Consensos em HPV Masculino da Sociedade Portuguesa de Andrologia, Medicina Sexual e Reprodução: Seguimento / Consensus on Male HPV from the Portuguese Society of Andrology, Sexual Medicine and Reproduction: Follow-up

Os doentes com lesão genital por HPV, assim como os parceiros de doentes HPV positivo, apresentam normalmente um stress psicológico superior às reais consequências médicas da lesão. O seguimento desses doentes deve basear-se na educação e no aconselhamento. Os testes de tipagem molecular HPV não são recomendados como teste de seguimento, ou para rastreio dos parceiros. Aconselha-se o desenvolvimento e a implantação de protocolos próprios, por parte dos centros ou unidades que acompanhem esses doentes. (AU)

Patients with genital HPV lesion, as well as partners, usually present higher psychological stress, than the actual medical consequences of the lesion. Follow-up of these patients should be based on education and counseling. HPV molecular tests are not recommended as a follow-up test, or for screening partners. Development and implementation of protocols, by the centers or units, that follow these patients, are recommended. (AU)

Consensos em HPV Masculino da Sociedade Portuguesa de Andrologia, Medicina Sexual e Reprodução: Seguimento.

Patients with genital HPV lesion, as well as partners, usually present higher psychological stress, than the actual medical consequences of the lesion. Follow-up of these patients should be based on education and counseling. HPV molecular tests are not recommended as a follow-up test, or for screening partners. Development and implementation of protocols, by the centers or units, that follow these patients, are recommended.

Salvage Robotic-Assisted Seminal Vesiculectomy for Merkel Cell Carcinoma Metastasis.

A 71-year-old male presented with Merkel cell carcinoma along with inguinal lymph node involvement (stage III). The patient was proposed for systemic treatment followed by inguinal lymphadenectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy. During the follow-up period, recurrences were documented (lymphatic and visceral) and were treated with salvage surgery and radiotherapy. On the fifth year of follow-up the patient was diagnosed with a metastasis in the right seminal vesicle and underwent stereotactic body radiation therapy. Two-years later, tumor recurrence in the right seminal vesicle was managed with salvage robotic assisted seminal vesiculectomy. Advanced stages of Merkel cell carcinoma have a poor outcome and salvage treatments should be tailored to each patient. A multidisciplinary approach was crucial in achieving successful outcomes. The patient is still recurrence free twenty-four months after surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first publication reporting a seminal vesical Merkel cell metastasis.

Doente do sexo masculino de 71 anos, com carcinoma de células de Merkel com metastização ganglionar inguinal (estádio III), submetido a terapêutica sistémica seguida de linfadenectomia inguinal e radioterapia adjuvante. Durante o seguimento, todas as recorrências foram tratadas com radioterapia ou cirurgia de salvação. Cinco anos após o diagnóstico inicial, o doente foi diagnosticado com uma metástase na vesicula seminal direita, tendo sido tratado com radioterapia estereotáxica corporal. Dois anos mais tarde, por nova recorrência do tumor na vesicula seminal direita, foi submetido a uma vesiculectomia seminal robótica de salvação. Estádios avançados do carcinoma de células de Merkel apresentam um prognóstico reservado e os tratamentos de salvação devem ser adaptados a cada doente. Uma abordagem multidisciplinar revelou-se crucial para o sucesso do caso. O doente encontra-se no vigésimo quarto mês de pós-operatório, sem evidência de recidiva de doença. Até à data, este é o primeiro caso descrito de metástase na vesicula seminal de carcinoma de células de Merkel.

[The consensus of the Portuguese Society of Andrology, Sexual Medicine and Reproduction on Male HPV: diagnosis]. / Consensos em HPV masculino da Sociedade Portuguesa de Andrologia, Medicina Sexual e Reprodução: diagnóstico.

