Effect of detrusor underactivity on surgical outcomes of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of detrusor underactivity (DUA) on the postoperative outcomes of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with BPH who underwent HoLEP between January 2018 and December 2022 were enrolled in this prospective database study. Patients were divided into DUA (bladder contractility index [BCI] <100) and non-DUA (BCI ≥100) groups. Objective (maximum urinary flow rate [Qmax], post-void residual urine volume [PVR]) and subjective outcomes (International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS], Overactive Bladder Symptom Score [OABSS], satisfaction with treatment question [STQ], overall response assessment [ORA], and willingness to undergo surgery question [WUSQ]) were compared between the two groups before surgery, and at 3 and 6 months after HoLEP. RESULTS: A total of 689 patients, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 69.8 (7.1) years, were enrolled. The mean (SD) BCI in the non-DUA (325 [47.2%]) and DUA (364 [52.8%]) groups was 123.4 (21.4) and 78.6 (14.2), respectively. Both objective (Qmax and PVR) and subjective (IPSS, IPSS-quality of life, and OABSS) outcomes after surgery significantly improved in both groups. The Qmax was lower in the DUA than in the non-DUA group postoperatively. At 6 months postoperatively, the total IPSS was higher in the DUA than in the non-DUA group. There were no significant differences in surgical complications between the two groups. Responses to the STQ, ORA, and WUSQ at 6 months postoperatively demonstrated that the patients were satisfied with the surgery (90.5% in the DUA group; 95.2% in the non-DUA group), their symptoms improved with surgery (95.9% in the DUA group; 100.0% in the non-DUA group), and they were willing to undergo surgery again (95.9% in the DUA group; 97.9% in the non-DUA group). There were no significant differences in the responses to the STQ and WUSQ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our midterm results demonstrated that patients with BPH and DUA showed minimal differences in clinical outcomes after HoLEP compared to those without DUA. The overall satisfaction was high in the DUA group.

Treatment Patterns with Mirabegron and Antimuscarinics for Overactive Bladder: A Prospective, Registry Study in Taiwan and South Korea (FAITH).

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess overactive bladder (OAB) treatment patterns and factors associated with effectiveness and persistence. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, observational registry study of adults starting OAB therapy with mirabegron or antimuscarinics was undertaken. Primary endpoints were time from treatment initiation to discontinuation/switching; proportion who discontinued/switched; and reasons for discontinuation/switching. Secondary endpoints included OAB Symptom Score (OABSS), OAB Questionnaire: Short Form, and OAB Bladder Assessment Tool scores; factors associated with effectiveness and persistence; and safety. RESULTS: In total, 556 patients initiating mirabegron and 250 initiating antimuscarinics were enrolled. There was no treatment switch, change, or discontinuation in 68.5% of the mirabegron initiator group and median time to treatment change was not reached. Mean initial treatment duration was 130.8 days. In multivariable models, baseline OABSS was the only variable significantly associated with change from baseline in OABSS, and patients with mild and moderate OAB had significantly better persistence with mirabegron than those with severe OAB. Urinary tract infection was the most common adverse event with mirabegron. There was no treatment switch, change, or discontinuation in 60.4% of the antimuscarinics initiator group and median time to treatment change was not reached. Solifenacin was the most frequent initial treatment (66.0%). Mean treatment duration was 122.2 days. In multivariable models, baseline OABSS was the only variable significantly associated with change from baseline in OABSS, while patients with OAB medication in the 12 months before enrollment had significantly better persistence with antimuscarinics than those with no previous OAB medication. Dry mouth was the most common adverse event with antimuscarinics. CONCLUSIONS: Mirabegron and solifenacin were commonly prescribed as first-line OAB medications. There was no treatment switch, change, or discontinuation in more than 60% of the mirabegron initiator and antimuscarinics initiator groups. Mean initial treatment duration was 130.8 days and 122.2 days for mirabegron and antimuscarinics, respectively. Graphical Abstract available for this article. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03572231.

Intelligent Bladder Volume Monitoring for Wearable Ultrasound Devices: Enhancing Accuracy through Deep Learning-based Coarse-to-Fine Shape Estimation.

