Prevalence of nephrolithiasis in patients with ileal bladder substitutes.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of ileal bladder substitutes with preservation of the ileocecal valve and distal 25 cm of ileum on nephrolithiasis. METHODS: We reviewed a consecutive series of 518 patients (44 women and 474 men) with ileal orthotopic bladder substitution in whom 55 to 65 cm of ileum was resected but with preservation of the ileocecal valve and distal 25 cm of ileum, to determine prevalence of nephrolithiasis as well as bicarbonate, base excess, creatinine levels, and urinary pH at time of stone diagnosis and 2 years before it. RESULTS: Four male patients with a median age of 66 years (range, 50 to 70 years) developed nephrolithiasis after ileal bladder substitute, for a total of five calculi. The prevalence of nephrolithiasis in this retrospective cohort is thus 1% (5 of 518). They developed the calculi after a median follow-up of 8 years (range, 4 to 17 years). The four patients were diagnosed with calculi at 2.3, 3, 10, 10.3, and 14 years after bladder substitute. Two of the stones were uric acid calculi; the remaining three were calcium oxalate. None of our patients were acidotic or had elevated serum creatinines at time of stone formation. Urinary pH determined once in spontaneously voided urine at the time of stone diagnosis was pH 6.0 for the two uric acid calculi and pH 7.0 for the remaining calculi. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates a low prevalence of calculi in our cohort.

Outcome after radical cystectomy with limited or extended pelvic lymph node dissection.

PURPOSE: We compared recurrence patterns and survival of patients with urothelial bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy who either had limited or extended pelvic lymph node dissection at 2 institutions between 1987 and 2000. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two consecutive series of patients treated with radical cystectomy and limited pelvic lymph node dissection (336; Cleveland Clinic) and extended pelvic lymph node dissection (322; University of Bern) were analyzed. All cases were staged N0M0 prior to radical cystectomy, and none were treated with neoadjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Patients with PTis/pT1 and pT4 disease were excluded from analysis. Pathological characteristics based on the 1997 TNM system and recurrence patterns were determined. RESULTS: The overall lymph node positive rate was 13% for patients with limited and 26% for those who had extended pelvic lymph node dissection. The 5-year recurrence-free survival of patients with lymph node positive disease was 7% for limited and 35% for extended pelvic lymph node dissection. The 5-year recurrence-free survival for pT2pN0 cases was 67% for limited and 77% for extended pelvic lymph node dissection, and the respective percentages for pT3pN0 cases were 23% and 57% (p <0.0001). The 5-year recurrence-free survival for pT2pN0-2 cases was 63% for limited and 71% for extended pelvic lymph node dissection, and for pT3pN0-2 cases the respective figures were 19% and 49% (p <0.0001). Incidence of local and systemic failure correlated closely with pathological stage for both series. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that limited pelvic lymph node dissection is associated with suboptimal staging, poorer outcome for patients with node positive and node negative disease, and a higher rate of local progression. Extended pelvic lymph node dissection allows for more accurate staging and improved survival of patients with nonorgan confined and lymph node positive disease.

Presentation, location and overall survival of pelvic recurrence after radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the presentation, location and overall survival of pelvic recurrence after radical cystectomy (RC) for transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed a consecutive series of 130 patients who had a limited bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) and RC between 1987 and 2000, and who later developed pelvic recurrence. All patients were staged N0M0 before RC and no patient received neoadjuvant radio/chemotherapy. The boundaries of the limited PLND were the pelvic side-wall between the genitofemoral and obturator nerves, and the bifurcation of iliac vessels to the circumflex iliac vein. Pelvic recurrence was defined as a radiographic soft-tissue density of > or = 2 cm below the bifurcation of the aorta. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to determine if imaging or symptomatic presentation, age, pT stage, and pN status were predictive of overall survival. RESULTS: The median (range) time from RC to pelvic recurrence was 7.3 (1.2-55.4) months. No patients had concomitant distant metastasis. Of the patients, 61.5% were diagnosed with pelvic recurrence because of symptoms, and 38.5% by surveillance computed tomography (CT). Of the 130 patients, 128 died, with a median survival from the time of pelvic recurrence of 4.9 (0.1-129.3) months. The median overall survival time for pelvic recurrence diagnosed with CT was 21.6 months, vs 10.6 months for symptomatic presentations (P < 0.001). In the uni- and multivariate models, type of presentation (CT vs symptomatic) and pT stage were predictors of overall survival, while age and pN status were not. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of patients with pelvic recurrence after RC for TCC is poor even with subsequent therapy, emphasizing the need for optimum local control at the time of initial treatment.