HPV infection affects about 50% of sexually active individuals at least once in a lifetime. Diagnosis is made on careful inspection of the genital area and can be divided into benign lesions (genital warts or condyloma acuminatum) and pre-malignant lesions (intraepithelial neoplasia) that can lead to cancer (invasive neoplasia). Diagnostic recommendations are reviewed in Male, Female, Couple and in the immunocompromised host. Recent histological concepts are also discussed.

[Consensus on HPV of the Portuguese Society of Andrology, Sexual Medicine and Reproduction: Treatment]. / Consensos em HPV Masculino da Sociedade Portuguesa de Andrologia, Medicina Sexual e Reprodução: Tratamento.

The treatment of condyloma is generally a challenge in clinical practice. Although the spontaneous resolution rate is high, a significant proportion of patients seek treatment, not because of symptomatology, but mainly for aesthetic issues and concerns related to the transmission or worsening of existing lesions. The available treatments should be applied only for clinically evident macroscopic lesions. Ideally, available therapies should have rapid action onset and clearance, resolve symptoms, reduce recurrence rate and viral load, be effective in treating small lesions, and be well tolerated. However, none of the currently available treatments is clearly more effective than the others and there is no ideal treatment for all patients or for all condyloma. Therefore, the therapeutic decision should be based on the clinician's experience, available resources, lesion morphology, size, number and location, primary or recurrent lesions, disease severity, patient preference and expectations, patient's immune competence, convenience, tolerance, cost of treatment and results of previous therapies. The available treatments are divided into three groups: applied by the patient himself (imiquimod 3.75 or 5%, podophyllotoxin .5%, synecatekines 10% or 15%), applied by the health care provider (bi- and tricloacetic acids 80%-90%, intralesional interferon alpha, cryotherapy, surgical removal, electrofulguration, laser ablation) and experimental or alternative therapies (topical cidofovir, intralesional bleomycin, photodynamic therapy). Treatment methodologies can be further divided into their action - ablative or destructive treatment (cryotherapy, electrofulguration, laser ablation, surgical excision), cytotoxic or proapoptotic treatments (podophyllotoxin .5%, 5-fluoruracil, bleomycin) and immunomodulatory treatments (imiquimod 3.75% or 5%, synecatekines 10% or 15%, intralesional interferon alpha). The overall success rate of the various treatments available ranges from 23% to 94%. Only treatments that include cryotherapy or surgical excision are suitable in condyloma with any anatomical location and that have the highest success rate in monotherapy. Recurrences are common regardless of the treatment received. In contrast, immunomodulatory therapies despite having lower initial clearance rates appear to have higher probabilities of cure in the medium term, with low recurrence rates. Some treatments may be combined with each other and the effectiveness of combined therapies appears to be superior to monotherapy (proactive sequential treatment). The consensuses for the treatment of HPV also consider special situations: immunocompromised patients, meatus and intraurethral lesions and treatment of the partner.

[Recommendations in Male HPV from the Portuguese Society of Andrology, Sexual Medicine and Reproduction: Prevention]. / Recomendações em HPV Masculino da Sociedade Portuguesa de Andrologia, Medicina Sexual e Reprodução: Prevenção.

The prevention of HPV-related diseases is an important healthcare issue due to its increasing incidence. Primary prevention is most important in males as it avoids initial infection and includes the use of condom, circumcision and vaccination. Primary prevention with vaccination is effective in decreasing HPV-related lesions in women up to 45 years old and the existing data for men comes from the experience from vaccinating women. Although it is the only vaccine that prevents cancer, the worldwide rates of vaccination in males is very low due to lack of information related to efficacy and side effects, lack of recommendation from the treating doctor, price and concern about encouragement of sexual promiscuity.

A rat model of enhanced glycation mimics cardiac phenotypic components of human type 2 diabetes : A translational study using MRI.