Accurate and continuous bladder volume monitoring is crucial for managing urinary dysfunctions. Wearable ultrasound devices offer a solution by enabling non-invasive and real-time monitoring. Previous studies have limitations in power consumption and computation cost or quantitative volume estimation capability. To alleviate this, we present a novel pipeline that effectively integrates conventional feature extraction and deep learning to achieve continuous quantitative bladder volume monitoring efficiently. Particularly, in the proposed pipeline, bladder shape is coarsely estimated by a simple bladder wall detection algorithm in wearable devices, and the bladder wall coordinates are wirelessly transferred to an external server. Subsequently, a roughly estimated bladder shape from the wall coordinates is refined in an external server with a diffusion-based model. With this approach, power consumption and computation costs on wearable devices remained low, while fully harnessing the potential of deep learning for accurate shape estimation. To evaluate the proposed pipeline, we collected a dataset of bladder ultrasound images and RF signals from 250 patients. By simulating data acquisition from wearable devices using the dataset, we replicated real-world scenarios and validated the proposed method within these scenarios. Experimental results exhibit superior improvements, including +9.32% of IoU value in 2D segmentation and -22.06 of RMSE in bladder volume regression compared to state-of-the-art performance from alternative methods, emphasizing the potential of this approach in continuous bladder volume monitoring in clinical settings. Therefore, this study effectively bridges the gap between accurate bladder volume estimation and the practical deployment of wearable ultrasound devices, promising improved patient care and quality of life.

Risk Factors of Salvage Procedure for Refractory Morcellation During Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate.

PURPOSE: We aimed to identify the risk factors for salvage procedure (SP) required for refractory adenomatous tissue resistant to morcellation during holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). METHODS: Patients who underwent HoLEP between January 2010 and April 2020 at Seoul National University Hospital were analyzed. SPs were defined as cases of conversion to resection of the prostatic tissue using an electrosurgical loop after morcellation or secondary morcellation a few days after surgery or conversion to open cystotomy. RESULTS: Among a total of 2,427 patients, 260 were identified as having SP (SP group) (transurethral resection-nodule [n = 250, 96.1%], secondary morcellation a few days after surgery [n = 9, 3.5%], and conversion to open cystotomy [n = 1, 0.4%]). Patients in the SP group were older and had higher 5-α reductase inhibitors use, higher prostate-specific antigen, larger total prostate volume, and larger transition zone volume (TZV) than those in the non-SP group. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, only age and TZV were associated with SP. Compared to 40s and 50s, the odds ratios (ORs) were 3.84 in 60s (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37-10.78, P = 0.011), 4.53 in 70s (95% CI, 1.62-12.62, P = 0.004), and 6.59 in 80s or older (95% CI, 2.23-19.46, P = 0.001). The ORs of the SP were analyzed per TZV quartile. Compared to TZV ≤ 20.3 mL, the OR was 3.75 in 32.0 mL < TZV ≤ 50.4 mL (95% CI, 2.00-7.04, P < 0.001) and 8.25 in 50.4 mL < TZV (95% CI, 4.06-16.77, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The risk of refractory morcellation increased in patients aged > 60 years or those with TZV > 32 mL. In order to more efficiently remove these resistant adenomas, it is necessary to develop more efficient morcellators in the future.

Efficacy and safety of low power holmium laser enucleation of the prostate: A prospective short- and medium-term single-blind randomized trial.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of mid-term follow-up in low-power (LP) Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) compared with high-power (HP) surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled study was conducted between September 2020 and April 2021. Ninety male patients >50 years who underwent HoLEP for BPH were randomly assigned to HP (80 W/2 J/40 Hz) and LP (24 W/2 J/12 Hz) groups. The primary endpoint was the total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) six months after surgery. The secondary endpoints were perioperative results and postoperative outcomes at two weeks, three and six months after the surgery, including Clavien-Dindo complication classification. RESULTS: At six months after HoLEP, 41 and 42 patients were followed up in the HP and LP groups, respectively. There was no difference in the preoperative characteristics between the two groups. The prostate volumes were 67.1±23.7 mL for the HP group and 64.3±25.7 mL for the LP group (p=0.592), respectively. Although the total operative time was significantly longer by 13.1 minutes in the LP group (47.8±20.3 min vs. 60.9±23.3 min, p=0.006), the total delivered energy was significantly lower, which was only about 68% of the HP group (58.2±23.9 kJ vs. 39.9±13.2 kJ, p<0.001). Surgical outcomes significantly improved postoperatively in both groups compared to baseline, except for storage symptoms. Improvement in IPSS storage subscore was observed from the immediate postoperative 2 weeks in the LP group (8.1±3.1 to 6.9±3.8, p<0.001), whereas there was no significant recovery in the HP group (8.0±3.2 to 7.7±3.4, p=0.842). In the 6-month follow, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the IPSS total score (5.9±5.6 vs. 7.3±5.3, p=0.260) as well as IPSS storage subscore. In addition, there was no significant difference in postoperative complications, including bleeding or urinary incontinence, between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The HoLEP procedure performed using an LP laser device resulted in lower total delivered energy, faster recovery, and significantly improved surgical outcomes up to mid-term follow-up. There was no difference in efficiency or safety between the HP device system.

