Increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Urology Residency Recruitment: Recommendations From the Society of Women in Urology.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a framework for diversifying the urologic workforce through residency recruitment by integrating principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into program mission and values, application review, and interview process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this narrative review, the Society of Women in Urology Advancing DEI in Urology Residency Recruitment Task Force identified 4 areas for incorporating DEI into residency recruitment: defining a residency program's mission and values, holistic application review, an objective interview process, and implementing DEI principles into a program. Using PubMed and Google Scholar, we performed a non-systematic literature search of articles from January 2014 to January 2024. Search terms included combinations of "diversity", "equity", "inclusion", "residency", "holistic review", "applications", "interviews", and "initiatives". Additional resources were identified through citations of selected articles. Based on findings from these articles, Task Force members made recommendations for best practices. RESULTS: The diversity of practicing urologists is disproportionate to that of the United States population. Emerging evidence demonstrates that DEI efforts in healthcare are associated with better outcomes and reduction in healthcare inequities. We offer strategies for residency programs to integrate DEI initiatives into their recruitment, application review, and interview process. Furthermore, we address extending DEI principles into a program's mission and culture to create an inclusive environment conducive to training and supporting individuals from unique backgrounds. CONCLUSION: It is critical to recruit and retain diverse talent in urology to improve patient care. We urge residency programs and their supporting institutions to adopt DEI principles into their recruitment efforts.

Supravesical Fissure Variant of Bladder Exstrophy in a Female Patient: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Variations from classic bladder exstrophy (BE) are extremely uncommon, resulting in distinctive challenges in both diagnosis and management. The supravesical fissure variant of BE is exceptionally rare and has only been reported in male patients to date. Herein, we report the case and surgical management of a supravesical fissure variant of BE presentation in a newborn female patient and provide a literature review of this exstrophy variant.

Anterior approach sacrospinous hysteropexy: native tissue compared with mesh-augmented repair for primary uterovaginal prolapse management.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Anterior sacrospinous hysteropexy (SSH) was popularized by transvaginal mesh kits. Following mesh-kit market withdrawal, we hypothesized similar efficacy through native-tissue reattachment of the pubocervical fascia with fixation of the anterior cervix to the sacrospinous ligament. Few analyses for anterior native-tissue versus mesh-augmented SSH exist. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of women who underwent transvaginal anterior SSH between 01 January 2016 and 31 December 2022 was performed. Women who underwent a mesh-augmented (Uphold Lite Vaginal Support System™) versus native-tissue repair were compared. Composite success was defined as no bulge symptoms, no retreatment, and no recurrence beyond the hymen with apex nondescended > one third of the total vaginal length. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were obtained as indicated. RESULTS: Of 223 women screened, inclusion criteria were met by 124 (40 mesh-augmented; 84 native-tissue). There was no difference in pre-operative characteristics between groups. Composite success was demonstrated in 95.2% of women with a median follow-up of 224 days (range: 30-988). Two women in the mesh-augmented group reported bulge symptoms and underwent re-treatment with a pessary. Four women in the native-tissue group reported bulge symptoms; 3 underwent re-treatment (2 pessary, 1 surgery). There were no differences in composite success rates between groups (p=0.954). There were additionally no differences in intra-operative (p=0.752) or post-operative (p=0.292) complication rates between the groups. There were no mesh-related complications, including exposure or chronic pelvic pain. CONCLUSIONS: Ninety-five percent of women achieved surgical success and the use of mesh augmentation did not confer added benefit in terms of efficacy or complications when compared with native tissue. Further long-term data are needed to continue our assessment of native-tissue anterior SSH.

An analysis of diversity within academic urology leadership.

