Correlation between bladder wall thickness and uroflowmetry in West African patients with benign prostatic enlargement.

Background: Pressure flow urodynamic study remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of bladder outlet obstruction; however, their use is limited by their relative unavailability in our environment, cost, and invasiveness. Measurement of bladder wall thickness (BWT) by transabdominal ultrasonography is a promising tool that can be used to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction in our environment where pressure-flow urodynamic study is not readily available. Objective: The study aimed to correlate BWT with uroflowmetry and to establish a BWT cut-off in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic enlargement. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective one-year study of patients with LUTS due to benign prostatic enlargement. The patients were divided into obstructed and non-obstructed groups with Q- max of 10 ml/s serving as the cut-off value. Receiver Operator Curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the performance of BWT in diagnosing BOO. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean BWT and Q-max were 4.53 ± 2.70 mm and 15.06 ± 9.43 ml/s. There was a negative correlation between BWT and Q-max (r = -0.452, P = 0.000), Q-average (r = -0.336, P = 0.000), and voided volume (r = -0.228, P = 0.046). A BWT cut-off of 5.85 mm was found to be the best threshold to differentiate obstructed from non-obstructed patients with a sensitivity and specificity of 70 and 88.2 percent respectively. Conclusion: Bladder wall thickness showed an inverse relationship with maximum flow rate with high sensitivity and specificity. This non-invasive test can be used as a screening tool for BOO in our setting, where the pressure flow urodynamic study is not readily available.

Urologic Day Case Surgery at a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital: A 5-Year Experience.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, the practice of day case surgery (DCS) is an attractive and appealing one with widespread acceptability because of numerous benefits. AIM: This study aimed at presenting our experience with urologic DCS in a tertiary healthcare center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 5-year review of all day-case urologic surgeries at our tertiary healthcare center was carried out. Data on patients' biodata including age and sex, diagnoses, indications and procedures performed, types of anesthesia, complications, admission and re-admission history were obtained from theatre records and patients' case notes. Data were analyzed using PASW Statistics version 18.0 and results presented in table and charts. RESULTS: A total number of 1277 of the 1825 urologic surgeries which took place during the study period were performed as day cases giving a proportion of 67.8%. The age range was 11 days to 94 years. The most commonly performed DCS are prostate biopsy, cystoscopy and varicocelectomy in 368 (28.8%), 165 (12.9%) and 163 (12.8%) patients respectively. Local anesthesia with or without sedation was the most commonly used in 981 (76.8%) cases. Twenty-four (1.9%) patients required unplanned admission for complications, 18 (1.4%), delayed completion of surgery, 4 (0.3%) and delayed recovery from anesthesia, 2 (0.16%). Three (0.2%) of these patients were re-admitted for management of sepsis following prostate biopsy. CONCLUSION: This study like numerous others demonstrated the feasibility, effectiveness and safety of DCS. To meet up with the global trends in DCS in Nigeria, there is need for investment in infrastructure and adoption of minimally invasive techniques to allow incorporation of more complex cases in the range of procedures offered as DCS.

Cancellation of elective surgical cases in a nigerian teaching hospital: Frequency and reasons.

BACKGROUND: Dwindling economic resources and reduced manpower in the health sector require efficient use of the available resources. Day of surgery cancellation has far reaching consequences on the patients and the theatre staff involved. Full use of the theatre space should be pursued by every theatre user. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to report on the rates and causes of day of surgery cancellation of elective surgical cases in our hospital as a means towards proffering solutions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a retrospective study of all elective cases that were booked over a 15-month period from January 2016 to March 2017. Cancellation was said to have occurred when the planned surgery did not take place on the proposed day of surgery. Cancellations were categorized into patient-related, surgeon-related, hospital-related and anesthetist-related. Reasons for the cancellations were documented. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program, version 22. Variables were compared using Chi-square tests. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: During the 15-month period, a total of 1296 elective surgeries were booked. Of this, 118 (9.1%) cases were cancelled. Patient-related factor was the most common reason (47.5%) followed by surgeon-related factor (28%). Lack of funds was the most common patient related-reason for cancellation. Majority of the cancelled cases were general surgical cases (36.4%) followed by orthopedics (25.4%) and urology (11%). Seventy percent of the cancelled cases were first and second on the elective list. CONCLUSION: The cancellation rate in this study is high. The reasons for these cancellations are preventable. To ensure effective use of the theatre, efforts should be made to tackle these reasons.