Autonomic responses during bladder hydrodistention under general versus spinal anaesthesia in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.

Blocking the abrupt increase in systolic blood pressure associated with autonomic response during bladder hydrodistention in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is essential for patient safety. We conducted this study to compare autonomic responses during bladder hydrodistention in patients with IC/BPS under general and spinal anaesthesia. Thirty-six patients were randomly allocated to a general anaesthesia (GA, n = 18) or a spinal anaesthesia (SA, n = 18) group. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured continuously and ΔSBP, defined as maximum increases in SBP during bladder hydrodistention from baseline, was compared between groups. Heart rate variability was analysed using electrocardiograms. The post-anaesthesia care unit assessed postoperative pain using a numeric (0-10) rating scale. Our analyses yield a significantly greater ΔSBP (73.0 [26.0-86.1] vs. 2.0 [- 4.0 to 6.0] mmHg), a significantly lower root-mean-square of successive differences in heart rate variability after bladder hydrodistention (10.8 [7.7-19.8] vs. 20.6 [15.1-44.7] ms), and significantly higher postoperative pain scores (3.5 [0.0-5.5] vs. 0.0 [0.0-0.0]) in the GA compared to the SA group. These findings suggest that SA has advantages over GA for bladder hydrodistention in preventing an abrupt increase in SBP and postoperative pain in IC/BPS patients.

A treatment prediction strategy for overactive bladder using a machine learning algorithm that utilized data from the FAITH study.

AIMS: To use machine learning algorithms to develop a model to accurately predict treatment responses to mirabegron or antimuscarinic agents in patients with overactive bladder (OAB), using real-world data from the FAITH registry (NCT03572231). METHODS: The FAITH registry data included patients who had been diagnosed with OAB symptoms for at least 3 months and were due to initiate monotherapy with mirabegron or any antimuscarinic. For the development of the machine learning model, data from patients were included if they had completed the 183-day study period, had data for all timepoints and had completed the overactive bladder symptom scores (OABSS) at baseline and end of study. The primary outcome of the study was a composite outcome combining efficacy, persistence, and safety outcomes. Treatment was deemed "more effective" if the composite outcome criteria for "successful," "no treatment change," and "safe" were met, otherwise treatment was deemed "less effective." To explore the composite algorithm, a total of 14 clinical risk factors were included in the initial data set and a 10-fold cross-validation procedure was performed. A range of machine learning models were evaluated to determine the most effective algorithm. RESULTS: In total, data from 396 patients were included (266 [67.2%] treated with mirabegron and 130 [32.8%] treated with an antimuscarinic). Of these, 138 (34.8%) were in the "more effective" group and 258 (65.2%) were in the "less effective" group. The groups were comparable in terms of their characteristic distributions across patient age, sex, body mass index, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Of the six models initially selected and tested, the decision tree (C5.0) model was chosen for further optimization, and the receiver operating characteristic of the final optimized model had an area under the curve result of 0.70 (95% confidence interval: 0.54-0.85) when 15 was used for the min n parameter. CONCLUSIONS: This study successfully created a simple, rapid, and easy-to-use interface that could be further refined to produce a valuable educational or clinical decision-making aid.

Does Preoperative Bladder Compliance Affect Long-Term Functional Outcomes after Laser Prostatectomy?