INTRODUCTION: Women, underrepresented minorities, and international medical graduates are underrepresented in urology. We sought to compare demographics of leaders in academic urology to urology faculty and academic medical faculty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Association of American Medical Colleges provided academic medical faculty demographics. Women, underrepresented minorities, and international medical graduates in leadership roles (department/division chair or full professor) were identified. Fisher's exact tests were performed to compare proportions of those groups in urology leadership to academic urology, academic medicine leadership, and academic medicine. RESULTS: In 2019, there were 179,105 faculty in academic medicine with 41,766 in leadership and 1,614 faculty in urology with 567 in leadership. Significantly fewer women were in urology leadership compared to academic urology (7.4% vs. 22.0%, p < 0.0001), academic medical leadership (7.4% vs. 25.0%, p < 0.0001), and academic medicine (7.4% vs. 42.0%, p < 0.0001). Significantly fewer underrepresented minorities were in urology leadership compared to academic medicine (6.9% vs. 9.4%, p = 0.04) with no significant difference when compared to urology faculty (6.9% vs. 8.1%, p = 0.4) or medical faculty leadership (6.9% vs. 6.4%, p = 0.6). Significantly more international medical graduates were in urology leadership compared to across academic urology, (32% vs. 24%, p = 0.0006), but significantly fewer than those in leadership across all medical specialties (32% vs. 40%, p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Women and underrepresented minorities are significantly underrepresented in academic urologic leadership while international medical graduates are statistically overrepresented. Considering calls for diversity, equity, and inclusion, these data highlight a need for increased representation in leadership positions in academic urology.

Patient Satisfaction, Provider Productivity, and Efficacy of a Standardized Preparatory Toolkit With Broad Telemedicine Adaptation in an Outpatient Urology Clinic.

IMPORTANCE: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted telemedicine adoption. In March 2020, we developed an implementation toolkit with a nursing protocol for patient preparation before tertiary care urology clinic visits. OBJECTIVES: Our primary objective was to determine patient satisfaction after implementation of a telemedicine toolkit. Our secondary objective was to assess downstream productivity generated from telehealth visits. STUDY DESIGN: We prospectively conducted a postvisit survey that included the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire, a validated survey assessing patient satisfaction, for all patients with documented completion of the nursing protocol to assess patient experience and satisfaction. We then performed a retrospective chart review of all telemedicine visits to determine downstream outcomes, including imaging and procedure scheduling. RESULTS: Between April and May 2020, 1,422 visits were completed, of which 265 had complete nursing protocol documentation. Eighteen of 265 (6.8%) reported setup assistance. Four (1.8%) were unsuccessful and converted to a nonvisual phone visit. Overall, 186 (70.1%) completed the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire with a mean score of 118.31 ± 23.44. High satisfaction was reported regardless of race, marital status, income, education, employment status, or travel distance. Younger age ( P = 0.017) and female sex ( P = 0.017) were associated with greater satisfaction. Of 1,422 total visits, imaging was ordered in 29%, office procedures scheduled in 14%, and surgery scheduled in 14%. New visits were more likely to result in procedure and surgery scheduling than returns ( P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our telemedicine toolkit designed to maximize patient engagement was successful in achieving patient-provider connectivity in 98% of patients with high satisfaction. Telemedicine visits are effective to provide comprehensive urologic care with implications beyond the pandemic.

Patient Education Is Associated With Reduced Delay to Presentation for Management of Ischemic Priapism: A Retrospective Review of 123 Men.

BACKGROUND: Adverse outcomes secondary to ischemic priapism (IP) are associated with time to presentation and management. AIM: To characterize patterns in presentation delay as a function of etiology and patient education regarding IP risk. METHODS: Following institutional review board approval, charts of IP patients presenting to our institution from 2010 to 2020 were reviewed. One episode of IP per patient was included for analysis. OUTCOMES: Priapism duration in patients presenting with IP. RESULTS: We identified 123 unique patients with IP. Common etiologies included erectogenic intracavernosal injection (24%), trazodone (16%), and other psychiatric medications (16%). Patients with sickle cell anemia or trait and intracavernosal injection-related IP presented sooner than idiopathic cases and those from psychiatric medication (P < .001). Etiology and provider education on IP risk were associated with presentation ≥ 24 hours. Upon multivariate analysis, only a lack of provider education was independently associated with presentation ≥ 24 hours. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Men who received provider-based education on the risk of IP associated with their condition or medication regimen were more likely to seek prompt medical attention for IP and, therefore, less likely to require surgery. STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: This manuscript represents one of the largest series on priapism, an area of urologic practice in need of more evidence-based guidance. The numbers are not inflated by including multiple episodes per patient, and the data collected include etiology, time to presentation, and treatment. Limitations include a retrospective chart review study design at a single institution. CONCLUSION: Educational initiatives on the risk of IP associated with particular disease states and medications should target at-risk individuals, as well as prescribers of medications associated with IP. Dutta1 R, Matz1 EL, Overholt TL, et al. Patient Education Is Associated With Reduced Delay to Presentation for Management of Ischemic Priapism: A Retrospective Review of 123 Men. J Sex Med 2021;18:385-390.

