Nocturia in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia: evaluating the significance of ageing, co-morbid illnesses, lifestyle and medical therapy in treatment outcome in real life practice.

AIM: The aim of study was to evaluate the influence of ageing, lifestyle, and co morbid illnesses on treatment outcome of nocturia among men with BPH. METHODS: Patients with BPH on medical therapy of least 6 months and up to 48 months were interviewed. Nocturia episodes, co morbid illnesses, beverage intake frequency, medications and work history were documented. Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), prostate volume, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) were recorded. Treatment failure is defined as persistent nocturia despite on medical therapy for BPH. RESULTS: In 156 patients, the prevalence of nocturia was 96.7% while nocturia of 2 or more was 85.9%. Factors associated with treatment failure was older age (p < 0.01), usage of diuretics (p = 0.03), and antimuscarinics (p < 0.01), while active working status (p < 0.01), use of desmopression (p = 0.01), and increased coffee intake (p = 0.02) were associated with nocturia improvement. Co-morbid illnesses, obesity, WC, alcohol intake, PSA, prostate volume, and use of BPH medical therapy did not influence treatment outcome. CONCLUSION: Advancing age has a significance negative outcome on nocturia treatment, while standard BPH medical therapy and co morbid illnesses have an insignificant impact. However, alleviation of bothersome symptoms is possible with the understanding of its patho-physiology and individual-based approach to treatment and expected outcome.

Imaging modalities for an uncommon inguinal scrotal pathology: A case report and literature review.

Inguinal scrotal swelling is a common presentation to surgical clinic with various differential diagnoses. In most circumstances, a good clinical assessment is sufficient to identify the diagnosis. Imaging is necessary when diagnostic difficulty was encountered. The choice of imaging study could affect the management and outcome. A 60-year-old male presented with an enlarging right inguinal scrotal swelling for 5 years. Clinical examination showed a swelling extended from the right inguinal region down to the right scrotum, firm, not reducible, and not separable from the right testis. Differential diagnoses range from the malignant testicular tumor, irreducible inguinal hernia to the soft-tissue tumor. Ultrasonography and computed tomography scan were unable to conclude the origin of the tumor and involvement of the right testis. Inguinal exploration with potential radical orchiectomy was planned and caused much distress to the patient, resulted in delay in surgery. Intraoperatively, the mass was separated from the testis and spermatic cord, and thus, excision biopsy was performed sparing the testis and spermatic cord. Histopathological examination showed cellular angiofibroma. The right choice of imaging modality is important to provide a precise diagnosis and better treatment plan. This could avoid the unnecessary distress to the patient for potential organ lost. A review through the literature showed the ability of magnetic resonance imaging to better delineate the anatomy of inguinal scrotal soft-tissue mass and thus should have been the imaging modality of choice.

Stratifying patients with haematuria into high or low risk groups for bladder cancer: a novel clinical scoring system.

Haematuria is a common presentation of bladder cancer and requires a full urologic evaluation. This study aimed to develop a scoring system capable of stratifying patients with haematuria into high or low risk groups for having bladder cancer to help clinicians decide which patients need more urgent assessment. This cross- sectional study included all adult patients referred for haematuria and subsequently undergoing full urological evaluation in the years 2001 to 2011. Risk factors with strong association with bladder cancer in the study population were used to design the scoring system. Accuracy was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. A total of 325 patients with haematuria were included, out of which 70 (21.5%) were diagnosed to have bladder cancer. Significant risk factors associated with bladder cancer were male gender, a history of cigarette smoking and the presence of gross haematuria. A scoring system using 4 clinical parameters as variables was created. The scores ranged between 6 to 14, and a score of 10 and above indicated high risk for having bladder cancer. It was found to have good accuracy with an area under the ROC curve of 80.4%, while the sensitivity and specificity were 90.0% and 55.7%, respectively. The scoring system designed in this study has the potential to help clinicians stratify patients who present with haematuria into high or low risk for having bladder cancer. This will enable high-risk patients to undergo urologic assessment earlier.

