Effect of Autologous Fibrin Glue on Lymphatic Drainage and Lymphocele Formation in Extended Bilateral Pelvic Lymphadenectomy in Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

Introduction: Postoperative lymphatic drainage and lymphocele formation is a common seen complication after extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) operation. The aim of this study was to evaluate autologous fibrin glue as an additional treatment option to reduce the volume of lymphatic drainage and prevent lymphocele development. Materials and Methods: A total of 75 patients undergoing transperitoneal RARP with ePLND between January and July 2018 were enrolled in this study. Thirty-five patients who received autologous fibrin glue enrolled to study group, another 40 patients who did not receive to control group. Autologous fibrin glue was applied over the PLND areas. Age, body mass index (BMI), pathologic stages, and number of removed lymph nodes (LNs) were compared. The main endpoint was to compare postoperative lymphatic drainage volume and lymphocele formation rate between groups. Results: There was not statistically significant difference between the groups with respect to age, BMI, Gleason score, T-stage, and number of removed LNs. Autologous fibrin glue resulted in 50% (110 mL vs 210 mL; p = 0.037) and 75% reduction of postoperative drainage volume (70 mL vs 270 mL; p = < 0.0001) in study group than control group at postoperative 2nd and 3rd days, respectively. The total drainage volume was also 50% reduced in study group (277 mL vs 577 mL; p = 0.004). The incidence of asymptomatic lymphocele was 20% (n = 7) and 37.5% (n = 15) in study and control groups, respectively (p = 0.112). One patient in control group developed symptomatic lymphocele. There were no immediate or late adverse effects in study group. Conclusion: Autologous fibrin glue application reduced postoperative lymphatic drainage, and also lymphocele formation rate after extended PLND in RARP operation.

Protective effect of platelet-rich plasma on urethral injury model of male rats.

AIMS: Urethral stricture (US) formation is caused by fibrosis after excessive collagen formation following an injury or trauma to the urethra. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on a urethral injury (UI) model of male rats. METHODS: A UI model was used by applying a coagulation current to the urethras of male rats. There were four groups with six rats in each: control group, PRP applied to naive urethra, UI group, and UI with PRP application. PRP was applied to the urethra after a coagulation current-induced injury as soon as possible. On the 14th day, all rats were sacrificed and urethral tissues were investigated for collagen type I, collagen type III, platelet-derived growth factor-α, platelet-derived growth factor-ß, and transforming growth factor-ß using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. The effect of urethral damage and healing was evaluated for collagen type I-to-collagen type III ratio. RESULTS: The collagen type I-to-collagen type III ratio was significantly higher in UI group (P < 0.05) than in the others, while UI with PRP application group had comparable results with the control group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that PRP has a preventive effect on stricture formation in a UI model of rats, as shown by its effect on collagen synthesis. Further studies that eventually show the effects of PRP on human tissues are necessary and promising.

The efficacy and utilisation of preoperative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: does it change the surgical dissection plan?

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of the use of multiparametric prostate magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) on the dissection plan of the neurovascular bundle and the oncological results of our patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 60 consecutive patients, including 30 patients who had (Group 1), and 30 patients who had not (Group 2) mp-MRI before robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. Based on the findings of mp-MRI, the dissection plan was changed as intrafascial, interfascial, and extrafascial in the mp-MRI group. Two groups were compared in terms of age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Gleason sum scores and surgical margin positivity. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, PSA, biopsy Gleason score, final pathological Gleason score and surgical margin positivity. mp-MRI changed the initial surgical plan in 18 of 30 patients (60%) in Group 1. In seventeen of these patients (56%) surgical plan was changed from non-nerve sparing to interfascial nerve sparing plan. In one patient dissection plan was changed to non-nerve sparing technique which had extraprostatic extension on final pathology. Surgical margin positivity was similar in Groups 1, and 2 (16% and 13%, respectively) although, Group 1 had higher number of high- risk patients. mp-MRI confirmed the primary tumour localisation in the final pathology in 27 of of 30 patients (90%). CONCLUSION: Preoperative mp-MRI effected the decision to perform a nerve-sparing technique in 56% of the patients in our study; moreover, changing the dissection plan from non-nerve-sparing technique to a nerve sparing technique did not increase the rate of surgical margin positivity.

Nerve-sparing techniques and results in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Nerve-sparing techniques in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) have advanced with the developments defining the prostate anatomy and robotic surgery in recent years. In this review we discussed the surgical anatomy, current nerve-sparing techniques and results of these operations. It is important to define the right and key anatomic landmarks for nerve-sparing in RARP which can demonstrate individual variations. The patients' risk assessment before the operation and intraoperative anatomic variations may affect the nerve-sparing technique, nerve-sparing degree and the approach. There is lack of randomized control trials for different nerve-sparing techniques and approaches in RARP, therefore accurate preoperative and intraoperative assessment of the patient is crucial. Current data shows that, performing the maximum possible nerve-sparing using athermal techniques have better functional outcomes.

Ductal Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate With a Rare Clinical Presentation; Late Gastric Metastasis.

A 67 year male had robotic prostatectomy whose pathology revealed mixed type prostate cancer composed of 55% ductal and 45% acinar components. The patient was then admitted to hospital with sudden health problems including ascites and serious vomiting attacks in the 46th month after prostatectomy and the PSA test was 4565 ng/mL. Gastroscopic biopsy was reported and proved immunhistochemically undifferentiated ductal prostate cancer metastasis. This is the first report of late gastric metastasis of ductal prostate cancer.