BACKGROUND: The success of translational research depends on how well animal models mimic the pathophysiology of the human phenotype, and on the identification of disease mechanisms such as enhanced glycation. METHODS: Here, we studied cardiac MRI and metabolic phenotypes in human type 2 diabetes (N = 106; 55 patients+51 controls) and animal models with distinct levels of fat diet and end glycation products, to model the role of these factors in the cardiac phenotype. We included four groups of rats, designed to evaluate the role of lipid load and glucotoxicity in cardiac function and to correlate these with the cardiac phenotype observed in humans. We also aimed to assess into which extent phenotypes were related to specific risk factors. RESULTS: Stroke Volume (SV) and Peak Filling Rate (PFR) measures were similarly discriminative both in humans and animal models, particularly when enhanced glycation was present. Factorial analysis showed that reduction of multidimensionality into common main explanatory factors, in humans and animals, revealed components that equally explained the variance of cardiac phenotypes (87.62% and 83.75%, respectively). One of the components included, both in humans and animals, SV, PFR and peak ejection rate (PER). The other components included in both humans and animals are the following: ESV (end systolic volume), left ventricular mass (LVM) and ejection fraction (EF). These components were useful for between group discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that animal models of enhanced glycation and human type 2 diabetes share a striking similarity of cardiac phenotypic components and relation with metabolic changes, independently of fact content in the diet, which reinforces the role of glucose dysmetabolism in left ventricular dysfunction and provides a potentially useful approach for translational research in diabetes, in particular when testing new therapies early on during the natural history of this condition.

Sonographic Criteria Predictive of Malignant Thyroid Nodules: Which Lesions Should be Biopsied?

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the ultrasound features of thyroid nodules and their association with malignancy, focusing on establishing feature-oriented ultrasound criteria to determine proper management of a thyroid nodule. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of 379 thyroid nodules were biopsied (from a total of 357 patients aged 59.8 ± 14.8 years) and 300 were included in the final study (271 benign nodules and 29 malignant ones). Ultrasound features were recorded for each nodule: size, echogenicity, homogeneity, contours, shape, texture, peripheral halo, calcifications, and the presence of adenopathy. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test. The sensitivity and the specificity of variables seen to have a statistically significant association with the malignancy of nodules were assessed and a logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: A taller-than-wide shape, an ill-defined contour, the presence of a halo, microcalcifications, and adenopathy were found to have a statistically significant relationship (P < 0.05) with malignancy, although with a low sensitivity and a high specificity. The presence of at least one suspicious feature yields great sensitivity (89.7%) in detecting malignant disease. CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasound features of thyroid nodules alone do not allow the radiologist to make a confident diagnosis regarding the malignancy of a nodule without performing a biopsy. However, a nodule showing a taller-than-wide shape, microcalcifications, a peripheral halo, an ill-defined contour, or associated adenopathy should be considered for cytology.

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Bladder: 2 Rare Cases Managed with Laparoscopic Partial Cystectomy.

Two cases of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the bladder are reported here. Both patients were male and presented with macroscopic hematuria; in the first case terminal hematuria was associated with irritative voiding symptoms. The second case was a smoker with hematuria unresponsive to medical treatment and anemia. Clinical presentation, pathological features, treatment, and prognosis are discussed. Due to rarity of this pathological condition, there are no guidelines concerning treatment and follow-up. We present our follow-up scheme and highlight the use of laparoscopic partial cystectomy as a successful treatment approach.

Relations between Cardiac and Visual Phenotypes in Diabetes: A Multivariate Approach.