Two-stage flap repair of severe hypospadias: Usefulness of the tubularized incised plate urethroplasty.

PURPOSE: The use of flaps in the two-stage repair of posterior hypospadias associated with severe chordee has been well established. Despite the almost certain guarantee of flap take, complications such as diverticuli are still relatively high. While different applications of the tubularized incised plate have been described, experience with the application of the technique to the two-stage flap repair is very limited. A previous local review of 15 cases performed at the present institution during the period 1998-2003, using the technique as described by Rekit, revealed fistulae and diverticulum rates of 20% and 27%, respectively. With the primary objective of improving surgical outcome, the midline incision was incorporated into the two-stage flap repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2004 and 2015, 35 boys (aged 2-15 years) with severe hypospadias that required excision of the urethral plate were operated using the two-stage flap technique. The first stage involved mobilization of preputeal or dorsal penile skin (if circumcised) to the ventral surface, as described by Retik. After a minimum interval of 6 months, the second-stage operation was performed in a way similar to the technique of tubularized incised plate urethroplasty, as popularized by Snodgrass, and involved a preliminary midline incision on the neo-urethral plate followed by tubularization and multilayered closure. RESULTS: All but one flap took successfully. The outcome was satisfactory in 80% of patients, and there was a fistula rate of 14% ( Summary Table). One patient had a complete breakdown of the flap and was successfully treated about 12 months later by repeating the second stage of the operation. No case of diverticulum or stricture was recorded. DISCUSSION: Even though there was a marginal improvement in the fistula rate, the most striking observation was the complete absence of diverticulum or stricture. With a reported incidence rate of 20-63%, different authors have reported diverticulum formation (despite the absence of distal obstruction) to be a major problem of the two-stage flap technique. Attempts by these authors at reducing the risk of diverticulum by reducing flap size have tended to increase the risk of strictures. This has been the main reason given by some authors for abandoning the technique. The main limitations of the present study included the wide age range of the patients and the small sample size. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of a midline incision in a two-stage flap urethroplasty for proximal hypospadias appears to prevent the development of diverticulum.

Role of tolterodine in the management of postoperative catheter-related bladder discomfort: Findings in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Patient discomfort secondary to an indwelling urethral catheter in the post operative period can be very distressing. These symptoms resemble the overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome. Muscarinic receptor blockers have been successful in the management of OAB. However, information on the use of these drugs in the management of the postoperative catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) in sub-Saharan Africa is still relatively sparse. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of preoperative oral tolterodine in the management of CRBD in surgical patients in the immediate postoperative period. METHODS: This was a double-blind placebo-controlled study consisting of 56 patients in each arm who underwent general anesthesia. Each patient was given oral tolterodine or placebo 1 hour before the induction of anesthesia. The patient was later assessed at the recovery room at intervals after recovery from anesthesia. The presence of CRBD was noted and graded. RESULTS: The overall incidence of CRBD in both the tolterodine group and the control were 85.7% and 91.1%, respectively. Overall, tolterodine prophylaxis (TP) was associated with an absolute risk reduction (ARR) of 5.4%, relative risk reduction (RRR) of 5.8%, and a number needed to treat (NNT) of 19. The incidence of moderate-to-severe CRBD in the tolterodine and control groups were 10.7% and 78%, respectively, with an ARR of 74.5% with TP. CONCLUSION: TP does not significantly reduce the incidence of CRBD in the immediate postoperative period but appears to be efficient in the reduction of the severity of postoperative CRBD.

