Genitourinary Emergencies in Older Adults.

Older adults are frequently seen in the emergency department for genitourinary complaints, necessitating that emergency physicians are adept at managing a myriad of genitourinary emergencies. Geriatric patients may present with acute kidney injury, hematuria, or a urinary infection and aspects of how managing these presentations differs from their younger counterparts is emphasized. Older adults may also present with acute urinary retention or urinary incontinence as a result of genitourinary pathology or other systemic etiologies. Finally, genital complaints as they pertain to older adults are briefly highlighted with emphasis on emergent management and appropriate referrals.

Patient Satisfaction With Telemedicine Appointments in an Academic Andrology-focused Urology Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient satisfaction with telemedicine appointments as an alternative to in-person appointments at an Andrology-focused academic urology practice during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. METHODS: Between March and June 2020, all appointments at the practice of a single Andrology-focused academic urologist were conducted by telephone. Consecutive patients were contacted by telephone following their appointment to complete a telephone questionnaire. Baseline demographic information was obtained, and perceptions regarding telephone appointments were assessed using a Likert scale. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients completed the telephone questionnaire. Median age was 48.5 years (interquartile range 37.3-62.8 years) with 55 of 96 (57.3%) of the appointments Andrology-focused. Mean distance of residence from the hospital was 8.4 km (interquartile range 4.7-25.2 km). Only 9 of 96 (9.3%) of the patients felt that the telephone format did not adequately address their needs. However, 26 of 96 (27.1%) of patients said they would prefer an in-person appointment. On multivariable analysis adjusting for age, gender, presenting complaint, type of appointment, education level, and employment status, no factors were associated with feeling that the telephone appointment adequately addressed needs or preference for an in-person appointment in the future. CONCLUSION: Patients were generally satisfied with telephone appointments as an alternative to in-person appointments during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Nonetheless, a substantial portion of patients said they would prefer in-person appointments in the future.

[Proposals for the diagnosis and treatment of andrologic diseases during the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic].

In December, 2019, several cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) were reported in Wuhan, Hubei. Since then, more and more NCP cases, confirmed or suspected, have been found in China and other parts of the world, and the virus is now showing a tendency towards a wider spread. During the NCP epidemic, all medical workers are confronted with special challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and required of even more accurate therapeutic protocols as well as stricter observation of the principles for the prevention and control of NCP. Therefore, the Andrology Branch of Chinese Medical Association convened relevant experts to summarize the special points for andrologic clinicians to attend to in the diagnosis and treatment of male diseases during the NCP epidemic.

[Management of androgenic diseases during the epidemic of COVID-19 pneumonia].

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia has been classified as a category B and dealt with as a category A infectious disease by the National Health Commission of China, and also as a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization. During the epidemic, unnecessary visits to hospitals may increase the risk of infection among patients and clinicians. Therefore, it is particularly important to provide some scientific medical guidance for patients with male diseases, which is also a current imperative for andrology management. And it also deserves the attention of clinical researchers whether COVID-19 pneumonia and its clinical treatments currently used may affect the male reproductive system.

Applications of neural networks in urology: a systematic review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Over the last decade, major advancements in artificial intelligence technology have emerged and revolutionized the extent to which physicians are able to personalize treatment modalities and care for their patients. Artificial intelligence technology aimed at mimicking/simulating human mental processes, such as deep learning artificial neural networks (ANNs), are composed of a collection of individual units known as 'artificial neurons'. These 'neurons', when arranged and interconnected in complex architectural layers, are capable of analyzing the most complex patterns. The aim of this systematic review is to give a comprehensive summary of the contemporary applications of deep learning ANNs in urological medicine. RECENT FINDINGS: Fifty-five articles were included in this systematic review and each article was assigned an 'intermediate' score based on its overall quality. Of these 55 articles, nine studies were prospective, but no nonrandomized control trials were identified. SUMMARY: In urological medicine, the application of novel artificial intelligence technologies, particularly ANNs, have been considered to be a promising step in improving physicians' diagnostic capabilities, especially with regards to predicting the aggressiveness and recurrence of various disorders. For benign urological disorders, for example, the use of highly predictive and reliable algorithms could be helpful for the improving diagnoses of male infertility, urinary tract infections, and pediatric malformations. In addition, articles with anecdotal experiences shed light on the potential of artificial intelligence-assisted surgeries, such as with the aid of virtual reality or augmented reality.

