A new promising approach to urodynamic stress urinary incontinence care can help menopausal women.

Introduction: The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of single-incision mini-sling in the surgical treatment of postmenopausal urodynamic stress urinary incontinence (SUI) compared to the standard trans-obturator mid-urethral sling. Material and methods: This prospective study was carried out in two tertiary centres; Al-Azhar University Maternity & Urology Hospitals. A total of 120 postmenopausal women with urodynamic SUI were randomized to undergo either single-incision mini-sling (n = 60) or standard trans-obturator mid-urethral sling procedure (n = 60) from May 2019 until Oct 2021. Main outcome measures: efficacy was evaluated utilizing objective cure rate (cough stress test) and subjective cure rate (Sandvik incontinence severity index and International Consultations on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form), intraoperative and postoperative complications, and postoperative pain (using a visual analogue scale). Results: The single-incision mini-sling (SIMS) and transobturator tape (TOT) groups had no statistically significant difference in subjective and objective cure rates (p > 0.05). Compared with the transvaginal tape O group, patients in the SIMS group had significantly less postoperative pain, shorter operative duration, and less intraoperative blood loss (all p-values < 0.05). No significant difference in perioperative complications was observed between both groups. Conclusions: Single-incision mini-sling was superior to TOT in postmenopausal as SIMS is of similar effectiveness, more safe and minimally invasive with earlier ambulance.

Exploring the potential of combined B-mode features and color Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of ureteric stone as an alternative to ionizing radiation exposure by computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic efficacy of integrating B-mode and color Doppler capabilities of ultrasound (US) to establish a robust standalone diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of ureteric stones as an alternative to non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (NCCT). METHODS: A total of 140 consecutive patients diagnosed with ureteric stones using NCCT were enrolled. On the same day, US in both B-mode and Color Doppler was performed by an experienced radiologist who was blinded to the NCCT scan results. The diagnostic rate of US for stone detection was recorded. Additionally, baseline patient and stone characteristics were analyzed for their association with the accuracy of stone detection using US. RESULTS: US exhibited a high sensitivity of 91.43%, detecting 128 out of 140 stone foci. Notably, ureteric stones in the proximal and uretero-vesical junction (UVJ) segments were readily identifiable compared to those in the pelvic region (p = 0.0003). Additionally, hydronephrosis enhanced the US's ability to detect stones (p < 0.0001). Conversely, abdominal gases and obesity adversely affected US capabilities (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.009, respectively). Stone side, size, and density showed no statistically significant impact (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: US with its color Doppler capabilities could serve as a reliable and safe alternative imaging modality in the diagnostic work up of patients with ureterolithiasis. Factors including stone location, Hydronephrosis, weight and abdominal gases significantly influenced its accuracy.

Comparative study between thulium laser and cold knife visual urethrotomy for treatment of short bulbomembranous urethral stricture.

INTRODUCTION: The classical way to treat urethral stricture is the direct vision cold knife internal urethrotomy (DVIU). Along with advances in laser technology, laser urethrotomy is widely used, such as neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, argon, potassium titanyl phosphate, and thulium laser. We aimed to compare thulium laser urethrotomy (TLU) and cold knife visual urethrotomy (CKVU) in terms of short bulbomembranous urethral stricture management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective interventional study was conducted for 24 months, from January 2018 to January 2020, on 60 patients with primary short bulbo-membranous urethral stricture who came to the Department of Urology of Al-Azhar University Hospital, New Damietta, Egypt. We divided these patients into 2 age-matched groups; 30 patients treated with CKVU and 30 patients with TLU. RESULTS: Regarding efficacy, postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) was reduced significantly in both groups (P < .001) after 6 months of follow-up; however, the reduction in TLU was greater than CKVU (P = .008). The improvement of Qmax after 6 months was significant and comparable in both groups. Regarding the quality of life, both groups showed a significant (<0.05) improvement in international prostate symptom score (IPSS) and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ) scale, without no significant difference between both groups (>0.05). TLU showed a significantly (P = .038) shorter operative duration (24 ± 4.17 min) than CKVU duration (33 ± 4.86 min). Compared with CKVU, TLU was associated with less blood loss during surgery (P = .001), lower recurrence rate (46.7% vs. 19.97%, respectively), and lower frequencies of urethral dilatation (P = .001). CONCLUSION: TLU is an effective and safe therapy for managing bulbomembranous urethral strictures, with a relatively low recurrence rate. Further investigations of other techniques are recommended to look for the most appropriate procedure to combat the urethral stricture problem.