Role of lymphadenectomy in clinically organ-confined prostate cancer.

There has been considerable debate about the utility of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) when performing a radical prostatectomy. Reported practices vary from those who always perform an extended PLND to those who employ a predictive nomogram in their decision making to those who are increasingly not performing a PLND in low-risk disease. A Medline search was used to identify relevant manuscripts dealing with the role of lymphadenectomy in clinically organ-confined prostate cancer. A greater number of lymph nodes (LN) removed and examined at prostatectomy for prostate cancer appears to increase the likelihood of finding LN metastases and increase prostate cancer-specific survival even in patients who have histologically uninvolved LN. This survival benefit may result from more accurate staging and possible removal of occult metastases. The need for and extent of PLND in prostate cancer, especially in low-risk disease, however, is unlikely.

A prospective evaluation of the impact of scheduled follow-up appointments with compliance rates after vasectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively determine the impact of scheduled follow-up appointments with compliance rates after vasectomy. PATIENT AND METHODS: During a study period of 18 months, 228 consecutive men had a vasectomy, of whom 114 were instructed to bring a semen sample to the office and 114 were given a follow-up appointment to submit samples. All men were instructed to submit specimens at 2 months after vasectomy and at 1-month intervals until two consecutive samples were azoospermic. The mean (range) follow-up was 16 (6-24) months. Compliance rates for the appointment and no-appointment group were compared using a two-sided Fisher's exact test. A subgroup analysis used a logistic regression model. RESULTS: In the appointment group, 96/114 (84%) of patients complied with instructions to bring the first sample at 2 months, and in the no-appointment group, 74/114 (65%) complied (P=0.001). In the appointment group, 43/114 (48%) of patients complied with instructions to provide two consecutive azoospermic specimens and in the no-appointment group, 23/114 (20%) complied (P=0.005). A subgroup analysis of patients who provided a sample at 2 months indicated that, on adjusting for the results of the first test, patients with appointments were 1.17 times more likely to provide additional specimens than patients with no appointments. Adjusting for the type of appointment, patients who had sperm present in the first test were 6.72 times more likely to provide additional specimens than patients who were azoospermic on the first test. CONCLUSION: Scheduling an appointment after vasectomy provides a statistically and clinically significant improvement in compliance.

Vasectomy: A simple snip?

UNLABELLED: Vasectomy is one of the most common forms of permanent sterilization methods currently in use and has a failure rate of <1% in most reported series. Since failure of vasectomy may result in pregnancy, adequate counseling is essential. Couples are advised that an analysis of a semen specimen after vasectomy is required to confirm success before the use of alternative contraception is abandoned. However, measuring the success of vasectomy is complicated by a lack of consistency with regards to both the number and timing of tests and the end points accepted. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Medline search was used to identify manuscripts dealing with vasectomy, with specific attempts to identify protocols designed to confirm sterility. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Vasectomy is one of the most reliable permanent methods of contraception. However, despite its popularity, certain issues pertaining to the procedure remain unresolved. Debate continues over the relative merits of the various techniques of isolating and sealing the vasal ends. Postoperative complication rates remain minimal regardless of the technique used, and no single strategy attempting to maximize patient compliance with postoperative semen analysis has enjoyed unmitigated success. Long-term consequences, other than regret, are rare.

New therapies in chronic prostatitis.