Increased preoperative levels of plasma fibrinogen and D dimer in patients with renal cell carcinoma is associated with poor survival and adverse tumor characteristics.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The relationship between renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and coagulation/fibrinolysis system has been described in several studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of 4 different coagulation/fibrinolysis factors on the prediction of histopathologic and survival prognosis in patients with RCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 128 patients who underwent surgical intervention between March 2006 and January 2011 for RCC were evaluated in this prospective study. Blood samples were collected from all patients on the morning of the operation to measure the plasma fibrinogen, D-dimer, coagulation factor VII, and antithrombin 3 levels. The relationships of these factors in the demographic, clinical, and histopathologic outcomes were analyzed using the Student t, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and one-way analysis of variance tests. Receiver operating curve analyses were performed to determine the optimal cutoff level for fibrinogen and d dimer, both of which had a strong relation with the clinical and histopathologic parameters. Disease-free survival (DFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox regression analyses (forward stepwise logistic regression) were performed to examine the independent prognostic values on survival outcomes. RESULTS: Increased plasma fibrinogen and d-dimer levels were associated with tumor size (P = 0.004 and 0.106), nuclear grade (P<0.001 and<0.001), TNM category (P<0.001 and 0.029), and metastasis (P<0.001 and 0.032). Both increased plasma fibrinogen and d-dimer levels predicted decreased DFS (P = 0.027 and 0.04), CSS (P = 0.007 and 0.043), and OS (P = 0.014 and 0.001) rates based on Kaplan-Meier analyses. Furthermore, multivariate analyses demonstrated that fibrinogen independently predicted poor DFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.52; 95% CI: 1.04-6.31; P = 0.029) and CSS (HR = 3.89; 95% CI: 1.13-13.40; P = 0.032), whereas d dimer had negative independent prognostic value on OS (HR = 4.01; 95% CI: 1.54-10.50; P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Increased plasma fibrinogen levels accurately predict poor histopathologic and survival outcomes and may be an effective independent prognostic factor in patients with RCC. Moreover, d dimer may serve as a copredictive factor in conjunction with fibrinogen.

Laparoscopic excision of local recurrence of renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To report a single center's experience with laparoscopic excision of local recurrence of renal cell carcinoma. METHODS: Between January and August 2011, 5 patients who underwent laparoscopic excision of local recurrence were identified from the institutional laparoscopic surgery database. RESULTS: Four radical nephrectomies and 1 partial nephrectomy were performed for primary tumors. The mean ages of the patients were 57.4 y (range, 48 to 68) and 62.8 y (range, 53 to 71) at the time of primary surgery and laparoscopic recurrence excision, respectively. The average size of the primary tumor was 7.2cm (range, 4.5 to 11). The mean size of local recurrence was 3.46cm (range, 2.8 to 4.5). The original tumor T stages were T1b, T2b, and T4 in 3, 1, and 1 cases, respectively. The mean time to diagnosis of recurrence was 51.2 mo (range, 15 to 136). The pathology of one patient who had previously received targeted therapy with sunitinib, was necrosis, unlike the other 4 pathologies which revealed renal cell carcinoma. The mean operative time, estimated blood loss, and length of hospital stay were 86 min (range, 70 to 100), 100 mL (range, 20 to 300), and 4 d (range, 2 to 8), respectively. One pleural injury did not need open conversion and was repaired laparoscopically. At a mean follow-up of 8.4 mo, the cancer-specific and disease-free survival rates were 100% and 60%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic excision of local recurrence of RCC is a feasible technique in well-selected patients with low-volume mass not involving the adjacent organs.

Comparison of transrectal ultrasonography and transrectal ultrasonography-guided seminal vesicle aspiration in the diagnosis of the ejaculatory duct obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: To compare transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and TRUS-guided seminal vesicle aspiration in the diagnosis of ejaculatory duct obstruction (EDO). DESIGN: A retrospective case-controlled study comparing the findings of TRUS and TRUS-guided seminal vesicle (SV) aspiration. SETTING: Clinics of Urology and Radiology. PATIENT(S): Seventy patients with suspected EDO (complete in 10, partial in 60 patients) on clinical evaluation. INTERVENTION(S): Each SV was punctured transrectally using a 20-gauge Chiba needle within 2 hours after ejaculation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): In SV aspirates, greater than three sperm per high-power microscopic field was considered a positive result for EDO. RESULT(S): Fifty-five (78.6%) patients had evidence of EDO on diagnostic TRUS. However, obstruction on TRUS was confirmed in 49.1% (27 of 55) of the patients with SV aspiration. Higher sperm positivity rates were achieved in patients with SV dilation (11 of 13, 84.6%) and prostatic midline/ED cyst (12 of 16, 75.0%). Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that the incidence of SV dilation was significantly higher, whereas that of chronic inflammatory findings in the prostate was significantly lower in the positive SV aspirate group. CONCLUSION(S): TRUS alone is not a reliable tool for the diagnosis of EDO. For this reason, SV aspiration should be used as an adjunctive technique in patients with SV dilation or a prostatic midline/ED cyst to confirm the diagnosis before surgery.