Outcomes and Safety of Retrograde Intra-Renal Surgery for Renal Stones Less Than 2 cm in Size.

BACKGROUND: Retrograde intra-renal surgery (RIRS) has been used to remove stones of less than 2 cm in the kidney. However, its role is not well defined. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes and safety of RIRS, used either as a primary or secondary procedure, and to analyze factors predicting the stonefree rate (SFR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on data from patients who underwent RIRS over a 10-year period (2002-2012). Stone size was measured as the surface area and was calculated according to the EAU guidelines. In cases of multiple stones, the total stone burden was calculated as the sum of each stone size. Stone burden was then classified as ≤ 80 mm(2) or > 80 mm(2). RIRS was classified as primary procedure or secondary procedure (after failed extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy or percutaneous nephrolithotripsy).Stone clearance was defined as a complete absence of stones or stones < 4 mm, which were deemed insignificant on ultrasonography and plain radiography. RESULTS: The overall SFR for renal stones treated with RIRS in our center was 55.4%, and the complication rate was 1.5%, which consisted of one case of sepsis. The only factor affecting SFR in this study was the indication for RIRS. When performed as a primary operation, RIRS showed a significantly better SFR (64.3%). The SFR for lower pole stones was only 44.4%. There were no statistically significant effects of stone burden, radio-opacity, or combination with ureteral stones on SFR. CONCLUSIONS: RIRS should be used as the primary treatment for renal stones whenever possible.

Male sexual dysfunction in Asia.

Sex has always been a taboo subject in Asian society. However, over the past few years, awareness in the field of men's sexual health has improved, and interest in sexual health research has recently increased. The epidemiology and prevalence of erectile dysfunction, hypogonadism and premature ejaculation in Asia are similar in the West. However, several issues are specific to Asian males, including culture and beliefs, awareness, compliance and the availability of traditional/complementary medicine. In Asia, sexual medicine is still in its infancy, and a concerted effort from the government, relevant societies, physicians and the media is required to propel sexual medicine to the forefront of health care.

Spontaneous bladder perforation: a rare complication of tuberculosis.

Spontaneous bladder perforation secondary to tuberculosis (TB) is very rare. Only three cases have been reported so far in the literature. Due to its rarity, the diagnosis of spontaneous bladder perforation is often missed. Confirmation of TB via culture takes a long time and starting empirical treatment for TB is necessary. We relate our experience with a young woman who presented with clinical features of a perforated appendix and was only diagnosed with bladder perforation during laparotomy. She also had distal right ureteral stricture and left infundibular stenosis. The provisional diagnosis of TB was attained via typical histopathological features and a positive Mantoux test. She was started empirically on anti-TB treatment and recovered without any complications. Urine culture after 6 weeks confirmed the diagnosis of TB.

Clinical characteristics of renal cancer in Malaysia : a ten year review.

Renal cancer is rare and its incidence is 1.9 per 100,000 in the Malaysian population, which consists of three major ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese and Indians). A retrospective study was her conducted to identify clinical characteristics and ethnic background influences on presentation. The study included all renal cancer patients from a single medical institution over ten years, with a total of 75 cases. Seventy-three patients underwent surgery while 2 received only radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The male to female ratio was 2.75:1. Incidence was equal among the Malay (49.3%) and Chinese ethnic groups (45.3%). Mean age of patients were 57.1 (18-93) years old. There were 26 (37.4%) patients with Stage I disease, 14 (18.7%) at Stage II, 23 (30.7%) at Stage III and 12 (16%) at Stage IV. The Chinese race presented at mean older age (p= 0.02) and later stage of disease (p= 0.046). Patients above 40 years old had more advanced stage disease (p= 0.023). Tumour histology were clear cell (72%), urothelial cell (13.3%), sarcomatoid cell and nephroblastoma each contributed 2.7%. The mean tumour size was 8.1 (2-20) cm. There was substantial agreement between the pre and post operative staging (kappa 0.691). In conclusion we observed significant influences of age and race in the clinical presentation of renal cancer in our institution based population. There was larger male to female ratio and mean tumour size as compared to previous epidemiology studies.