The optimal management of category III prostatitis (chronic pelvic pain syndrome) is not known. Conventional therapy usually consists of prolonged courses of antibiotics; however, clinical trials have never shown their efficacy. Newer therapies with some evidence for efficacy include alpha-blockers, anti-inflammatory phytotherapy (quercetin, bee pollen), physiotherapy, neuroleptics, and others with unique actions such as antinanobacterial treatment. A stepwise approach involving multiple treatment modalities is often successful for patients with this common and frustrating condition.

Long-term mechanical reliability of AMS 700CX/CXM inflatable penile prosthesis.

PURPOSE: We determined the long-term mechanical reliability of the AMS 700CX/CXM inflatable penile prosthesis in men with organic erectile dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 455 consecutive patients underwent implantation of an AMS 700CX/CXM inflatable penile prosthesis between April 1986 and July 2004. Using telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires we obtained followup on 380 of 455 patients (83%). Data were obtained with regard to 2 end points, including overall failure and mechanical failure caused by any malfunctioning component. RESULTS: Followup was 0.49 to 231 months (median 91.5). Ten-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of overall and mechanical survival were 74.9% (95% CI 69.2 to 81.1) and 81.3% (95% CI 75.7 to 87.3), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge this is the longest followup of any inflatable penile prosthesis showing overall and mechanical survival by Kaplan-Meier estimates.

Outcomes in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder with limited pelvic lymph node dissection.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the rates of local and systemic progression (LP and SP), recurrence-free survival and overall survival for patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder with limited pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) in 1987-2000. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series was analysed of 385 patients (median age 61.9 years, range 30.7-83.8) treated by limited bilateral PLND and radical cystectomy (RC) between 1987 and 2000, with negative surgical margins on final pathology. All patients were staged N0M0 before RC, and none received neoadjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The boundaries of the limited PLND were the pelvic side-wall between the genitofemoral and obturator nerves, and bifurcation of iliac vessels to the circumflex iliac vein. LP was defined as a radiographic soft-tissue density of > or = 2 cm below the bifurcation of the aorta. Pathological characteristics, based on the 1997 Tumour-Nodes-Metastasis system, recurrence patterns, and recurrence-free and overall survival, were determined. RESULTS The median (range) overall follow-up was 45.1 (1.1-165.6) months; the number of lymph nodes (LNs) reported per patient was 12 (2-32). Of the 385 patients, 130 (33.8%) had evidence of LP and 60 (15.6%) of SP. The 5-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates were both 71% for patients with organ-confined, N0 tumours, and 23% and 26% for unconfined, N0 tumours. Positive LNs were found in 45 (12%) patients, who had a recurrence-free and overall survival rate of 9% at 5 years. CONCLUSION: Compared with published reports of similar cohorts of patients managed with RC and extended PLND, the present study suggests that limited PLND is associated with suboptimal staging, greater rates of LP, and lower rates of recurrence-free survival, particularly for patients with unconfined or LN-positive disease.

Determining the success of vasectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To examine patient compliance, significance of rare nonmotile sperm (RNMS) and to determine the timing and number of semen analyses required to confirm sterility. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From November 2001 to November 2004, 436 consecutive primary vasectomies were performed by one surgeon. All patients were instructed to submit two initial semen specimens for analysis (2 and 3 months after vasectomy) and additional samples (at 1-month intervals) if sperm were identified on the initial and subsequent analyses. RESULTS: A quarter of the patients submitted no semen specimens and only 21% followed the full instructions to provide two consecutive negative semen analyses. Three-quarters of the patients provided a semen specimen at 8 weeks after vasectomy; of these, 75% were azoospermic and 25% contained sperm. At 12 weeks after vasectomy half the patients provided a semen specimen; of these, 91% were azoospermic and 9% contained sperm. Of the 83 patients with semen containing sperm at 8 weeks, 80 had RNMS and three had rare motile sperm (one of whom subsequently proved to have vasectomy failure). Of the 80 patients with RNMS, at 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 months, 65, four, three, four, two, one and one, respectively were azoospermic. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that many patients are not compliant with the protocol after vasectomy. Provided patients have been adequately counselled, we think that one negative semen analysis at 3 months or one with RNMS at 2 months may be adequate to determine the success of vasectomy. This should reduce the number of semen analyses, including reducing the number of men who must undergo repeat testing, without sacrificing the accuracy of determining paternity. Simplifying the follow-up after vasectomy is important; not only would it be cost-effective but it may also improve patient compliance.