A COMPARISON OF THE OBJECTIVE STRUCTURED CLINICAL EXAMINATION AND THE TRADITIONAL ORAL CLINICAL EXAMINATION IN A NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of clinical skills is essential in medical education. Ideally marks should be based on the student's competence alone. The limitations of the traditional long case examinations such as the patient and examiner variability are well known. The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was designed to overcome these limitations. Studies comparing the OSCE and the traditional long case examination in the same group of students are very sparse. AIM: To compare the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and the traditional long case examination by determining their correlations with other forms of assessment in undergraduate surgery. SETTING: This study was carried out at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: The results of 612 undergraduate students in our medical school of the University of Lagos, Nigeria over a period of 4 years (2012-2015) were analysed. The scores in the long case examination , objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) , multiple choice questions and Essays were analysed and compared using the Pearson's Correlation co-efficient. SPSS version 17 software was used and a P-value < 0.01 was regarded as statistically significant. RESULTS: Overall, there was a statistical significant positive correlation among most forms of assessment. The OSCE and the long case examination had a correlation of 0.374. Compared with the long case examination, the OSCE had a higher correlation with all other forms of assessment. The total clinical score (the sum of all long case examination and OSCE) however performed better than the OSCE or the long case examination alone as it had the highest correlation with all other forms of assessment. CONCLUSION: The OSCE has been shown to be better than the long case examination as an indicator of the student overall knowledge of surgery as it had a superior correlation with other forms of assessments. The total clinical score was however the best indicator of the student overall knowledge in Surgery as it had the best correlation with other forms of assessment. We recommend and encourage institutions that presently combine the OSCE and the long case examination to carry out similar analysis such as ours to determine the desirability of combining LCE and OSCE rather than outright replacement of LCE with OSCE.

An evaluation of usefulness of prostate specific antigen and digital rectal examination in the diagnosis of prostate cancer in an unscreened population:experience in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE) in the diagnosis of cancer of the prostate (CaP) amongst unscreened patients. PATIENTS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study 168 unscreened men who were referred for evaluation for CaP. They all had a 10-core extended transrectal prostatic needle biopsy using size 16 Tru Cut needle for either an elevated serum total PSA of > 4 ng/ml or abnormal DRE findings or both. Overall cancer detection rate was determined and detection rates were determined separately for patients with elevated PSA with normal DRE, abnormal DRE with normal PSA and those with both indications. The performances of each indication were determined separately and in combination in terms of their sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and accuracy. The results were compared amongst patients with different indications for biopsy. RESULTS: The overall cancer detection rate was 44.0%. Detection rates in patients with elevated PSA with normal DRE and abnormal DRE with normal PSA were 30.0% and 17.4% respectively. There was statistically significant increased detection of 61.2% amongst patients with both indications. The overall sensitivities of PSA, DRE and combination of both were 94.6%, 75.7% and 70.3% respectively while the specificities were 20.2%, 44.7% and 64.9% respectively. The accuracies of PSA, DRE and combination of both indications were 53%, 58% and 67.3% respectively while the PPVs were 48.3%, 51.9% and 61.2% respectively. Mean Gleason score was 6.82 while the overall complication rate was 23.2% CONCLUSION: Neither PSA nor DRE is sensitive, specific, predictive or accurate enough on its own to be an ideal screening or diagnostic test for CaP. Therefore, optimal evaluation of patients with suspected CaP is best achieved with both even in unscreened populations.

ATTITUDES AND ACCEPTANCE OF NIGERIANS TOWARDS VASECTOMY--A COMPARISON OF MARRIED MEN AND WOMEN IN LAGOS.

BACKGROUND: Nigeria with a growth rate of 28%, accounts for over two thirds of the West African population. It also has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with contraceptive prevalence among married couples less than 10%. Despite its safety and efficacy vasectomy appears to be unpopular in our environment. OBJECTIVE: To assess the perception and acceptance of married men and women towards vasectomy and the influence of the spouse on the man's decision to accept or reject vasectomy. DESIGN: A cross sectional questionnaire based study. SETTING: With an estimated population of 20 million, Lagos is the most cosmopolitan and urbanised city in Nigeria and accounts for 65% of all commercial activities in the country. Virtually all the tribes in Nigeria are represented in the city. SUBJECTS: Literate pregnant women recruited from the antenatal clinics and literate new fathers. All subjects were recruited from three health facilities in the Lagos metropolis. RESULTS: Twenty seven point five and twenty one percent of the men and women respectively had a good Knowledge of vasectomy while 49.1% and 19% of all men and women respectively with good knowledge would accept vasectomy (or agree for their spouses to have the procedure). Overall acceptance rates for men and women were 26 and 13.5% respectively while 92% of men who can opt for vasectomy will only do so if their spouses agree. Knowledge about vasectomy was the strongest single factor influencing the acceptance of vasectomy (p= 0.013) with stronger correlation among men than women (p=0.005 vrs p=.0.023). CONCLUSION: Knowledge and acceptance of vasectomy is significantly better in males than female Nigerians living in Lagos.