Cardiovascular disease and diabetes represent a major public health concern. The former is the most frequent cause of death and disability in patients with type 2 diabetes, where left ventricular dysfunction is highly prevalent. Moreover, diabetic retinopathy is becoming a dominant cause of visual impairment and blindness. The complex relation between cardiovascular disease and diabetic retinopathy as a function of ageing, obesity and hypertension remains to be clarified. Here, we investigated such relations in patients with diabetes type 2, in subjects with neither overt heart disease nor advanced proliferative diabetic retinopathy. We studied 47 patients and 50 controls, aged between 45 and 65 years, equally distributed according to gender. From the 36 measures regarding visual structure and function, and the 11 measures concerning left ventricle function, we performed data reduction to obtain eight new derived variables, seven of which related to the eye, adjusted for age, gender, body mass index and high blood pressure using both discriminant analysis (DA) and logistic regression (LR). We found moderate to strong correlation between left ventricle function and the eye constructs: minimum correlation was found for psychophysical motion thresholds (DA: 0.734; LR: 0.666), while the maximum correlation was achieved with structural volume density in the neural retina (DA: 0.786; LR: 0.788). Controlling the effect of pairwise correlated visual constructs, the parameters that were most correlated to left ventricle function were volume density in retina and thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layers (adjusted multiple R2 is 0.819 and 0.730 for DA and LR), with additional contribution of psychophysical loss in achromatic contrast discrimination. We conclude that visual structural and functional changes in type 2 diabetes are related to heart dysfunction, when the effects of clinical, demographic and associated risk factors are taken into account, revealing a genuine relation between cardiac and retinal diabetic phenotypes.

Giant nephrothoracic abscess: a misleading disease, a surgical challenge, and an unexpected complication.

A rare case of perinephric abscess with unilateral secondary pulmonary involvement that was further complicated by spillover of purulent content into the contralateral lung is reported here. Its diagnosis, treatment, and evolution are described and discussed along with certain features of nephropulmonary fistulas. The diagnosis of these abscesses is difficult, largely because of the paucity of primary symptoms and the frequent presence of misleading secondary symptoms. Deceptive cases like this one highlight the importance of its contemplation in every physician's differential diagnosis.

Left atrial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus: insights from cardiac MRI.

OBJECTIVES: The left atrium (LA) modulates left ventricular filling through reservoir, conduit and booster pump functions. Only limited data exist on LA involvement in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). This study sought to assess LA function in asymptomatic DM2 with cardiac MRI. We hypothesized that cardiac MRI can detect LA dysfunction in asymptomatic DM2. METHODS: Forty-five patients with asymptomatic DM2 and 24 normoglycaemic controls were studied. MRI cine imaging was performed to measure LA maximal and minimal volumes. A flow-sensitive phase-contrast gradient-echo sequence was used for flow measurements perpendicular to the orifice of the mitral valve, to quantify active LA stroke volume. LA total, passive and active emptying volumes and fractions were calculated. RESULTS: LA reservoir function, namely LA total ejection fraction, was significantly greater in controls compared to patients with DM2 (62.2 ± 5.2 vs 57.0 ± 7.6 %, P = 0.004). LA passive ejection fraction was also greater in the controls (26.2 ± 9.5 vs 16.1 ± 11.0 %, P < 0.001). Regarding parameters of LA booster pump function, LA active ejection fraction was not significantly different between groups. DM2 was demonstrated to be an independent determinant of LA function. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac MRI enables the detection of LA dysfunction in asymptomatic DM2, characterized by a reduction in LA reservoir and conduit functions. KEY POINTS: • Evaluation of left atrial function is feasible with cardiac MRI • Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with left atrial dysfunction • Left atrial function modulates left ventricular filling.

Thoracic, abdominal and musculoskeletal involvement in Erdheim-Chester disease: CT, MR and PET imaging findings.

BACKGROUND: Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis with characteristic radiological and histological features. This entity is defined by a mononuclear infiltrate consisting of lipid-laden, foamy histiocytes that stain positively for CD68 and negatively for CD1a. Osseous involvement is constant and characteristic. Extra-osseous lesions may affect the retroperitoneum, lungs, skin, heart, brain and orbits. METHODS: Both radiography and technetium-99m bone scintigraphy may reveal osteosclerosis of the long bones, which is a typical finding in ECD. For visceral involvement, computed tomography (CT) is most useful, while magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is more sensitive for cardiovascular lesions; 2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scanning is useful in assessing the extension of ECD lesions. RESULTS: The prognosis is extremely variable and is often worse when there is cardiovascular system involvement. Diagnosis is based on the combination of radiographic, CT, MR imaging and nuclear medicine features and a nearly pathognomonic immunohistochemical profile. CONCLUSION: The aims of this work are to perform a systematic review of Erdheim-Chester disease as seen on imaging of the chest, abdomen and musculoskeletal system and to discuss the diagnostic workup and differential diagnoses according to the imaging presentation. Teaching points • Bone involvement is usually present in patients, and the imaging findings are pathognomonic of ECD. • The circumferential periaortic infiltration may extend to its branches, sometimes becoming symptomatic. • Cardiac involvement-the pericardium, right atrium and auriculoventricular sulcus-worsens its prognosis. • Perirenal infiltration extending to the proximal ureter is highly suggestive of this disease.

