDs. Alcohol significantly activated the nucleus accumbens in SDs, but not in HDs. Self-reported ratings of intoxication correlated with striatal activation, suggesting that activation may reflect subjective experience of intoxication. Fearful faces significantly activated the amygdala in the SDs only, and this activation was attenuated by alcohol. This study shows that HDs not only experience reduced subjective effects of alcohol, but also demonstrate a blunted response to alcohol in the brain's reward system. Our findings indicate that reduced subjective and neural response to alcohol in HDs may be suggestive of either the development of tolerance to alcohol, or of pre-existing decreased sensitivity to alcohol's effects.