PURPOSE: We assessed the effects of preoperative bladder compliance on the long-term functional outcomes, especially focused on postoperative storage symptom changes, after laser prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2008 to March 2014, 1,608 men who underwent laser prostatectomy, including holmium laser enucleation or photo-vaporization of the prostate, were included in the analysis. We divided patients into 3 groups according to bladder compliance on a baseline urodynamic study: <12.5, 12.5-25, ≥25 mL/cmH2O. A multivariable analysis was performed to determine the impact of bladder compliance on changes in long-term functional outcomes after laser prostatectomy. RESULTS: Bladder compliance was less than 12.5 mL/cmH2O in 50 (3.1%), 12.5-25 mL/cmH2O in 232 (14.4%) patients. As bladder compliance decreased, the baseline International Prostate Symptom (IPSS) total score and storage sub-score were increased; the voiding sub-score remain unchanged. At postoperative 12 and 36 months, absolute improvements in the IPSS total score and storage sub-score were higher in <12.5 mL/cmH2O group compared to other groups, although those were equivalent at postoperative 1 months. On the multivariable analysis, decreased bladder compliance <12.5 mL/cmH2O was significantly associated with superior improvement in storage sub-score at postoperative 36 months, although it was not associated with voiding sub-score. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with preoperative bladder compliance <12.5 mL/cmH2O, storage symptoms could be further improved at 36 months after laser prostatectomy compared to others. Thus, laser prostatectomy could be a considerable treatment option for patients with severely decreased bladder compliance.

Natural history of incidentally diagnosed prostate cancer after holmium laser enucleation of the prostate.

OBJECTIVES: There is no consensus on the management plan for incidental prostate cancer (IPCa) after holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). This study aims to investigate the natural course of this disease and suggest appropriate treatment in real clinical practice. METHODS: The medical records of a prospective cohort of patients with LUTS/BPH who underwent HoLEP between July 2008 and December 2020 at Seoul National University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who underwent HoLEP for palliative purpose of prostate cancer control were excluded. The natural history of IPCa was assessed by the clinician in a descriptive manner for each treatment option. RESULTS: Among 2630 patients, 141 (5.4%) were diagnosed with IPCa after HoLEP. Pathologic T stage and magnetic resonance imaging results were highly associated with the physician's primary treatment decision-making for IPCa. Active surveillance (AS) was performed in 80% of patients, of whom 90% underwent follow-up without intervention, while the remaining 10% underwent deferred active treatment with a median follow-up of 46.3 months due to International Society of Urological Pathology grade group upgrading or increasing core involvement percentage. Meanwhile, 20% of patients underwent immediate active treatment. With a median follow-up period of 88.3 months after treatment, only one of 25 patients had biochemical recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of IPCa after HoLEP was 5.4%, and among these, approximately 20% proceeded with immediate definitive therapy and an additional 6% ultimately received definitive therapy within a median of 4 years of AS but showed excellent oncological outcomes.

Effect of urinary retention on the surgical outcome of holmium laser enucleation of the benign prostatic hyperplasia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of urinary retention (UR) on holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort of patients who underwent HoLEP between January 2010 and December 2016 was performed. The perioperative factors, including the International Prostate Symptom Score, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, prostate-specific antigen, urodynamic study results, uroflowmetry results, transrectal ultrasound prostate volume, operative time, morcellation time, enucleation weight, and complications, were evaluated. Postoperative evaluation was performed at 2, 3, and 6 months. RESULTS: Overall, 903 patients were identified. The mean age and follow-up were 68.3 years and 6 months, respectively. Among the patients, 135 (15.0%) patients had a history of acute UR (AUR), and 36 patients (4.0%) had chronic UR (CUR). The mean detrusor pressures at maximum flow were 64.4, 74.3, and 77.7 cmH2O (p<0.001). The mean maximum flow rates (Qmax) were 7.6, 6.6, and 4.8 mL/s (p<0.001). Additionally, the mean bladder outlet obstruction indices were 49.5, 61.1, and 69.4 (p<0.001). The postoperative Qmax improved in all three groups. The mean postvoid residual volumes (PVRs) were 55, 75, and 333 mL preoperatively; 20, 29, and 66 mL at 2 weeks; 16, 23, and 45 mL at 3 months; and 15, 22, and 52 mL at 6 months (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Voiding symptoms, PVR, and Qmax of BPH patients with preoperative AUR and CUR significantly improved after Ho-LEP, similar to those without preoperative UR.

Outcome of Patients With Elevated Prostate-Specific Antigen and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Receiving Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate.

