Comparison of the effects of Ho: YAG laser virtual Basket™ pulse modulation and Thulium fiber laser on kidney tissue - an ex vivo experimental study.

Through an ex vivo experimental study, we aimed to compare the effects of the Ho: YAG laser Virtual Basket (VB™) modulation and a Thulium fiber laser (TFL) on kidney tissue in different environments and using laser configurations. The 100 W Ho: YAG (Cyber Ho, Quanta System, Italy) and 60 W TFL (Fiber Dust, Quanta System, Italy) laser devices were used. The following laser settings were selected: power in the range of 10-60 W, frequency of 20-40 Hz, and energy of 0.5-1-1.5 J. A medium pulse duration of 600 µsec was used for VB™, while short (spdTFL; 50 µsec) and long (lpdTFL; 15,000 µsec) were used for TFL. The tissue's incision depth (ID), vaporization area (VA), coagulation area (CA), total laser area (TLA = VA + CA), surface section (SS), and lateral effect (LE) were measured. In total, 108 experiments were conducted. No statistically significant difference in mean VA, TLA, ID, LE, or SS was observed between VB™, spdTFL, and lpdTFL in the low-power output group in saline (p > 0.05). However, the mean CA was statistically significantly higher for VB™ (p = 0.005). In saline and high-power output group, the mean VA, CA, TLA, LE, and ID were higher when using lpdTFL than other pulse durations (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.006, and p = 0.001, respectively). Similar to lpdTFL, VB™ may provide controlled dissection and incision as well as haemostasis. At different laser settings, the individual effects of laser properties (such as pulse length, energy and frequency) on tissue may be more significant.

Effect of Ho:YAG laser on kidney tissue with Virtual Basket™ and Bubble Blast™ pulse modulation: an experimental ex vivo study.

PURPOSE: There is a lack of studies in the literature on effects of Virtual Basket™ (VB) and Bubble Blast™ (BB) laser pulse modulations of the Ho:YAG laser on tissue. We aimed to compare the effects of standard modulation (SM), VB, and BB pulse modulations of Ho:YAG laser on kidney tissue. METHODS: An ex vivo experiment was conducted using veal kidneys. The Quanta System Cyber Ho 100W laser generator with a broad setting spectrum at 15-80 W, 10-40 Hz, 1.5-2 J, and medium pulse duration were tested. Incision depth (ID), vaporization area (VA), coagulation area (CA), and total laser area (TLA = VA + CA) were evaluated. Histopathological measurement outcomes were grouped as a low-power group (15, 20, and 30 W) and a high-power group (40, 60, and 80 W) according to the power outputs used. RESULTS: A total of 108 experiments were performed. In saline and high-power output (40, 60, 80 W), mean VA, TLA, and ID, histopathological measurements were higher in BB pulse modulation than VB and SM pulse modulations (p: 0.03, p: 0.001, and p: 0.003, respectively). In contrast, mean CA and LE measurements were higher in SM than in VB and BB pulse modulations (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in mean histopathological measurements of VA, CA, TLA, and ID, among SM, VB, and BB pulse modulations in the low-power output group in saline (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: VB can allow controlled dissection, as it does not create a large VA during surgical procedures. BB should be used in a controlled manner in soft tissue surgery due to its strong effect on tissues.

Is day-case surgery feasible for laser endoscopic enucleation of the prostate? A systematic review.

PURPOSE: Laser endoscopic enucleation of the prostate (EEP) for benign prostatic obstruction has become increasingly prevalent worldwide. Considering the medical cost-savings and concomitantly fewer nosocomial infections, the feasibility of same-day postoperative discharge of patients who have undergone laser EEP in terms of its safety and effectiveness has become a subject matter of growing interest. We aimed to review those studies focussing on day-case surgery (DCS) in patients undergoing laser EEP. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted using PubMed-MEDLINE and Web of Science databases until October 2022 with the following search terms: "same day discharge AND laser enucleation of the prostate", "day-case AND laser enucleation of the prostate", "same day surgery AND laser enucleation of the prostate" and "one day surgery AND laser enucleation of the prostate" by combining PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) terms. We identified 15 eligible studies. RESULTS: While 14 of the studies focussed on holmium laser EEP, one focused on thulium laser vapoenucleation of the prostate. We observed an improvement in functional parameters in all studies we reviewed, and DCS success and readmission rates ranged between 35.3-100% and 0-17.8%, respectively. The complication rates varied between 0 and 36.7%, most of the complicatons were Clavien-Dindo (CD) I and II. CD ≥ III complications did not significantly differ between same day discharge (SDD) and non-SDD groups in the studies. CONCLUSION: Laser EEP is feasible and promising DCS treatment option delivering improved functional parameters compared to baseline values, and lower perioperative complication and readmission rates in certain patients.