Detection of prostate cancer: comparison of cancer detection rates of sextant and extended ten-core biopsy protocols.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To compare the cancer detection rates of sextant and ten- core biopsy protocol amongst patients being evaluated for prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a prospective study involving 125 men with suspicion of prostate cancer. They all had an extended 10-core transrectal digitally-guided prostatic biopsy using Tru-Cut needle. Indications for biopsy were presence of one or more of the following: elevated Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), abnormal Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) findings and abnormal prostate scan. Sextant biopsies were collected first, followed by four lateral biopsies in all patients. Both groups of specimen were kept and analyzsed separately by the same pathologist. The cancer detection rates of sextant and extended (combination of sextant and lateral) 10-core biopsy protocols were determined and compared. Pearson's Chi square and McNemar tests at two degrees of freedom with level of significance set at 0.05 ( P <0.005) were used to determine the statistical significance. RESULTS: The overall cancer detection rate of 10-core prostate biopsy was 48.8%. Of all positive biopsies, the sextant biopsy protocol detected 52 cancers (85.2%) while the lateral biopsy protocol detected 58 cases (95.1%). Three (3) cancers were detected by the sextant protocol only while the lateral protocol detected nine (9) cancers where sextant technique was negative for malignancy. Ten-core extended protocol showed a statistically significant increase of 14.8% over the traditional sextant. (P=0.046). The overall complication rate of ten-core biopsy was 26.4% and the procedure was well tolerated in most patients. CONCLUSION: We conclude that a ten-core prostate biopsy protocol significantly improves cancer detection and should be considered as the optimum biopsy protocol.

Is extended biopsy protocol justified in all patients with suspected prostate cancer?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the significance of an extended 10-core transrectal biopsy protocol in different categories of patients with suspected prostate cancer using digital guidance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 125 men who were being evaluated for prostate cancer. They all had an extended 10-core digitally guided transrectal prostatic biopsy done for either an elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or an abnormal digital rectal examination finding or both. Sextant biopsy samples were collected first, followed by additional four lateral biopsies in all patients. Both groups of specimens were analyzed separately. The cancer detection rates of both sextant and extended 10-core biopsy protocols at different PSA levels and digital rectal examination (DRE) findings were determined and compared. The level of significance of difference in cancer detection was determined using Pearson's Chi square test with level of significance set at <0.05. RESULTS: The overall cancer detection by the extended technique was 61 (48.8%) cases while the sextant protocol detected cancer in 52 cases. The 10-core extended protocol yielded an increase in cancer detection rate of 14.8% but the improvement in detection rate was only statistically significant in the sub-set of patients with PSA between 4.1 and 10 ng/mL, with or without abnormality on DRE, with an overall increase detection rate of 33%.(P=0.04) CONCLUSION: Our study has shown that a 10-core prostate biopsy protocol significantly improves cancer detection in patients with suspected early cancer. It should therefore be the optimum biopsy protocol for patients with gray-zone PSA value, with or without abnormal DRE.

The value of percentage free prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the detection of prostate cancer among patients with intermediate levels of total PSA (4.0-10.0 ng/mL) in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the value of percentage free prostate-specific antigen (%fPSA) in the detection of prostate cancer among Nigerian men with an intermediate total PSA level (4-10 ng/mL), and to show if the optimum threshold for biopsy is different from Caucasian values when the widely used (six-core, digitally directed) prostate biopsy protocol in Nigerians is applied. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 105 patients aged >50 years, with a palpably benign prostate gland and intermediate levels of total PSA (4-10 ng/mL). These patients had a free PSA assay and a transrectal digitally directed six-core biopsy of the prostate. The %fPSA was calculated and the optimum threshold value for detecting prostate cancer was determined. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the patients was 64.4 (6.6) years and their mean (SD) total PSA level was 6.6 (1.7) ng/mL. Of these men 14 (13.3%) had cancer of the prostate detected by the prostate biopsy. The %fPSA level related directly to sensitivity values but inversely to the specificity and the positive predictive values. The best threshold of %fPSA for detecting cancer in these men was <40%, with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 93.4% and a positive predictive value of 70% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In evaluating Nigerian patients with a palpably benign prostate gland and within the intermediate total PSA range, when digitally directed biopsy protocol is adopted, a %fPSA threshold of <40% will detect significant percentage of those with prostate cancer, with a minimal number of unnecessary biopsies. This value differs from that reported in western studies in which transrectal ultrasonography-directed biopsy was used.

