Diagnostic Accuracy of Dynamic Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Penile Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: A dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsy (DSNB) is used for inguinal lymph node staging in patients presenting with primary penile cancer with clinically impalpable inguinal lymph nodes (cN0). Further completion radical inguinal lymph node dissection (RLND) is offered to patients diagnosed with metastatic inguinal nodes following a DSNB. OBJECTIVE: To identify the diagnostic accuracy of a DSNB and RLND to detect lymph node metastasis. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed Medscape, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and Cochrane database for relevant studies between January 1, 2000 and April 30, 2022. Studies were included if a DSNB was offered to cN0 patients and if RLND was offered to patients with positive histology at the DSNB. Risk of bias and confounding assessments were performed. Diagnostic odds ratio, pooled sensitivity/specificity, and heterogeneity analyses were displayed. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Overall, 2893 patients in the 28 studies analysed underwent a DSNB. Twenty-one studies reported patients undergoing RLND for a positive DSNB. A DSNB showed pooled weighted sensitivity of 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.82-0.91) and pooled log diagnostic odds ratio of 6.17 (95% CI: 5.47-6.87). A DSNB showed pooled weighted sensitivity of 0.50 (95% CI: 0.24-0.59), specificity of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.78-0.87), and a log diagnostic odds ratio of 1.18 (95% CI: 0.29-2.97) for detecting further positive lymph nodes at RLND. High heterogeneity, mostly caused by study design, characteristics of the included patients, DSNB technique used, surgical experience/centre case volumes, and follow-up schedule, represents the main limitation of this meta-analysis. Several sensitivity analyses to address these issues support our findings. CONCLUSIONS: A positive DSNB is poorly able to discriminate which patients will have further metastatic involvement at completion RLND. Better stratification of these patients would avoid unnecessary overtreatment and possible postoperative comorbidities. PATIENT SUMMARY: This analysis of the data from the published literature provides evidence that the diagnostic accuracy of a dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsy (DSNB) requires further improvement. Moreover, a high proportion of patients with a positive DSNB undergo unnecessary radical lymph node dissection; better stratification of these patients might help determine avoidable overtreatment and postoperative comorbidities.

Comparison of the Thermal Spread of Three Different Electrosurgical Generators on Rat Uterus: A Preliminary Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The objective of this study was to compare the depth and width of thermal spread caused on rat uterine tissue after application of 3 different electrosurgical generators. METHODS: Alsa Excell 350 MCDSe (Unit A), Meditom DT-400P (Unit M), and ERBE Erbotom VIO 300 D (Unit E) electrosurgical units (ESUs) were used. The number of Wistar Hannover rats required to obtain valid results was 10. The primary objective of the study was to compare the 3 ESUs using the same instrument and the same waveform. The secondary objective of the study was to compare the differences between monopolar and bipolar systems of each ESU separately using the same waveform. RESULTS: The thermal spread caused by each ESU using monopolar instruments with continuous and interrupted waveforms was significantly different. Among the 3 devices, Unit A caused the largest thermal uterine tissue spread. On the other hand, Unit E caused the most superficial thermal tissue spread, and the smallest thermal spread among all ESUs. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons should note that different ESUs used with the same power output might create different thermal effects especially in the monopolar configuration within the same waveform, for the same duration, and with the same instrument.

Nerve growth factor signaling following unilateral pelvic ganglionectomy in the rat ventral prostate is age dependent.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a serious health concern and is an underlying cause of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in many men. In affected men, LUTS/BPH is believed to result from benign proliferation of the prostate resulting in bladder outlet obstruction. Postnatal growth of the prostate is controlled via growth factor and endocrine mechanisms. However, little attention had been given to the function of the autonomic nervous system in prostate growth and differentiation. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a prostatic mitogen that has a trophic role in autonomic sensory end organ interaction. In this study, we examine how the autonomic nervous system influences prostate growth as a function of age by quantifying NGF in the rat ventral prostate (VP) after pelvic ganglionectomy. Unilateral pelvic ganglionectomy was performed on postnatal days 30 (P30), 60 and 120 Sprague-Dawley rats in comparison to sham controls (n=39). Semiquantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis for NGF were performed on denervated, intact (contralateral side) and sham control VP 7 days after surgery. Ngf RNA expression was significantly increased in the denervated and intact hyperplastic VP. Western blotting showed age-dependent increases in NGF protein at P60 in the contralateral intact VP. NGF was localized in the nerves, basal cells and columnar epithelium of the prostatic ducts. Denervation causes age-dependent increases in NGF in the VP, which is a potential mechanism by which the autonomic nervous system may regulate prostate growth and lead to BPH/LUTS.