Left ventricular diastolic function in type 2 diabetes mellitus and the association with coronary artery calcium score: a cardiac MRI study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare cardiac MRI-derived parameters of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function between uncomplicated type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and normoglycemic control subjects and to evaluate whether these parameters of LV diastolic function are related to coronary atherosclerosis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We prospectively studied 41 subjects with DM2 and 21 normoglycemic control subjects (30 women and 32 men; mean age, 57.2 ± 7.1 [SD] years) with no evidence of overt cardiovascular disease. We used cardiac MRI to measure LV volumes, LV peak filling rate (PFR), and transmitral flow and CT to determine coronary artery calcium scores. RESULTS: Absolute values of the peak filling rate (PFR) were significantly lower in DM2 patients than in control subjects (mean ± SD, 293.2 ± 51.7 vs 375.7 ± 102.8 mL/s, respectively; p < 0.001). Mitral peak E velocities (mean ± SD, 42.8 ± 10.7 vs 48.8 ± 10.4 cm/s; p = 0.040) and peak E velocity-to-peak A velocity ratios (0.88 ± 0.3 vs 1.1 ± 0.3; p = 0.002) were also lower in DM2 patients compared with control subjects. DM2 patients with coronary artery calcification showed a lower PFR normalized to stroke volume (SV) (mean ± SD, 4.4 ± 1.0 vs 5.3 ± 1.4, respectively; p = 0.038) and lower mitral peak E velocities (40.1 ± 11.3 vs 48.0 ± 7.3 cm/s; p = 0.024) than DM2 patients without coronary calcification. PFR normalized to SV was independently associated with the presence of coronary artery calcification (ß = -1.5, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: DM2 decreases cardiovascular MRI-derived parameters of LV diastolic function. Patients with DM2 and coronary atherosclerosis show a more impaired LV diastolic function than patients without coronary atherosclerosis.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging assessment of diastolic dysfunction in a population without heart disease: a gender-based study.

OBJECTIVES: Asymptomatic left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is increasingly recognised as an important diagnosis. Our goal was to study the prevalence and gender differences in subclinical LV diastolic dysfunction, using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) at 3 T. METHODS: We prospectively studied 48 volunteers (19 male and 29 female, mean age 49 ± 7 years) with no evidence of cardiovascular disease. We used CMR to measure left atrium (LA) and LV volumes, LV peak filling rate and transmitral flow. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of LV diastolic dysfunction in our cohort varied between 20 % (based on evaluation of LV filing profiles) and 24 % (based on the evaluation of the transmitral flow). The prevalence of diastolic dysfunction was higher in men than in women, independently of the criteria used (P between 0.004 and 0.022). Indexed LV end-diastolic volume, indexed LV stroke volume, indexed LV mass, indexed LA minimum volume and indexed LA maximum volume were significantly greater in men than in women (P < 0.05). All the subjects had LV ejection fractions within the normal range. CONCLUSIONS: It is clinically feasible to study diastolic flow and LV filling with CMR. CMR detected diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic men and women. KEY POINTS: • CMR imaging offers new possibilities in assessing left ventricular diastolic function. • The prevalence of diastolic dysfunction is higher in men than in women. • The prevalence of some diastolic dysfunction in a normal population is 24 %.

Impact of positive surgical margins on biochemical relapse after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP).