Carcinoma of the penis: experience from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Carcinoma of penis is rare in countries where neonatal mate circumcision is the tradition and in Nigeria it is a common practice amongst almost all the tribes. OBJECTIVE: This is to document the prevalence, age distribution, site and histologic types of penile carcinoma at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba over a 20 year period. METHODS: Cases of the penile carcinoma recorded in the surgical pathology register of the Department of Morbid Anatomy, the Cancer Registry and the Medical Records Department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital over a twenty year period were reviewed. Information extracted included the age, site of lesion, and histopathologic type. The histopathology slides were reexamined to confirm the diagnosis and to grade the lesion. The data was analyzed using simple statistical methods. RESULTS: There were 7 cases of carcinoma of the penis accounting for 1.9% of malignant lesions of the male genital tracts in LUTH, 3 (42.85%) of which were on the shaft of the penis. The ages of the patients ranged from 42-79 years with a mean of 52.2 years, majority (42.92) of the cases were inthe 5th decade. All the cases were well differentiated squamous cell carcinomas. CONCLUSION: Carcinoma of the penis is rare in Lagos, Nigeria. This may be attributed to the common practice of neonatal male circumcision in Nigeria.

Prostate diseases in Lagos, Nigeria: a histologic study with tPSA correlation.

OBJECTIVE: To present a 10year retrospective histologic study of prostate diseases in Lagos, Nigeria. The aim is to document the prevalence, histologic pattern, age distribution and PSA values of prostatic diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The materials consisted of slides, paraffin embedded tissue blocks, patients case files and histology request forms of all prostatic biopsies received at the Morbid Anatomy department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba, Lagos from 1999 to 2008. Each sample represents a different patient. RESULTS: Prostatic biopsies comprised 3.6 % of all biopsies in LUTH. BPH was the commonest prostatic lesion and accounted for 70.9% of all cases. The age range was 40 to 94 years with a mean of 67 years and a peak age group at 60-69 years. Stromoglandular pattern was the most common histological type of BPH accounting for 72.2 %( 393) of the cases. Malignant tumours constituted 28.9% of all prostatic biopsies. Most (93.7%) of these malignancies were seen in trucut biopsies. Adenocarcinoma accounted for 99.1% of the total 222 malignant tumours. It showed an age range of 40 to 98 years, a mean age of 66 years and peak prevalence in the 60-69 year age group. Gleason score nine was the most frequent (16.8%) in occurrence. Most adenocarcinomas were poorly differentiated (40%). Incidental carcinoma was seen in 4.2% of prostatectomy samples. High grade PIN was seen in 19.1% of adenocarcinoma cases. The most common inflammatory lesion was chronic non-specific prostatitis accounting for 76.4% of all inflammatory lesions. Malignant and benign lesions were accountable for PSA levels of 1 to 49.9ng/ml while values of 50ng/ml and above were seen exclusively in malignant lesions. CONCLUSION: Prostatic lesions constitute a significant source of morbidity among adult males in Lagos. Adenocarcinoma is the commonest histologic subtype of prostatic cancer and most are of poorly differentiated variety. Elevated levels of tPSA in Nigerian males may be as a result prostate cancer, BPH or BPH with prostatitis. PSA should in our opinion be used as a component of a strategy integrating multiple diagnostic approaches for prostate cancer screening and not to be used alone in our environment.