PURPOSE: This study investigated functional outcomes in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), the incidence of incidental prostate cancer (PCa), and changes in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in patients with elevated PSA and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively designed protocol for patients who underwent HoLEP at our institution from January 2010 to May 2020 was conducted. Patients were classified into low-PSA (<3.0 ng/mL) and high-PSA (≥3.0 ng/mL) groups at baseline. Follow-up for PSA was performed at the sixth postoperative month. Baseline and postoperative clinical parameters, functional parameters, PCa incidence, and postoperative changes in PSA were compared between the lowand high-PSA groups. RESULTS: The baseline PSA of 1,296 patients (mean age, 69.7±6.8 years) was 4.0±4.1 ng/mL, with 712 patients (55.0%) in the low-PSA group (1.6±0.8 ng/mL), and 584 patients (45.0%) in the high-PSA group (6.9±4.7 ng/mL). Incidental PCa was detected in 82 patients (6.3%), with a similar incidence in the low-PSA (41 patients, 5.9%) and high-PSA (41 patients, 7.0%) groups (P>0.05). At 6 months postoperatively, both groups showed significant improvements in the maximum flow rate, postvoid residual volume, and all domains of the International Prostate Symptom Score (P<0.05). At postoperative 6 months, the PSA level significantly decreased by 66.6%±23.6% in all patients (54.3%±23.9% in the low-PSA group; 79.6%±14.7% in the high-PSA group) (P<0.05), and the PSA levels of 1,264 patients (97.6%) had normalized. CONCLUSION: In patients with elevated PSA presenting with LUTS/BPH, our study demonstrated significant improvements in functional parameters and decreased PSA after HoLEP. The incidental PCa detection rate did not show a statistically significant difference between the low- and high-PSA groups. Timely surgery for LUTS/BPH without delay due to PSA monitoring should be considered.

Risk Factors for Transurethral Coagulation for Hemostasis During Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate.

PURPOSE: We aimed to identify risk factors for transurethral coagulation (TUC) using bipolar electrocautery for hemostasis during holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: We analyzed the clinical outcomes of HoLEP surgery performed by a single surgeon between January 2010 and April 2020 at the Seoul National University Hospital. Patient characteristics and perioperative parameters were used to identify the risk factors for TUC. The TUC group was defined as a case of conversion to hemostasis using electrocautery during the hemostasis step after enucleation. RESULTS: Of 1,563 patients, 357 underwent TUC (TUC group; 22.8%) as an adjuvant (n=299, 19.1%) or salvage (n=58, 3.7%) therapy. Patients in the TUC group were older (mean±standard deviation, 70.6±7.3 years vs. 69.3±7.0 years; P=0.002), had more 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) use (35.6% vs. 25.9%, P<0.001), higher serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (5.4 ±4.8 ng/mL vs. 3.8 ±4.5 ng/mL, P <0.001), larger total prostate volume (TPV) (89.5 ±44.7 mL vs. 66.0 ±32.6 mL, P<0.001), and larger transitional zone volume (TZV) (57.3±34.9 mL vs. 37.7±24.2 mL, P<0.001) than those who did not undergo TUC (non-TUC group). In univariate logistic regression analysis, age, 5-ARI use, PSA, TPV, and TZV correlated with TUC, whereas in multivariate logistic regression analysis, only TZV was associated with TUC. The odds ratios (ORs) of TUC were analyzed per TZV quartile. Compared to TZV<22.3 mL, the OR was 2.42 in 34.1 mL≤TZV<53.5 mL (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58-3.72; P<0.001), 5.17 in ≥53.5 mL (95% CI, 3.44-7.77; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The risk of TUC during HoLEP surgery increases in patients with TZV >35 mL. Therefore, TUC may be potentially necessary in patients with a large transition zone volume in patients with BPH.

