Early Postoperative Complications of One-Stage Substitution Urethroplasty with Oral Mucosa Graft: A Monocentric Retrospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: We report early postoperative complications (PCs) (≤90 days) of one-stage oral mucosa graft (OMG) urethroplasty in treatment of acquired anterior urethral strictures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, we evaluated 530 males who underwent one-stage substitution urethroplasty (SU) between September 1996 and October 2020. Medical records were reviewed to identify and classify early PCs based on the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC). We subdivided the PCs into three groups with different kinds of complications which allowed us a more detailed analysis concerning general surgical complications (GSCs), donor site morbidity (DSM) and complications specific for free graft urethroplasty (CSUs). The influence of patient demographics, stricture characteristics and operative procedure on the occurrence of PCs was analysed. RESULTS: Early (90-day) PCs occurred in 90 (16.98%) patients, whereas only 19 patients (3.58%) experienced serious events (CDC grades III and IV). Early complications include 4.5% GSCs, 1.7% DSM and 10.8% CSUs. Only stricture length turned out to be an independent statistically significant risk factor for the occurrence of early PCs. There was a trend towards a higher rate of complications in patients with ASA III compared to ASA I. CONCLUSION: The incidence of severe early complications in patients undergoing one-stage SU with OMG is low.

Experience with One-Stage Repair of Urethral Strictures Using the Augmented Anastomotic Repair Technique.

INTRODUCTION: We report the results of augmented anastomotic repair (AAR) in the treatment of anterior urethral strictures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we evaluated 71 consecutive patients who had undergone AAR between June 2004 and June 2013. Medical records were reviewed to identify early postoperative complications based on the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC). Self-developed standardized questionnaires sent to the patients and referring urologists were used to collect data on late complications (>90) days. Stricture recurrence (SR) was defined as any postoperative endoscopic or open surgical intervention on the urethra. The influence of patient demographics, stricture characteristics, and operative procedure performed on the occurrence of SR was analyzed. RESULTS: Early postoperative complications were rare events (11.3%) with only one severe CDC complication. Late complications were reported in 46.5% cases. At a median follow-up of 17 months (range 3-114 months), however, 64 patients had no evidence of SR and required no further intervention, giving an overall success rate of 90.1%. Seven patients with SR had a higher body mass index, were older, and had been operated on by less experienced surgeon(s). Most SRs occurred within the first year after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: AAR was an effective and safe operative technique that allowed one-stage repair in our patients with anterior urethral strictures who needed resection of the scarred urethra and otherwise were not suitable for primary anastomosis or simple substitution urethroplasty.

Tumour characteristics, oncological and functional outcomes in patients aged ≥ 70 years undergoing radical prostatectomy.

UNLABELLED: Study Type - Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The marked increase in life expectancy in recent years calls for reconsideration of the decision-making process for the treatment of prostate cancer, a condition particularly affecting the elderly. To date the general approach in elderly patients has tended to be more conservative, not least as it is generally thought that prostate cancer in these patients is less biologically aggressive. The present data showed that patients aged ≥70 years had biologically more aggressive tumours significantly more often than those aged <70 years. Nevertheless, advanced age itself was not an independent predictor of survival after retropubic radical prostatectomy, whereas adverse prostate cancer features and severe comorbidities were. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of advanced age (≥70 years) on prostate cancer characteristics, oncological and functional outcomes in patients undergoing retropubic radical prostatectomy (RP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between June 1997 and September 2009, 1636 patients underwent RP at one institution. Of these patients, 1225 were aged < 70 years and 411 ≥70 years. Both groups were compared for prostate cancer characteristics, oncological and functional outcomes. Multivariate analyses were used to estimate the effect of advanced age on overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), biochemical recurrence-free survival (BFS) and postoperative continence. RESULTS: The median (range) age of the patients aged ≥ 70 years was 72 (70-85) years and for those aged < 70 years was 64 (40-69) years (P < 0.001), respectively. The patients aged ≥ 70 years were assigned higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classes (P < 0.001) reflecting a higher rate of severe comorbidities in this group. In the patients aged ≥ 70 years there were significantly more clinically palpable and pathologically non-organ-confined tumours (P= 0.030 and P= 0.026, respectively), and higher biopsy and RP Gleason scores (P= 0.002 and P= 0.004, respectively). Accordingly, patients aged ≥ 70 years presented with a higher proportion of high-risk prostate cancer, although the difference was not significant (P= 0.060). There were no differences between the groups for preoperative prostate-specific antigen level (P= 0.898), rate of pelvic lymph node dissection (P= 0.231), pN+ (P= 0.526) and R+ status (P= 0.590). Kaplan-Meier curves showed a significantly lower 10-year OS (67 vs 82%; P= 0.017) and a trend towards a lower 10-year CSS (70 vs 83%; P= 0.057) in patients aged ≥ 70 years. However, on multivariate analysis advanced age was not an independent predictor of OS (P= 0.102) or CSS (P= 0.195), whereas pN+ status (both P < 0.001), RP Gleason scores 8-10 (both P < 0.001) and ASA classes 3-4 (P= 0.037 and P= 0.028, respectively) were. The 2-year postoperative continence rates was comparable between the groups (International Continence Society [ICS] male incontinence symptom score 2.10 vs 2.01; P= 0.984). In multivariate analysis it depended only on the preoperative ICSmale incontinence symptom score (P < 0.001) but not on advanced age (P= 0.341). CONCLUSIONS: Patients aged ≥ 70 years had biologically more aggressive and locally advanced tumours significantly more often than those aged < 70 years. However, advanced age itself was not an independent predictor of survival after RP. Rather, survival was associated with adverse prostate cancer features and severe comorbidities. Consequently, it seems unjustifiable to generally exclude elderly patients from RP, not least because surgery achieved excellent postoperative continence in this age group, too.

[Case-based presentation of the S2k guideline for the surgical treatment of distal, middle and proximal hypospadias]. / Fallbasierte Vorstellung der S2k-Leitlinie zur operativen Behandlung der distalen, mittleren und proximalen Hypospadie.

Hypospadias is the most frequent genital variation in male newborns with an incidence of 1:200-300. The variation within this anomaly is very high, from isolated distal hypospadias to very complex penoscrotal cases with accompanying genital or nongenital anomalies, genetic anomalies or even disorders of sexual differentiation. In the literature one can find up to 250 different surgical techniques for hypospadias repair. The goal of the new S2k guideline on hypospadias (AWMF registry no. 006-026), developed by the German Association of Urology (DGU) and the German Association of Pediatric Surgery (DGKCH), was a certain standardisation of the preoperative diagnostic workup, the surgical management and the postoperative care of patients with distal, middle or proximal hypospadias. In this article, the most important facts of the guideline are presented using a fictional case of an infant with distal hypospadias. For further reading, we refer to the S2k guideline, which can be easily accessed by scanning the pictured QR code.