Seven-year review of prostate carcinomas diagnosed by TRUS biopsy in a single Malaysian institution.

INTRODUCTION: Analysis of epidemiological as well as survival differences among the multiethnic population of Malaysia with prostate cancer is important. METHODS: Patients confirmed by transrectal-ultrasonographic-guided-biopsy performed from 2002 to 2008 were enrolled and analysed according to ethnicity, age, PSA level, Gleason score, stage of disease and survival. RESULTS: Among 83 patients, there were 38 Malay, 40 Chinese, 3 Indians and 2 others. Median age at diagnosis was 69.9 (range: 59-93), 43 patients (51.8%) being diagnosed before the age of 70. The median PSA level upon diagnosis was 574 ng/ml (range: 1-8632) and the median Gleason score was 7 (range: 2-10). Over half were already in Stage 4 when diagnosed. The most common site of metastasis was the bone. As a result the commonest prescribed treatment was hormonal manipulation. Five patients underwent radical prostatectomy and a further thirteen patients had radical radiotherapy (stage I: 1 patient, stage II: 7 patients and stage III: 5 patients). Ten patients defaulted follow-up. The median disease-specific survival was 21.9 months (range: 1-53). CONCLUSIONS: Prostatic carcinoma is a disease of the elderly and it is frequently diagnosed late in Malaysia. Greater efforts should be made to educate Malaysians regarding prostate cancer.

Clinicopathological features of bladder tumours in a single institution in Malaysia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinicopathological features of bladder tumours encountered over a five year period in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. METHODS: Medical records of bladder tumour cases from 2005 till 2009 were retrospectively reviewed and tabulated. RESULTS: A total of 83 cases were recorded. The incidence was highest among the Chinese (56.6%), followed by Malays (34.9%), Indians (6%) and other races (2.4%). The male-to-female ratio was 9.4:1. The median age was 65 years (range 30-91 years) and median duration of follow up was 17.2 months (range 2-60 months). The main histopathology was transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) (90.4%), followed by adenocarcinoma (6%), squamous cell carcinoma (1.2%), leiomyoma (1.2%) and myeloid sarcoma (1.2%). For the TCCs, 58.6% were superficial while 41.4% were muscle invasive, and 13.3% had nodal metastasis with distant metastasis in 8%. Of the total, 5.3% were papillary urothelial tumours of low malignant potential, 33.3% pTa, 20% pT1, 10.7% pT2, 12.0% pT3 and 18.7% pT4. Of the superficial tumours, 32.5% were high grade tumours. There were ten radical cystectomies performed for transitional cell carcinomas; two had neobladder reconstruction whereas the other eight had ileal conduits. All the adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas were treated by radiotherapy due to the advanced stage of the disease while the myeloid sarcoma received chemotherapy. Mean survival of patients with muscle invasive cancer was 33+/-5 months. By the end of the study, 18.1% of patients had died of their cancer. CONCLUSION: The incidence of bladder tumours is highest among the Chinese. When compared to other studies, the incidence of muscle invasive and high-grade superficial tumours was greater.

Encrusted and incarcerated urinary bladder catheter: what are the options?

Urinary bladder catheter encrustations are known complications of long-term urinary catheterisation, which is commonly seen in clinical practice. These encrustations can impede deflation of the balloon and therefore cause problems in the removal of the catheter. The options in managing an encrusted and incarcerated urinary bladder catheter include extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and lithoclast. We describe here another technique of dealing with a stuck and encrustated catheter, via direct crushing of the encrustations with a rigid cystoscope inserted through a suprapubic cystostomy tract.