Maximum Voided Volume Is a Better Clinical Parameter for Bladder Capacity Than Maximum Cystometric Capacity in Patients With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms/Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Prospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Bladder capacity is an important parameter in the diagnosis of lower urinary tract dysfunction. We aimed to determine whether the maximum bladder capacity (MCC) measured during a urodynamic study was affected by involuntary detrusor contraction (IDC) in patients with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS)/Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: Between March 2020 and April 2021, we obtained maximum voided volume (MVV) from a 3-day frequency-volume chart, MCC during filling cystometry, and maximum anesthetic bladder capacity (MABC) during holmium laser enucleation of the prostate under spinal or general anesthesia in 139 men with LUTS/BPH aged >50 years. Patients were divided according to the presence of IDC during filling cystometry. We assumed that the MABC is close to the true value of the MCC, as it is measured under the condition of minimizing neural influence over the bladder. RESULTS: There was no difference in demographic and clinical characteristics between the non-IDC (n=20) and IDC groups (n=119) (mean age, 71.5±7.4) (P>0.05). The non-IDC group had greater bladder volume to feel the first sensation, first desire, and strong desire than the IDC group (P<0.001). In all patients, MABC and MVV were correlated (r=0.41, P<0.001); however, there was no correlation between MCC and MABC (r=0.19, P=0.02). There was no significant difference in MABC between the non-IDC and IDC groups (P=0.19), but MVV and MCC were significantly greater in the non-IDC group (P<0.001). There was no significant difference between MABC and MVV (MABC-MVV, P=0.54; MVV/MABC, P=0.07), but there was a significant difference between MABC and MCC between the non-IDC and IDC groups (MABC-MCC, P<0.001; MCC/MABC, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Maximum bladder capacity from a urodynamic study does not represent true bladder capacity because of involuntary contractions.

Prevalence and urodynamic characteristics of detrusor overactivity with impaired contractility in the community-dwelling elderly with non-neurogenic lower urinary tract symptoms: Is it from a single or two independent bladder dysfunctions?

PURPOSE: To identify the prevalence of detrusor overactivity with impaired contractility (DOIC) in the community-dwelling elderly and explore whether it is from a single or two independent bladder dysfunctions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on a 10-year urodynamic database of the SEOUL Study Group, elderly patients who met inclusion criteria were selected. Bladder sensation, capacity, and compliance were designated as evaluation elements for storage function, and free maximal flow rate (Qmax) and post void residual volume, detrusor pressure at maximal flow (PdetQmax), and bladder voiding efficiency for voiding function. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of DOIC was 18.8% and 5.5% among 2,571 men and 688 women, respectively, and increased significantly with age. In men, patients with DOIC showed no differences in storage parameters and significantly lower free Qmax and PdetQmax among voiding parameters, compared to those with detrusor overactivity (DO) only. Compared to men with detrusor underactivity (DU) only, those with DOIC had worse parameters in the majority of storage and voiding functions. In women, most of the storage and voiding functions were worse in patients with DOIC than in those with DO only. On the other hand, women with DU showed lower PdetQmax and worse voiding functions than those with DOIC, although some parameters did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that DOIC is developed from a coincidental combination of two independent DO and DU in men. In contrast, DOIC is likely to be an intermediate step during the process of progression from DO to DU in women.

Translation and Linguistic Validation of Korean Version of the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite for Clinical Practice for Patients With Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE: Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer have increased the patients' stress level and decreased the quality of life. A variety of instruments are currently available to evaluate patients with prostate cancer. However, only a few tools are available to assess Korean patients, and therefore we demonstrated a linguistic validation of Korean Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite for Clinical Practice (EPIC-CP). METHODS: EPIC-CP was translated into Korean and the linguistic validation was evaluated. The evaluation process includes permission for translation, forward translation, reconciliation, backward translation, cognitive debriefing, and proofreading. Two bilingual translators independently translated the original questionnaire, discussed the feasibility and naturalness of initial translation, followed by revision to the reconciled version. Another translator then performed a backward translation into English. Ten patients with prostate cancer completed the translated questionnaire and performed cognitive debriefing. RESULTS: The original EPIC-CP was translated into 2 Korean versions. The different wording in both versions and the ordinary words in the initial translations were changed considering the nuances and meanings of medical terms. During the backward translation, the panels made slight changes to clarify the meaning and nuances of the translated questionnaire. During cognitive debriefing, 10 patients answered the questionnaire and offered their opinions regarding comprehensibility and naturalness. Most patients agreed that the translation was comprehensible in general. CONCLUSION: Our study provides a successful linguistic validation of the EPIC-CP questionnaire. The translation is a helpful diagnostic tool to ensure the quality of life of patients with prostate cancer attending crowded clinics.

Mirabegron for treatment of overactive bladder symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease: A double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial (Parkinson's Disease Overactive bladder Mirabegron, PaDoMi Study).