Predicting risk of erectile dysfunction in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the risk factors for erectile dysfunction (ED). We aimed to predict the risk of ED in patients with NAFLD. The study included 146 male patients complaining impotence admitted to the urology outpatient clinic aged 24-80 years without a history of alcohol use who underwent abdominal ultrasonography between February 2018 and January 2019. 106 patients with NAFLD and 40 men without NAFLD were included in the study. Clinical and laboratory parameters, ED status according to International Index of Erectile Function-5 were compared between patients with and without NAFLD. The mean age of patients was 51.47 ± 10.34 years. NAFLD was detected in 72.6% of the patients. No statistically significant difference was found regarding mean age, BMI, IIEF-5 scores, DM status, serum glucose levels (p > .05). Fasting insulin levels, hypertension (HT), insulin resistance (IR) and ED status of the patients with NAFLD were significantly higher than patients without NAFLD (p < .05). NAFLD was found to be a significantly independent associated with ED. We also found that patients with NAFLD have risk of ED 2.92 times higher than without NAFLD (OR: 2.92). For the patients presenting with erectile dysfunction, hepatic steatosis should also be considered.

The effect of ureteral double J stent insertion on work performance in patients undergoing endoscopic stone treatment.

Introduction: Despite the developments in the material of the double J (DJ) stents and the production of thinner ones of desired sizes, patients continue to experience troublesome DJ stent-related symptoms in their lives. This study aimed to determine how DJ stenting affects patients' work performance after endoscopic stone surgery. Material and methods: A total of 107 patients underwent placement of a ureteral stent after ureterorenoscopy (URS)/retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), and only active and full-time working patients were included. All patients were asked to complete the validated Turkish version of the work performance score (WPS) questionnaire in the Ureteral Stent Symptom Questionnaire (USSQ) the day before stent removal and again one month after stent removal. Results: Of the participants, 32.7% (n = 35) were female and 67.3% (n = 72) were male; the mean age was 41 (19-80) years. The workday loss had no statistically significant correlation with patient BMI, stone size, or stent indwelling time (p >0.005); however, a statistically significant negative correlation was detected with patient age (r = -0.335, p <0.001). The medians of WPSs with the stent and without the stent were 6 (3-15) and 3 (3-12), respectively (p <0.001). Conclusions: Although DJ catheterization is a crucial tool for urological practice, it may increase the social and economic burden of patients due to reduced work performance and lost workdays. Therefore, limiting the duration of the DJ stent's stay and providing treatments to minimize patient symptoms will positively impact their professional lives. It would be beneficial to avoid DJ stenting in routine practice unless medically necessary.

Intraoperative workload of the surgeon in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: a systematic review.

In the present study, we aimed to systematically evaluate the current evidence regarding the intraoperative workload of surgeons performing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer. A systematic search was carried out in the PubMed-MEDLINE and Web of Science databases through April 2024 using the following search terms: "workload AND robot assisted radical prostatectomy", "workload AND robotic radical prostatectomy", "task load AND robotic radical prostatectomy", "task load AND robot assisted radical prostatectomy" and "NASA-TLX AND robot assisted radical prostatectomy" by combining population, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) terms, following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We therefore selected studies that included patients with prostate cancer (P) who underwent robotic radical prostatectomy (I) and reported a workload/task load questionnaire (C) to assess the intraoperative workload/task load of the surgeon performing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (O). A total of 11 studies were identified. The surgeon's workload during RARP was assessed using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration task load index (NASA-TLX) and/or the surgery task load index (SURG-TLX) in the studies. Total NASA-TLX scores of the studies ranged from 22.7 ± 3.2 to 62.0 ± 6.4. Mental and physical demands, flow interruptions, surgeon experience, the use of single or multiple ports, and the relationship between the surgeon and other staff in the operating theater may play a role in the intraoperative workload of the console surgeon. The studies we reviewed suggest that RARP offers an acceptable workload for the console surgeon despite its mental demands.

Could Testicular Tissue Be a New Arena for the Holmium Laser?