Gross haematuria among adult Nigerians: current trend.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine if there is any change in the common causes of gross haematuria among adults Nigerians and to determine what proportion of these aetiologies is due to urological malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive adults with presenting with gross haematuria seen in our centre were studied prospectively between February 2006 and January 2007. All patients had detailed clinical and diagnostic evaluation including urine cytology, flexible/rigid urethrocystoscopy, ultrasonography and intravenous urography to determine the causes of their haematuria. Other special investigations including CT scan and tissue biopsies were only used in selected patients as indicated. RESULTS: The cause of haematuria was determined in 74 patients (93.7%) while haematuria was of undetermined origin in 5 patients (6.3%). Fifteen different specific diagnoses were made as the causes of haematuria in this study. The three commonest individual causes of haematuria were benign prostatic hyperplasia (30.4%), bladder carcinoma (12.6 %) and carcinoma of the prostate (10.1%). Urological malignancies were diagnosed in 29.1 % of the patients. The Urological malignancies detected were bladder cancers (12.6 %), prostate cancers (10.1%), renal Cell Carcinoma (5.1%) and urethral Carcinoma (1.3%). The incidence of the cancers increased with age; 82.6% of the patients with malignancies were aged 50years and above while only 17.4% were below 50 years of age (P= 0.045). Urological malignancies were also more common in men (73.9 %) than in women (26.1 %) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that there is changing trend in the aetiologies of gross haematuria among adult Nigerian patients with urological malignancies being now more prevalent than previously reported in our environment.

Excision and end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty in the management of post-traumatic urethral stricture disease: experience and challenges in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The study aims to assess the outcome of excision and end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty in the management of post traumatic urethral stricture in at one of the teaching hospitals in Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All cases of post traumatic urethral stricture disease managed by excision and end to end anastomosis between January 2000 and December 2006 were retrospectively studied. The data collected included the patients age, cause of stricture, location, length and the outcome of surgery. RESULTS: A total of 47 patients excision and end to end anastomotic urethroplasty were carried out during the period. Twenty patients (42.6%) had bulbar stricture and 27 (57.4%) had pelvic fracture urethral distraction stricture involving the posterior urethra. There was a 100% success rate in the 20 patients with bulbar urethral stricture at a minimum follow up of 1 year while the success rate for the 27 patients with posterior urethral stricture was 70.4%. Complications included one case each of perineal wound infection and of urethrocutaneous fistula which were managed conservatively. CONCLUSION: Excision and end to end anastomotic urethroplasty gives excellent results for the treatment of short segment post traumatic bulbar strictures and should be used as the primary treatment for such strictures.

Genito-urinary system injuries in Lagos: pattern and general treatment outcome.

BACKGROUND: Genitourinary injuries (GUI) are relatively uncommon. Even though mortality from isolated injuries is rare, they are commonly associated with significant and life long morbidity. OBJECTIVE: This study is to assess the pattern of the injuries and the overall short term treatment outcome in our environment. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients diagnosed with genitourinary injuries seen by the Urology Unit through the Accident and Emergency, emergency referrals (or consultations) from the ward or theatre between June 2004 to February 2006 were included in the study. Information collected included demographic data, pattern of presentation, aetiology of injury, type of injury the type of treatment and the immediate outcome. RESULTS: There was a total of 61 injuries in 50 patients. Road traffic accidents was the commonest cause of GUI (58%) followed by straddle injuries (18%) and iatrogenic causes (12%) and miscellaneous (12%). The male- female ratio was 6:1. The urethral was also the most commonly injured organ (60.6%), followed by the kidney (11.5%). The testes were the least injured organs (1.6%). The blunt renal injuries and extraperitoneal bladder injuries were managed by non operative means while most other injuries were managed by surgical intervention. Immediate treatment outcome was satisfactory in most patients. There was one mortality. CONCLUSION: Most cases of GUI are preventable. Improved safety on the roads,'proper training of surgeons and attention to clinical and surgical details will go a long way in preventing GUI. Early intervention significantly reduces the morbidity and mortality.

Quality of documentation of urethral catheterization in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Urethral catheterization is a common minimally invasive procedure with well-known complications some of which may be severe. Quite often, a clinician is invited to manage the short and long-term complications of the procedure without adequate records of the procedure itself. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the quality of documentation of urethral catheterization in our health institution. METHODS: This prospective study was carried out over a period of 1 month. The documentations in the medical notes and nursing records with respect to urethral catheterisation were assessed using 10 different parameters with the aid of a pro-forma. Statistical analysis was done with the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. RESULTS: A total of 89 patients were catheterised in the wards, the emergency departments and the theatre. All the catheterizations were performed by doctors. The overall quality of documentation of catheterisation was poor: It was significantly worse in the medical notes than the nursing records with 28% of all cases documented by the nurses not documented by the physicians. Documentation in the theatre and emergency were worse, while there was no documentation of aseptic technique in any patient. An 11% incidence of complications was noted. CONCLUSION: The quality of record keeping concerning urethral catheterization was inadequate. This is important not only for patients' care, but also for medico-legal purposes. We therefore recommend regular audit and introduction of protocols for proper documentation.