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of mirabegron for Parkinsonism patients with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms in a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inclusion criteria are Parkinsonism with OAB symptoms for 4 weeks or more, OAB symptom score (OABSS) questionnaire scores greater than 2, and OABSS urgency question scores greater than 1. After a 2-week wash-out period, the patients were randomized into placebo and mirabegron groups at visit 2. Visit 3 was performed after 4 weeks of medication. Mirabegron was prescribed to the two groups for the rest of the study period at visit 4. RESULT: The mean age was 68.1 ± 8.1 years and 72 males and 64 females were included. A total of 136 patients were screened, 117 patients were randomized, and 25 patients dropped out. The OABSS scores were significantly different between the two groups at Weeks 4 and 8. The OABSS scores became the same in the two groups at Week 12 (visit 5). The postvoid residual urine volume showed a mild increase to 64 ml in the mirabegron group compared to the placebo group at visit 4. Adverse events occurred in 27 patients (23.1%). The degree was mild in 26 cases (78.8%), moderate in five (15.2%), and severe in two (6.1%). Only 13 cases (39.4%) showed medication-related adverse events. Acute urinary retention occurred in a single case. The treatment satisfaction questionnaires showed no significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Mirabegron was effective in treating OAB symptoms in patients with Parkinsonism with acceptable adverse events.

The Current Positioning of Augmentation Enterocystoplasty in the Treatment for Neurogenic Bladder.

Augmentation enterocystoplasty (AEC) is a surgical procedure in which the bladder is enlarged using an intestinal segment in patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction who fail to achieve satisfactory results with all conservative treatments. Currently, surgical materials and procedures, concomitant correction of upper urinary tract abnormalities, or bladder neck reconstruction may vary depending on the experience and preferences of the surgeons. AEC has been proven to be successful with respect to surgical goals, such as achieving urinary continence, improving quality of life, and preserving the upper urinary tract over the long term. The advantage of AEC over intravesical injection of botulinum toxin-a more recent and less invasive procedure-is that the prevention of upper urinary tract damage and the improvement of urinary incontinence are more reliably guaranteed, especially considering that these surgical effects are permanent. Compared to less invasive treatments, the quality of life of patients after surgery is also much higher, and AEC may be more cost-effective in the long run. Thus, in patients with neurogenic bladder, AEC is still the gold standard surgical procedure with strong evidence in support of its efficacy. In this article, the indications, surgical methods, possible complications, long-term follow-up, and current positioning of AEC in lower urinary tract dysfunction is discussed.

Enucleation of the prostate: An anatomical perspective.

Among transurethral surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), anatomical endoscopic enucleation of the prostate (AEEP) differs from conventional transurethral surgery as it adopts the same enucleation principle as open surgery. AEEP is known as an effective and safe surgical method. However, the learning curve is steep because the surgical anatomy is different from that of conventional transurethral surgery. If information on surgical anatomy related to enucleation is enriched and surgical standardisation is achieved, the learning curve will be shortened and AEEP will become more widespread. The concept of AEEP has been developed based on the surgical techniques obtained from holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HoLEP). The original surgical technique of HoLEP is a three-lobe technique. At the 12 o'clock position at the prostatic apex, the boundary of the prostate capsule is unclear. Separating anterior prostatic tissue from the prostatic capsule while preserving the sphincter in the apical area is one of the biggest challenges in AEEP. During the AEEP procedure, an accurate understanding of the surgical anatomy of the capsular plane, bladder neck, apical sphincteric area and blood vessels is important. In this article, literature on the anatomy related to enucleation in AEEP, mainly HoLEP, is reviewed and discussed.

Bipolar enucleation of the prostate-step by step.

Bipolar enucleation of prostate (BipolEP) is a useful method for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Compared with conventional transurethral resection, the enucleation technique has several advantages. However, since the cost of laser equipment used for enucleation is relatively high, enucleation using bipolar devices has been attempted by many previous surgeons. We consider bipolar enucleation is an effective and safe procedure, and we would like to share our experience of equipment settings and procedures through this article. We will introduce the equipment and settings of BipolEP and then present the actual step-by-step procedures and surgical tips. First, circular incisions are made on bladder neck and mucosa at the level of verumontanum. Then, enucleation is performed in the order of median and lateral lobes as in laser enucleation. Haemostasis should be done throughout the procedure. After enucleation and haemostasis, prostatic tissue is evacuated by morcellator. Currently, there are several types of electrode and morcellator systems. In our experience, BipolEP has a steep learning curve but it is safe and effective procedure for managing BPH. In particular, effective haemostasis is the greatest advantage of BipolEP when compared to traditional TUR or laser enucleation.