Short-term outcomes of sacrospinous hysteropexy through an anterior approach.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The posterior approach to sacrospinous hysteropexy has been well studied but little is known about the anterior approach. This study assessed the efficacy and complications of an anterior approach to sacrospinous hysteropexy compared to hysterectomy with apical repair. We hypothesized that anterior sacrospinous hysteropexy has similar efficacy and fewer complications. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study compared patients who underwent native-tissue anterior sacrospinous hysteropexy (cases) with those who underwent hysterectomy with apical repair (controls). Composite success was defined as (1) leading edge of prolapse not beyond the hymen and apex not descended > 1/3 total vaginal length; (2) no vaginal bulge symptoms; (3) no prolapse retreatment. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were performed as well as a Cox regression analysis for time to failure. RESULTS: Fifty cases and 97 controls were compared. The median follow-up time was 7.6 months. Operative time was shorter in the hysteropexy group (110.7 vs. 155.9 min, p < 0.001). The composite success was 92% for both cases and controls (p = 1.000) with no difference in time to surgical failure (p = 0.183). There were no serious intraoperative complications in the hysteropexy group and six in the control group (3 transfusions, 1 conversion to laparotomy, 1 ureteral injury, 1 cystotomy; p = 0.101). There was no difference in the number of postoperative complications (22.0% vs. 30.9%, p = 0.203). CONCLUSIONS: For primary uterine prolapse, anterior sacrospinous hysteropexy has similar short-term efficacy compared to hysterectomy with apical repair with shorter operative time and a trend towards fewer serious complications.

Small Fiber Polyneuropathy Is Associated With Non-Bladder-Centric Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) comprises at least 2 phenotypes. Bladder centric patients typically demonstrate low bladder capacity (BC), often with Hunner lesion (HL), whereas non-bladder-centric patients typically have normal cystoscopic findings and more co-occurring nonurologic symptoms/syndromes (NUS), contributing to widespread pain beyond the bladder. Small fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN) is significantly associated with fibromyalgia, a frequent IC/BPS codiagnosis and may play an etiologic role in IC/BPS. We assessed SFPN status in bladder-centric versus non-bladder-centric IC/BPS patients. METHODS: Distal leg biopsies were obtained from 11 IC/BPS patients after therapeutic hydrodistention. Specimens were embedded/sectioned per standard protocol and stained for protein gene product 9.5, an intraepidermal nerve fiber marker. To determine SFPN status, intraepidermal nerve fiber density was calculated and compared with normative reference values stratified by age/sex. The SFPN prevalence and reported comorbidities were compared between low BC and/or HL-positive (bladder-centric) versus non-low BC, HL (non-bladder-centric) patients. RESULTS: Seven patients (63.6%) were SFPN positive. Non-bladder-centric patients demonstrated significantly more SFPN (6/7, 85.7%) compared with bladder-centric patients (1/4, 25.0%; P = 0.027). Non-bladder-centric patients also reported more comorbid NUS overall (1.25 ± 0.83 vs 5.86 ± 2.47; P = 0.003), including fibromyalgia (P = 0.010), migraines (P = 0.035), anxiety/panic disorder (P = 0.035), allergies (P = 0.027), and asthma (P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, SFPN was significantly more common in non-bladder-centric IC/BPS, that is, those patients who also reported greater prevalence of NUS, including fibromyalgia, migraines, anxiety/panic disorders, allergies, and asthma. These findings suggest that SFPN may have an etiologic role in a larger, systemic pain syndrome and should be explored further.

Non-bladder centric interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome phenotype is significantly associated with co-occurring endometriosis.