Use of Telemedicine for Sexual Medicine Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Telemedicine (TM) will play a significant role in contemporary practices that diagnose and treat sexual medicine patients. Although only a small percentage of urologists, sex therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, gynecologists, and urogynecologists currently use TM, many more practices are going to embrace this technology in the near future. This article will discuss the process for implementing TM in sexual medicine with minimal time, energy, effort, and expense. We will also examine compliance and legal issues associated with implementing TM in practice and how to code for TM services based on regulatory guidelines. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article is to improve the understanding of the concept and the trends of using TM to provide care for sexual medicine patients. METHODS: The study involves a literature review focussing on the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines including the relaxation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requirements. RESULTS: COVID-19 has changed the doctor-patient relationship especially in the area of sexual medicine. There are many patients with sexual medicine conditions that are amenable to the use of TM methods. CONCLUSION: Virtual visit utilizing audiovisual telecommunications is a very attractive approach for sexual medicine patients. Many patients with sexual medicine problems are no longer going to accept the antiquated method of healthcare involving making an appointment, visiting a brick-and-mortar facility, and the requirement of having a physical examination. The new normal will be communicating with patients by utilizing TM. Dooley AB, Houssaye N de la, Baum N. Use of Telemedicine for Sexual Medicine Patients. Sex Med Rev 2020;8:507-517.

The promise of regenerative medicine in the treatment of urogenital disorders.

Polymers and scaffolds are the most significant tools in regenerative medicine. Urogenital disorders are an important group of diseases that greatly affect the patient's life expectancy and quality. Reconstruction of urogenital defects is one of the current challenges in regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine, as well as tissue engineering, may offer suitable approaches, while the tools needed are appropriate materials and cells. Autologous urothelial cells obtained from biopsy, bone marrow-derived stem cells, adipose stem cells and urine-derived stem cells that expressed mesenchymal cell markers are the cells that mainly used. In addition, two main types of biomaterials mainly exist; synthetic polymers and composite scaffolds that are biodegradable polymers with controllable properties and naturally derived biomaterials such as extracellular matrix components and acellular tissue matrices. In this review, we present and evaluate the most appropriate and suitable scaffolds (naturally derived and synthetic polymers) and cells applied in urogenital reconstruction.

Help-seeking for genitourinary symptoms: a mixed methods study from Britain's Third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3).

OBJECTIVES: Quantify non-attendance at sexual health clinics and explore help-seeking strategies for genitourinary symptoms. DESIGN: Sequential mixed methods using survey data and semistructured interviews. SETTING: General population in Britain. PARTICIPANTS: 1403 participants (1182 women) from Britain's Third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3; undertaken 2010-2012), aged 16-44 years who experienced specific genitourinary symptoms (past 4 weeks), of whom 27 (16 women) who reported they had never attended a sexual health clinic also participated in semistructured interviews, conducted May 2014-March 2015. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: From survey data, non-attendance at sexual health clinic (past year) and preferred service for STI care; semistructured interview domains were STI social representations, symptom experiences, help-seeking responses and STI stigma. RESULTS: Most women (85.9% (95% CI 83.7 to 87.9)) and men (87.6% (95% CI 82.3 to 91.5)) who reported genitourinary symptoms in Natsal-3 had not attended a sexual health clinic in the past year. Around half of these participants cited general practice (GP) as their preferred hypothetical service for STI care (women: 58.5% (95% CI 55.2% to 61.6%); men: 54.3% (95% CI 47.1% to 61.3%)). Semistructured interviews elucidated four main responses to symptoms: not seeking healthcare, seeking information to self-diagnose and self-treat, seeking care at non-specialist services and seeking care at sexual health clinics. Collectively, responses suggested individuals sought to gain control over their symptoms, and they prioritised emotional reassurance over accessing medical expertise. Integrating survey and interview data strengthened the evidence that participants preferred their general practitioner for STI care and extended understanding of help-seeking strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Help-seeking is important to access appropriate healthcare for genitourinary symptoms. Most participants did not attend a sexual health clinic but sought help from other sources. This study supports current service provision options in Britain, facilitating individual autonomy about where to seek help.

Endoscopy as an Adjunct to Image-Guided Interventions: A New Frontier in Interventional Radiology.

Endoscopy is an underutilized technique in the practice of interventional radiology. The objectives of this article are to discuss potential uses of interventional radiology-operated endoscopy and to outline basic endoscopy setup and equipment uses. Endoscopy represents a new frontier to the fluoroscopically-guided procedures in biliary, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary disease that interventional radiologists commonly perform. It shows promise to improve interventional radiology procedure success rates and reduce procedure-associated risk for patients. Endoscopy has been traditionally performed by gastroenterologists and urologists and is relatively new in the practice of interventional radiology. The hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity required to perform standard image-guided procedures places interventional radiologists in a unique position to introduce endoscopy into standard practice. A focused and collaborative effort is needed by interventional radiologists to learn the techniques required to successfully integrate endoscopy into practice.

Beyond the Bile Duct: Advanced IR Endoscopic Interventions Involving the Gastrointestinal, Genitourinary, and Musculoskeletal Systems.