INTRODUCTION: RP (radical prostatectomy) technique continues the major treatment option for men with potential cure and life expectancy exceeding 10 years. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of PSM on BR (biochemical relapse), to identify PSM risk factors, to clarify the factors involved in BR in the absence of PSM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Consultation of 171 medical-records from patients submitted to RRP (radical retropubic prostatectomy) between January/2000-December/2005. Mean-age: 64 yr. Mean - PSA (positive surgical margin): 11.88 ng/ml. Clinical staging: 67.8% cT1, 32.2% cT2. GS: ≤6 (66.1%), =7 (21.1%), 8-10 (12.3%). PS: pT0 1.2%, pT2 50.3%, pT3a 36.3%, pT3b 12.9%, pT4 0.6%. pathological Gleason score: ≤6 39.2%, =7 40.9%, 8-10 19.3%. RB definition was PSA ≥0.2 ng/ml. Adjusted Odds-Ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated through univariate logistic regression. RESULTS: There were PSM in 46 specimens, 28 had single PSM and 18 multiple PSM (≥2). BR occurred in 57 patients (33.3%), with an average time after surgery of 23.5 months - 26 patients had PSM and 31 had not. Statistical significant results for BR in variables PSA, PS and PSM. Quadruples if PSM (p <0.0001), triples in single PSM (p = 0.01) and is 6x higher in multiple PSM (p = 0.001). Regarding factors that influence the presence of PSM, only PS ≥pT3a reach statistical significance (p <0.0001). Patients with BR but without PSM (54.38%), variables statistically significant were: initial PSA >10, (p = 0.029) and pathological Gleason score ≥8 with a risk nearly 4x higher than pathological Gleason score ≤6 (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Statistical risk analysis concluded that the presence of PSM in RRP is strongly influenced by PS ≥pT3a. The presence of PSM and their number increase significantly the risk of BR compared to other factors. In the absence of PSM, the factors that seem to be crucial and with greater impact on BR are initial PSA>10 and pathological Gleason score ≥8.

Gastroenterologic and radiologic approach to obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: how, why, and when?

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common clinical condition that is increasingly seen in an aging population and frequently requires hospitalization and intervention, with significant morbidity and mortality. Obscure GI bleeding (OGIB) is defined as loss of blood with no source identified after upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Whether an obscure site of bleeding is clinically evident or silent, it constitutes a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the clinician. Gastroenterology and radiology provide the essential diagnostic tools used to evaluate suspected OGIB, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Small bowel series and conventional enteroclysis have a limited role in OGIB. Computed tomographic (CT) enterography and CT enteroclysis are noninvasive techniques with promising results in evaluation of small bowel disease and silent OGIB. CT angiography is a useful triaging tool for diagnosing or excluding active GI hemorrhage, localizing the site of bleeding, and guiding subsequent treatment. Tagged red blood cell scanning is the most sensitive technique for detection of active GI bleeding and allows imaging over a prolonged period, making it useful for detecting intermittent bleeding. Capsule endoscopy has emerged as an important tool for investigating OGIB, but it may soon have competition from double-balloon enteroscopy, a diagnostic technique that can also facilitate therapy.

[Angiogenesis and cancer: from biopathology to therapy]. / Angiogénese e cancro: da biopatologia à terapêutica.

Angiogenesis is an important factor in the development of epithelial neoplasias and is useful in the study of progression and metastasis. Neoplastic cells produce angiogenic factors that overtake the antiangiogenic capacity of autoimmune cells. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most important factor in the neoplastic angiogenesis. In colo-rectal carcinoma the expression of VEGF is parallel with genetic alterations and Duke's grade. In non-small cell lung carcinoma it is possible to define the angiogenic squamous dysplasia that evolves to invasive epidermoid carcinoma. In invasive gastric and lung cancer, the stromal molecules: COX 2, metalloproteinasis and adhesion molecules develop angeogenesis and their validation is important either in and therapy. In breast cancer there is a correlation between the growing of microvessels density, VEGF expression and p53 alterations, pointing to prognosis. Serological values of VEGF may also be used to monitorise the follow up of sarcomas and its reccurrence but vascular metastatic process is not yet completely understood.