Introduction We aimed to observe the effects of holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) laser on testicular tissue. Methods An ex vivo experiment was conducted using calf testicles. A 100 W laser generator with broad-spectrum settings of 10-80 W, 20-40 Hz, and 0.5-2 J, with a medium pulse duration, was tested. The laser effects on testicular tissues with and without the tunica layer were evaluated histopathologically by calculating the incision depth (ID), vaporization area (VA), coagulation area (CA), and total laser area (TLA=VA+CA) of the specimens. Results A total of 48 experiments were conducted. In testicular tissue without a tunica layer, the highest mean ID was determined at 1 J-20 Hz (0.247±0.0208 mm) and with a tunica layer at 2 J-40 Hz (2.673±0.032 mm). In the testicular tissue without a tunica layer, the highest mean VA was determined at 1.5 J-40 Hz (0.029±0.0016 mm2) and in tissue with a tunica at 2 J-40 Hz (6.173±0.114 mm2). The highest mean TLA in tissue without a tunica was detected at 2 J-20 Hz (0.038±0.0008 mm2) and in tissue with a tunica at 2 J-40 Hz (7.292±0.07 mm2). The mean ID, VA, CA, and TLA values of all the power outputs used were found to be statistically significantly higher in the testicular tissue with the tunica layer than in that without it (p<0.001). Conclusion The Ho:YAG laser has different effects on testicular tissue with and without a tunica layer. In testicular tissue without a tunica, the laser's effect was minimal on the surrounding tissue, especially in terms of the ID, VA, and TLA. This minimal effect of the laser can be an advantage in testicular surgery procedures such as testis-sparing surgery (TSS) or testicular sperm extraction (TESE).

Expression of nectin-4 in prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Nectin-4 is a transmembrane protein belonging to the nectin family of immunoglobulin-like molecules which is found in the placenta and trachea under physiological conditions and its expression has been shown in many cancer types. We aimed to investigate for the 1st time nectin-4 expression in human prostate cancer tissues. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the prostate pathology specimens of 82 patients who underwent initial transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy or transurethral prostate resection and were found to have atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) and incidentally prostate cancer. Tissue samples with prostatic cancer were used as a control for alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR), and benign prostatic glands in the same tissue provided the negative control. The intensity and extent of nectin-4 expression were determined microscopically using the histochemical scoring system which was defined as the product of the staining intensity (score: 0-3) and percentage of stained cells (0-100) at a given intensity. RESULTS: We conducted immunohistochemical analysis of nectin-4 and AMACR expression in all 82 samples. While AMACR expression was positive in prostate cancer tissues with a GS of <7 (n=24, 100%), 7 (n=18, 100%), and ≥8 (n=15, 100%), it was negative in all ASAP samples (n=25, 100%) (p<0.001). Nectin-4 expression was not detected in any of the GS <7, GS 7, or GS ≥8 samples but was found in benign prostatic gland tissues and all 25 (100%) ASAP samples (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: We found that nectin-4 was not expressed in prostate cancer tissues but was expressed in ASAP-and benign prostate gland containing tissues. We believe that prospective studies with more patients and samples including radical prostatectomy materials will reveal the relationship between nectin-4 and prostate cancer more clearly.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Renal Resistive Index in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of renal resistive index (RRI)-based data on the effects of COVID-19 in transplant patients. We aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the RRI of renal transplant recipients and to review the outcomes of patients who underwent renal transplantation (RT) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The data of 90 recipients were retrospectively reviewed. The age, sex, body mass index, dialysis time before transplantation, history of COVID-19, postoperative serum creatinine levels (1, 6, and 12 months), and complications of the recipients were recorded. The before and after COVID-19 RRI values of 13 recipients at 1 week after transplant and 3 months after COVID-19 were compared. The outcomes and complications of recipients who underwent RT before the COVID-19 pandemic (group 1, n = 47) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (group 2, n = 43) were also compared. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in terms of the median RRI values of 13 recipients before and after COVID-19 (0.6 [0.53-0.76] vs 0.7 [0.62-0.9], respectively [P = .032]). At the 12-month follow-up, the serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate levels were found to be statistically significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (P = .001 and P = .004, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between group 1 and group 2 regarding complication rates (53.2% vs 60.5%, respectively; P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: We found that COVID-19 affected RRI values in RT recipients. Our findings show that the outcomes of kidney transplants performed during the COVID-19 pandemic were no worse than those of transplants performed before the pandemic.