Comparison of Clinical Performance Between Two Types of Symmetric-Tip Hemodialysis Catheters: A Single-Centre, Randomized Trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical performance of a newly designed, symmetric-tip Arrow-Clark™ VectorFlow® tunnelled haemodialysis catheter, with a Glidepath™, symmetric-tip tunnelled haemodialysis catheter. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From November 2018 to October 2020, patients with End-Stage Renal Disease requiring a de novo tunnelled catheter for hemodialysis, were randomized to Vectorflow® (n = 50) or to Glidepath™ catheter (n = 48). The primary outcome was catheter patency at one year following catheter insertion. Catheter failure was defined as the removal of the catheter due to infectious complications, or low blood flow rate by intraluminal thrombosis or fibrin sheath occlusion. Secondary outcomes were blood flow rate, fractional urea clearance and urea reduction ratio during dialysis. RESULTS: Demographic characteristics were not different between the two groups. At three months and on the one-year endpoint the patency rates with the Vectorflow® catheter were 95.83% and 83.33% respectively, compared to 93.02% at both endpoints with the Glidepath™ catheter (P = 0.27). Catheter failure to infectious complications or low blood flow rate was similar in both groups. Catheter blood flow rate reached the threshold of 300 ml/min at all time points for both catheters. All patients had a high mean fractional urea clearance (1.6-1.7). CONCLUSIONS: The catheter patency rate was not significantly different in patients with a VectorFlow® or a Glidepath™ catheter. Both catheters presented satisfactory dialysis adequacy over one year.

Safety and efficacy of software-assisted MRI-TRUS fusion-guided transperineal prostate biopsy in an outpatient setting using local anaesthesia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate diagnostic accuracy, safety, and efficiency of an MRI-TRUS fusion-guided transperineal prostate biopsy method in an outpatient setting under local anaesthesia. METHODS: Patients undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy were included from March 2021 to May 2022. Biopsies were performed under local anaesthesia in an outpatient setting, using specialised fusion software. Primary outcome was (clinically significant) cancer detection rate. Secondary outcomes were procedure time, patient discomfort during the procedure and complication rate. RESULTS: We included 203 male patients (69 years +-SD 8.2) with PI-RADS score > 2. In total 223 suspicious lesions were targeted. Overall cancer detection rate and clinically significant cancer detection rate were 73.5% and 60.1%, respectively. (Clinically significant) cancer detection rates in PI-RADS 3, 4 and 5 lesions were 46.4% (23.2%), 78.5% (66.1%) and 93.5% (89.1%), respectively. Mean duration of the procedure including fusion, targeted and systematic biopsies was 22.5 min. Patients rated injection of local anaesthesia on a numeric pain rating scale on average 3.7/10 (SD 2.09) and biopsy core sampling 1.6/10 (SD 1.65). No patient presented with acute urinary retention on follow-up consultation. Two (1%) patients presented with infectious complications. Four (2%) patients experienced a vasovagal reaction. CONCLUSION: Transperineal targeted biopsy with MRI-TRUS fusion software has high overall and clinically significant cancer detection rates. The method is well tolerated under local anaesthesia and in an outpatient setting.

Postoperative lymphocele causing obturator nerve entrapment, treated with percutaneous drainage and intranodal poppyseed oil (Lipiodol)-based lymphangiography.

Obturator nerve entrapment is a rare complication after pelvic surgery and is caused by a direct intraoperative injury or secondary to compression by a postoperative collection. We have presented the case of a 65-year-old man who had complained of right-sided medial groin pain 4 weeks after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy with bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral lymphoceles with right-sided compression of the obturator nerve causing diffuse muscle edema in its innervation region. Percutaneous drainage and intranodal poppyseed oil (Lipiodol)-based lymphangiography led to a complete resolution of his symptoms.

Staging of prostatic carcinoma at 1.5-T MRI: correlation of a simplified MRI exam with whole-mount radical prostatectomy specimens.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the accuracy of simplified multiparametric MRI at 1.5 T for local staging by using whole-mount-section histopathological analysis as the standard of reference. METHODS: 123 consecutive patients underwent T2 weighted, T1 weighted and diffusion-weighted MRI without endorectal coil prior to radical prostatectomy. The accuracy of predicting extracapsular extension (ECE) (T3a) was assessed using direct signs or the combination of direct and indirect signs of extraprostatic extension. The accuracy of predicting seminal vesicle invasion (T3b) was evaluated, taking into account different routes of seminal vesicle involvement. Finally, adjacent organ invasion (T4) was evaluated in this patient population. RESULTS: Histopathology showed T3a, T3b and T4 in 61, 28 and 9 cases, respectively. The use of direct signs of extraprostatic extension showed a sensitivity of 57.4% and specificity of 91.9%. The combination of direct signs and indirect signs improved sensitivity (85.2%) at the expense of moderate loss of specificity (83.9%). MR sensitivity for the detection of seminal vesicle invasion was low (53.6%); however, it was dependent on the route of seminal vesicle tumour infiltration. MR sensitivity and specificity for adjacent organ invasion were 88.9% and 99.1%. CONCLUSION: Simplified MRI study at 1.5 T provides a relatively high sensitivity for detecting ECE (T3a) when using the combination of indirect and direct signs. However, this high sensitivity reading is at the cost of a moderate loss of specificity. Invasion of the seminal vesicles (T3b) occurs most often along the ejaculatory duct complex with low MR sensitivity. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Simplified MRI study at 1.5 T without endorectal coil could be used for the local T staging of prostate cancer.