INTRODUCTION: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) and endometriosis are coexistent diagnoses in 48%-65% of women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP), suggesting that dual screening may be warranted. To further investigate the clinical relationship and risk factors between these two conditions, we performed a retrospective review of our large IC/BPS patient data registry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated IC/BPS patients who were prospectively enrolled into our registry who completed validated questionnaires and underwent therapeutic hydrodistension, during which anesthetic bladder capacity (BC) and Hunner's lesion (HL) status were recorded. Demographic/medical history were reviewed. IC/BPS patients with co-occurring endometriosis diagnosis versus those without were compared using descriptive statistics as well as multivariate regression analyses to determine predictors of co-occurring disease. RESULTS: Of 431 IC/BPS participants, 82 (19%) were also diagnosed with endometriosis. These women were significantly younger, had increased prevalence of non-low BC (> 400 cc), and decreased prevalence of HL (p < 0.05). Patients with co-occurring endometriosis also had increased prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), CPP, fibromyalgia, and vulvodynia (p < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, non-low BC (OR 4.53, CI 1.004-20.42, p = 0.049), CPP (OR 1.84, CI 1.04-3.24, p = 0.04), and fibromyalgia (OR 1.80, CI 1.03-3.14, p < 0.04) were significantly associated with a diagnosis of endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with IC/BPS and co-occurring endometriosis were significantly more likely to carry a non-bladder centric IC/BPS phenotype as well as several comorbid, systemic pain diagnoses. This study characterizes features of a target IC/BPS phenotype that could potentially benefit from endometriosis and systemic pain syndrome screening.

Full thickness genital burns independently increase the odds of death among pediatric burn patients.

BACKGROUND: There are limited published data characterizing pediatric burn patients with genital burns (GB). OBJECTIVE: Assess prevalence of GB in pediatric burn patients and analyze clinical characteristics including predictors of mortality. STUDY DESIGN: We queried American Burn Association's National Burn Repository to identify all pediatric burn patients who presented to North American burn centers over a 10-year period. We excluded all patients aged ≥18 years and patients with unknown sex, race, and/or mortality. We also excluded subsequent encounters for patients with multiple visits. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between patients with and without GB. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of mortality. RESULTS: Among 38 211 pediatric burn patients, 1244 (3.3%) suffered from second- or third-degree GB. Patients who suffered from third-degree GB (GB3) were significantly older than patients who suffered from second-degree GB (GB2) or patients without GB. Of the patients, 32.3% were aged 0-2 years. Scalding was the most common mechanism of injury for pediatric GB patients at 73.8%. Compared to non-GB patients, GB patients had significantly higher total body surface area (TBSA) burned (16.5% vs 7.0%), higher rates of associated inhalation injury (4.1% vs 2.6%), longer length of stay (LOS) (14.3 days vs 6.7 days), higher rates of urinary tract infection (UTI) (13.0% vs 2.8%) and sepsis (14.1% vs 2.3%), and higher mortality (3.5% vs 0.7%) (P < 0.0001 for all). The differences were more pronounced for the subset of patients who suffered from GB3 (TBSA 43.5%, associated inhalation injury 19.9%, LOS 42.9 days, 21.3% UTI, 33.3% sepsis, and 19.3% mortality). On multivariable analysis, the presence of GB3, TBSA, non-white ethnicity, and the presence of associated inhalation injury were significant predictors of mortality. Only 4.5% of pediatric GB patients underwent genital surgery, with the majority consisting of excision, reconstruction, or repair of the penis, vulva, or perineum. No patient required orchiectomy or suprapubic catheter placement. DISCUSSION: This is the largest study to date of pediatric GB patients. A minority of pediatric burn patients present with GB. However, when they occur, GB are associated with significantly worse clinical outcomes. Importantly, the presence of GB3 is an independent predictor of mortality in pediatric burn patients. CONCLUSION: The presence of GB appears to be a strong marker of severe burn injury. Pediatric GB patients need to be carefully assessed and aggressively managed for additional injuries, complications, surgical needs, and mortality risk.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy as a Complementary Alternative for Chronic Pelvic Pain Management in an Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome Patient.

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome is a chronic pelvic pain condition with no known etiology that affects millions of women and men in the United States. Current management can be aggressive for individuals who are refractory to less invasive options, often resulting in the use of opioid narcotics and/or surgical procedures under general anesthesia, with higher risks and side effects to patients. Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy is a noninvasive therapeutic strategy that is thought to reduce inflammation and pain via alteration of cellular function and microcirculation. This therapy has demonstrated efficacy in management of other chronic pain syndromes including fibromyalgia and chronic low back pain. Herein, we describe a case of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy for management of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome that resulted in decreases in pelvic pain, burning with bladder filling, and other nonpelvic pain symptoms. This case provides support for a formal clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy for the management of chronic pelvic pain in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.