Genito-urinary system injuries in Lagos: pattern and general treatment outcome

BACKGROUND: Genitourinary injuries (GUI) are relatively uncommon. Even though mortality from isolated injuries is rare; they are commonly associated with significant and life long morbidity. OBJECTIVE: This study is to assess the pattern of the injuries and the overall short term treatment outcome in our environment. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients diagnosed with genitourinary injuries seen by the Urology Unit through the Accident and Emergency; emergency referrals (or consultations) from the ward or theatre between June 2004 to February 2006 were included in the study. Information collected included demographic data; pattern of presentation; aetiology of injury; type of injury the type of treatment and the immediate outcome. RESULTS: There was a total of 61 injuries in 50 patients. Road traffic accidents was the commonest cause of GUI (58) followed by straddle injuries (18) and iatrogenic causes (12) and miscellaneous (12). The male- female ratio was 6:1. The urethral was also the most commonly injured organ (60.6); followed by the kidney (11.5). The testes were the least injured organs (1.6). The blunt renal injuries and extraperitoneal bladder injuries were managed by non operative means while most other injuries were managed by surgical intervention. Immediate treatment outcome was satisfactory in most patients. There was one mortality. CONCLUSION: Most cases of GUI are preventable. Improved safety on the roads;'proper training of surgeons and attention to clinical and surgical details will go a long way in preventing GUI. Early intervention significantly reduces the morbidity and mortality

The new pattern of urethral stricture disease in Lagos, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: The study is a follow up to two separate studies done in this centre 42 and 20 years ago on the changing pattern of urethral stricture disease(USD). It assesses the aetiology,the general pattern and treatment outcome in our centre. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is an 8 year review of all cases of USD managed at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital between January 1998 to December 2005. Diagnosis was confirmed mainly by urethrographic studies and occasionally by endoscopy. Data collected included age, sex, aetiology, site and length of stricture, treatment and outcome. RESULTS: Eighty four patients (83 males and 1 female) with USD were seen within the period with a mean age of 43.1 years. Trauma was responsible for 60 (72.3%) cases, with road traffic accident topping the list with 29 (34.9%), with iatrogenic trauma now accounting for 17 (20.5%) of all cases of USD. Indwelling urethral catheter was responsible for 13 (76.5%) of iatrogenic cases. Purulent Urethritis was responsible for 22 (26.5%) of cases. Fifty (60.2%) cases were located in the anterior urethral while twenty three (39.8%) were in the posterior. Fifty seven patients had urethroplasty with a recurrence of 14% and 8 patients had urethral dilatation with 50% 1 year recurrence. CONCLUSION: Trauma is now the undisputed leading cause of USD in our environment. The incidence of post catheterisation strictures has also risen rapidly. Increased safety on our roads, improvement in medical education and quality of urethral catheters are suggested by this study in order to reduce the incidence of USD.

Penile fasciocutaneous flap urethroplasty: recent experience and challenges in a sub-Saharan African teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate penile fasciocutaneous flap urethroplasty for complex anterior urethral strictures in circumcised West African men. METHODS: Between January 2002 and December 2006, 26 patients with anterior urethral strictures underwent penile fasciocutaneous flap urethroplasty (PFU), using a modification of the technique described by Quartey (Quartey JKM. J Urol. 1985;134:474-475). Of these patients, 21 had dorsal onlay patches and 5 had tubularize patches. Average follow-up was 19 months. RESULTS: There was a 100% immediate success rate with the dorsal onlay group. No recurrence was seen in all patients available for follow-up at 30 months. The tubularized flap had an immediate success of 80% but at 30 months it was only 40%. Troublesome postvoid dribbling was completely eliminated and complications were minor and few, which included 1 case of distal superficial dorsal penile skin loss, 1 case of urethrocutaneous fistula, and 2 cases of postvoid dribbling all of which were managed conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: PFU when used as a dorsal onlay gives excellent results at least in the immediate and intermediate periods in black West African population. A multiracial study to compare the effect of skin color on the short- and long-term outcome of PFU is also suggested.