Splenogonadal fusion mimicking a testis tumor.

The presence of ectopic splenic tissue in the scrotum is attributed to splenogonadal fusion, a rare congenital anomaly. This ectopic splenic tissue can be an incidental finding or less often present as a scrotal mass later in adult life. Given the rarity of splenogonadal fusion, especially in the adult population, this case highlights the clinical characteristics of the condition, with a special focus on the signs and findings that might help prevent unnecessary orchiectomy.

Palliative management of malignant upper urinary tract obstruction.

Malignancies of the genitourinary tract are diagnosed with increased frequency compared to the past. Currently prostate and bladder cancer account for the majority of urological malignancies. While for prostate cancer recent developments in the management of local and metastatic disease are likely to lead the majority of patients to either cure from the disease or to longer survival time, for bladder cancer advanced disease will unfortunately lead to death within months. However, the common clinical scenario in both prostate and bladder cancer includes, in high incidence, upper urinary tract obstruction in the advanced stages of these malignancies. This coupled with the fact that average life expectancy in the western world is increasing, will result in a significant patient population with either advanced, non-curable disease or with problems related to the received therapeutic surgical or medical interventions. There is no doubt that in both circumstances the room and role of palliation therapy is increasing. The care of patients with advanced urologic malignancies requires a multi-disciplinary effort from physicians of many specialties under the guiding role of the treating urologist. This review focuses on currently available palliative therapeutic options for upper urinary tract obstruction in the setting of patients with advanced malignancies of the urinary tract, as recently significant advancements have been witnessed in this field.

Predictive values of urinary bladder tumor markers survivin and soluble-Fas comparison with cystoscopy and bladder tumor antigen.

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the predictive values of two novel urinary markers for bladder cancer: survivin and soluble-Fas (s-Fas). METHODS: The study included 84 individuals divided in two groups. The first group contained 47 patients, who underwent transurethral bladder tumor resection and the second, control, group 20 patients with non-malignant conditions, who underwent cystoscopy and 17 health volunteers. Fresh, second morning voided urine was collected for measurement of s-Fas, survivin, BTA and for cytology. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy were calculated. RESULTS: Bladder tumor patients had significantly higher survivin urine levels in comparison to the controls. Survivin correlated also with the tumor stage. Combination of survivin with BTA had a sensitivity of 86.4% but still lower than that of cystoscopy (97.8%). Only the specificity of the combination between survivin and BTA was higher than that of cystoscopy (86.4% and 75.6%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Survivin was a better marker for tumor detection than s-Fas and was better enough to discriminate cancer stage. Combination of survivin and BTA had a specificity of 86.4% to exclude bladder malignancy and the combination of s-Fas with survivin and BTA had a sensitivity of 93.6% to detect bladder cancer.

Laparoscopic renal surgery.

Renal surgery, radical nephrectomy in particular, was historically the first application of laparoscopic techniques in urology. Since then, laparoscopy has been constantly evolving to claim its position in the surgical armamentarium of the urologist for the treatment of both malignant and benign diseases of the kidney and upper urinary tract. Over the years of increasing surgical experience and exposure, along with the evolution in the techniques and instruments used, laparoscopy has emerged as an equally effective and even more attractive alternative to open surgery for certain indications. The currently available load of literature is able to prove beyond any doubt the oncologic efficacy and minimal morbidity of laparoscopy for the treatment of renal masses in the form of radical or partial laparoscopic nephrectomy and nephroureterectomy. On the other hand, one can claim that laparoscopy is not far from replacing open surgery for the management of benign conditions such as ureteropelvic junction obstruction and donor nephrectomy. This review on laparoscopic renal surgery will discuss the major applications, indications, techniques and outcomes of laparoscopy in the contemporary management of benign and malignant renal diseases while focusing on its benefits and drawbacks compared to open surgery.

Massive hematuria due to a congenital renal arteriovenous malformation mimicking a renal pelvis tumor: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Congenital renal arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are very rare benign lesions. They are more common in women and rarely manifest in elderly people. In some cases they present with massive hematuria. Contemporary treatment consists of transcatheter selective arterial embolization which leads to resolution of the hematuria whilst preserving renal parenchyma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old man, who was heavy smoker, presented with massive hematuria and flank pain. CT scan revealed a filling defect caused by a soft tissue mass in the renal pelvis, which initially led to the suspicion of a transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the upper tract, in view of the patient's age and smoking habits. However a subsequent retrograde study could not depict any filling defect in the renal pelvis. Selective right renal arteriography confirmed the presence of a renal AVM by demonstrating abnormal arterial communication with a vein with early visualization of the venous system. At the same time successful selective transcatheter embolization of the lesion was performed. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the importance of careful diagnostic work-up in the evaluation of upper tract hematuria. In the case presented, a congenital renal AVM proved to be the cause of massive upper tract hematuria and flank pain in spite of the initial evidence indicating the likely diagnosis of a renal pelvis tumor.

Anatomical variation of left internal jugular vein: clinical significance for an anaesthesiologist.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cannulation of a central vein is an everyday procedure in anaesthesiology. However, anatomical variations of the size and/or location of the internal jugular vein might prevent cannulation, while repeated efforts might lead to severe complications. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore anatomical abnormalities of the internal jugular vein with regard to diameter of the vein's lumen and to define their clinical significance. METHODS: The cervical regions of 93 cadavers, 186 sides in total, were dissected and the anatomical variations of internal jugular vein diameters in relation to the external jugular vein and to the common carotid artery were recorded and photographed. RESULTS: The diameter of the veins in three cases were less than 6 mm, while ipsilateral external jugular veins were larger than average (3/93). CONCLUSIONS: Anatomical variations of the internal jugular veins are clinically significant, especially in cases where venous access is important.