Endoscopy is a technique used by interventional radiology (IR) in only a few centers throughout the United States. When used by IR, endoscopy is most well-known for its role in the treatment of hepatobiliary disease. However, its use with relation to pathology involving the gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and musculoskeletal systems is gaining momentum among IR. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the potential benefits of IR endoscopy in nonbiliary intervention. A literature review, not requiring IRB approval, was performed via PubMed and Ovid Medline databases using the search terms "interventional radiology-operated endoscopy," "interventional endoscopy," "interventional radiology," "genitourinary," and "gastrointestinal." Literature describing IR endoscopy involving the gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and musculoskeletal systems were identified and described. Nine peer-reviewed articles were identified. While few studies were identified, a general theme suggesting a synergistic relationship between IR and endoscopy was noted. More studies are needed to better understand the role of endoscopy as a technique in the IR suite.

Genitourinary Complications Are a Leading and Expensive Cause of Emergency Department and Inpatient Encounters for Persons With Spinal Cord Injury.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the rates of emergency department (ED) visits and inpatient hospitalizations for genitourinary (GU) complications after spinal cord injury (SCI) using a national sample; to examine which patient and facility factors are associated with inhospital mortality; and to estimate direct medical costs of GU complications after SCI. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional and cost analysis of the 2006 to 2015 National Inpatient Sample and National Emergency Department Sample from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. PARTICIPANTS: SCI-related encounters using various International Classification of Disease, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes. The inpatient sample included 1,796,624 hospitalizations, and the ED sample included 618,118 treat-and-release visits. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The exposure included a GU complication, identified by International Classification of Disease, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification codes 590-599. The outcomes then included an ED visit or hospitalization, death prior to discharge, and direct medical costs estimated from reported hospital charges. RESULTS: For the inpatient sample, we observed a 2.5% annual increase (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-3.2) in the proportion of SCI-related hospitalizations with any GU complication from 2006 to 2011, and a lesser rate of increase of 0.9% (95% CI, 0.4-1.4) each year from 2011 to 2015. Age, level of injury, and payer source were correlated to inhospital mortality. The costs of GU-related health care use exceeded $4 billion over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the rates and economic burden of health care use associated with GU complications in persons with SCI in the United States. The need to develop strategies to effectively deliver health care to the SCI population for these conditions remains great.

Electrical stimulation for neuroregeneration in urology: a new therapeutic paradigm.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present review highlights regenerative electrical stimulation (RES) as potential future treatment options for patients with nerve injuries leading to urological dysfunction, such as urinary incontinence, voiding dysfunction or erectile dysfunction. Additionally, it will highlight the mechanism of nerve injury and regeneration as well as similarities and differences between RES and current electrical stimulation treatments in urology, functional electrical stimulation (FES) and neuromodulation. RECENT FINDINGS: It has been demonstrated that RES upregulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor to facilitate neuroregeneration, facilitating accurate reinnervation of muscles by motoneurons. Further, RES upregulates growth factors in glial cells. Within the past 2 years, RES of the pudendal nerve upregulated BDNF in Onuf's nucleus, the cell bodies of motoneurons that course through the pudendal nerve and accelerated functional recovery in an animal model of stress urinary incontinence. Additionally, electrical stimulation of the vaginal tissue in an animal model of stress urinary incontinence accelerated functional recovery. SUMMARY: RES has great potential but future research is needed to expand the potential beneficial effects of RES in the field of urology.

Intra-abdominal Complications After Pediatric Kidney Transplantation: Incidence and Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and types of intra-abdominal complications after pediatric transplantation are not well established, and specific risk groups have not been clearly identified. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all pediatric transplant recipients between 1995 and 2016 was undertaken. Intra-abdominal complications were grouped into 4 categories: fluid collections, gastrointestinal, vascular, and urogenital. Donor, recipient, and transplant characteristics were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: There were 146 transplants meeting the inclusion criteria. The mean follow-up time was 4.6 ± 3.7 years (range, 0.3-18 y). The mean weight at transplantation was 31.5 ± 16.5 kg (range, 9-78), with 24 (16%) recipients being <15 kg and 23% younger than 5 years. Thirty-four (23%) patients had previous abdominal surgery. There were 32 complications identified in 27 (18%) transplant recipients. Fluid collections requiring surgical drainage developed in 9 (6.2%), gastrointestinal surgical complications in 12 (8.2%), vascular complications in 5 (3.5%), and urogenital complications in 6 (4.1%). There were only 3 graft losses due to abdominal complications, all after renal vein thrombosis. Weight <15 kg at the time of transplant (P = 0.016), previous abdominal surgery (P = 0.047), and intraperitoneal surgical technique (P = 0.008) were risk factors in the univariate analysis using Cox regression models, whereas only weight <15 kg (P = 0.003) and previous abdominal surgery (P = 0.008) were retained in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Intraabdominal complications occur in almost 1 in 5 pediatric renal transplant recipients. Weight <15 kg and previous abdominal surgery are risk factors for developing such complications.