Jejunoileal bypass reversal: effect on renal function, metabolic parameters and stone formation.

PURPOSE: While the effect of jejunoileal bypass (JIB) reversal has been well studied regarding hepatic function, there is little information regarding the effect of reversal on renal function and even less data regarding the metabolic urinary stone environment. We evaluated the results of JIB reversal on renal function, the urinary stone milieu and the clinical development of recurrent calculi in affected patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1995 to 2003, 4 female patients with a mean age of 48.2 years underwent JIB reversal primarily for refractory stone disease. The clinical and metabolic courses prior to and following bypass reversal were reviewed specifically to evaluate renal function, serum and urinary metabolic stone profiles, and clinical stone formation. RESULTS: At initial presentation following JIB all 4 patients had significantly increased 24-hour urinary oxalate (range 80 to 160 mg, mean 112.5, normal less than 50) and significantly low 24-hour urinary citrate (range 5 to 62 mg, mean 21.5, normal greater than 320). Following reversal 24-hour urinary oxalate normalized to between 31 and 36 mg (mean 33.75). However, 24-hour urinary citrate continued to be low (range 215 to 248 mg, mean 226.5). After JIB reversal all 4 patients continued to have new stones until the commencement of urinary alkalization, following which only 1 had 1 calculus, which occurred 47 months after reversal. After JIB mean serum creatinine was 1.48 mg/dl (range 0.8 to 1.9) and mean urinary creatinine excretion was 0.91 mg per hour (range 0.69 to 1.15). After JIB reversal mean serum creatinine was 1.28 mg/dl (range 0.6 to 2.0) and mean urinary creatinine excretion was 1.0 mg per hour (range 0.85 to 1.10). CONCLUSIONS: JIB reversal normalizes 24-hour urinary oxalate. While urinary citrate improves, it continues to be low and such patients are at high risk for recurrent stone formation. However, in this setting appropriate replacement therapy has a significant and positive impact on that propensity.

A multivariate analysis of risk factors associated with subcapsular hematoma formation following electromagnetic shock wave lithotripsy.

PURPOSE: Subcapsular or perinephric hematoma is one of the most frequent and potentially serious complications of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). We determined the incidence of and risk factors for renal hematomas following electromagnetic shock wave lithotripsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 1999 and August 2003, 570 SWL treatments were performed using a Modulith SLX electromagnetic lithotriptor (Storz, St. Louis, Missouri). A total of 415 of these treatments in 317 patients were performed for stones in the renal pelvis or calices and these treatment episodes represent the study group reported. Treatment episodes were reviewed from a prospective institutional review board approved registry and analyzed for patient age, gender, body mass index, mean arterial pressure at induction, stone location, total number of shock waves and peak shock wave intensity. RESULTS: Following these 415 episodes subcapsular or perinephric hematomas developed in 17 patients for an overall incidence of 4.1%. The probability of hematoma after shock wave lithotripsy increased significantly as patient age at treatment increased, such that the probability of hematoma was estimated to be 1.67 times greater for each 10-year incremental increase in patient age. None of the other variables analyzed were significantly related to the incidence of hematoma formation at the 0.05 level. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of renal hematoma formation following electromagnetic SWL for renal calculus was 4.1%. The probability of hematoma increased significantly with increasing patient age but it was not associated with increasing mean arterial pressure at treatment. These findings are in contrast to previous reports of hematoma associated with electrohydraulic SWL. These differences may be a consequence of the smaller focal zone and higher peak pressure associated with Storz Modulith electromagnetic SWL and, just as importantly, a consequence of the difference in the manner in which blood pressure was defined.