Outcomes of Genitourinary Injury in U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Receiving Care from the Veterans Health Administration.

INTRODUCTION: In the recent conflicts, unprecedented numbers of US service personnel have survived with genitourinary (GU) injury, but few reports have focused on outcomes of these injuries. Outcomes of combat-related GU injury were investigated in wounded US male veterans of Operations Enduring/Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn receiving Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR) data for male service members injured in theater were linked with VHA electronic health records (EHRs) for veterans who received VHA care at least once from October 2001 through September 2011. Abbreviated Injury Scale scores and International Classification of Diseases-9th Revision-Clinical Modification codes were used to identify GU injuries, severity, and outcomes. Wounded veterans with vs. without GU injury were compared. RESULTS: A total of 12,923 injured veterans were found in both databases; 591 (4.6%) had a GU injury diagnosis in the DoDTR; 18 (3.0% of 591) had a GU injury diagnosis in VHA EHRs. Of the 591 with GU injury, 179 (30.3%) had at least one severe GU injury. The prevalence of both urinary symptoms (6.3% vs. 3.1%; p < 0.0001) and sexual dysfunction (13.5% vs. 7.1%; p < 0.0001) was higher among those with vs. without GU injury, respectively. Traumatic brain injury prevalence was also higher (48.0 % vs. 40.0%; p < 0.0001); post-traumatic stress disorder prevalence was similar between the two groups (51.6% vs. 50.6%). CONCLUSION: We identified an opportunity to improve the diagnosis and coordination of care for veterans with GU injury. Routine screening and better documentation upon transfer from DoD to VHA care should be implemented to alert multi-specialty care teams to provide care for the urinary, sexual, fertility, and psychological health problems of these patients.

Factors of hospitalization expenditure of the genitourinary system diseases in the aged based on "System of Health Account 2011" and neural network model.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalization expenditure of genitourinary system diseases among the aged is often overlooked. The aim of our research is to analyze the basic situation and influencing factors of hospitalization expenditure of the genitourinary system diseases and provide better data for the health system. METHODS: A total of 1 377 681 patients aged 65 years and over were collected with multistage stratified cluster random sampling in 252 medical institutions in Liaoning China, and "System of Health Account 2011" (SHA2011) was conducted to analyze the expenditure of the diseases. The corresponding samples were extracted, the neural network model was utilized to fit the regression model of the diseases among the aged, and sensitivity analysis was used to rank the influencing factors. RESULTS: Total hospitalization expenditure in Liaoning was 51.286 billion yuan, and curative care expenditure of diseases of the genitourinary system was 3.350 billion yuan, accounting for 6.53%. In the neural network model, the training set of R2 was 0.71. The test set of R2 was 0.74. In the sensitivity analysis, top-three influencing factors were the length of stay, type of institutions and type of insurances; the weight was 0.28, 0.19 and 0.14, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This research used SHA2011 to grab a large amount of data and analyzed them depending upon the corresponding dimensions. The neural network can analyze the influencing factors of hospitalization expenditure of genitourinary diseases in elderly patients accurately and directly, and can clearly describe the extent of its impact by combining sensitivity analysis.

Advances and Challenges in Transitional Urology: Caring for Adolescents and Young Adults with Lifelong Complex Genitourinary Conditions.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: As long-term survival with complex congenital and pediatric diseases has improved, more patients with congenital genitourinary conditions are living into adulthood. These patients can continue to face lifelong issues related to their conditions, including urinary incontinence, recurrent urinary tract infections, chronic kidney disease, and difficulties with sexual health and function. RECENT FINDINGS: The practice of transitional urology continues to grow nationwide and abroad, and it will be important to develop evidence-based practices for coordinated transition of these patients into the adult health care setting. This review describes the broader attention to transitions of care in medicine and specifically evaluates spina bifida as a model disease system for implementation of transitional practices in urology.

Urologic Emergencies.

Urologic emergencies can involve the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, penis, scrotum, or testicles. History and physical examination are essential to diagnosis, whereas imaging is increasingly used to confirm diagnoses. Acute urinary retention should be relieved with Foley placement. Penile emergencies include paraphimosis, which can be treated by foreskin reduction, whereas penile fracture and priapism require urologic intervention. Fournier gangrene and testicular torsion are scrotal emergencies requiring emergent surgery. Nephrolithiasis, although painful, is not an emergency unless there is concern for concomitant urinary tract infection, both ureters are obstructed by stones, or there is an obstructing stone in a solitary kidney.