Twice-daily proton pump inhibitor therapy does not decrease the frequency of reflux episodes during nocturnal recumbency in patients with refractory GERD: analysis of 200 patients using multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH testing.

Over half of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) report nocturnal symptoms. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the main medications used to treat GERD. Multichannel intraluminal impedance with pH (MII-pH) monitoring is the most sensitive method for detection and characterization of GERD. The aim of this study was to assess and compare reflux frequency in patients with refractory GERD symptoms on and off PPI therapy during the nocturnal recumbent period, as assessed by MII-pH testing. We analyzed 24-hour MII-pH studies performed in 200 patients monitored either on twice-daily (n = 100) or off (n = 100) PPI therapy. Demographic analysis of the on-therapy group revealed a mean age of 52 years (24-78 years) with 37% males, and the off-therapy group revealed a mean age of 49 years (18-84 years) with 40% males. All studies were interpreted to assess and characterize the number of acid and nonacid reflux episodes in the nocturnal recumbent period identified by each patient on an overnight recorder (Zephyr, Sandhill Scientific, Inc., Highlands Ranch, CO, USA). The nocturnal recumbent period was the period documented by patients during which they lie in the recumbent period at night to sleep with average periods lasting 456 and 453 minutes for patients on and off PPI therapy. There were more mean recumbent reflux episodes in the on-therapy group in comparison with the off-therapy group (3.76 mean reflux episodes [mre] per patient in the recumbent vs. 2.82 mre); the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.187). When the reflux events are classified into acid and non-acid reflux episodes, the relative occurrence of acid reflux events is less in the on-therapy group (P = 0.047), while the off-therapy group have fewer nonacid reflux episodes (P = 0.003). PPIs decrease the acidity of esophageal refluxate but do not decrease the relative frequency of reflux episodes in the recumbent position in patients with refractory GERD despite twice-a-day treatment with PPI therapy. The explanation for the finding of numerically increased, although not statistically significant, amount of reflux episodes in the PPI treatment group in this study, and previous studies is unclear and warrants further evaluation.

Morphological and clinical observations of patients with early bladder cancer treated with total cystectomy.

In 21 cases, early bladder cancer was detected by urine cytology, although not by cystoscopy, and was treated by total cystectomy. The neoplasms, all transitional cell carcinomas of moderate to high degrees of anaplasia, were entirely in situ in 17 of the 21 patients; in 4, although mainly in situ, the tumors showed additional minimal microinvasion. Widespread mucosal involvement was demonstrated in every case by step-sectioning, and extension into the prostatic ducts occurred in 7 of the 19 male patients and into the mucosa of one or both distal ureters in 12 patients. Premalignant atypia of the mucosa was also widespread and direct intramucosal spread of cancer cells was a significant factor, particularly along the prostatic ducts and ureters. The duration of significant symptoms (follow-up for 9 years before cystectomy in several cases and for 8 years in 1 histologically proved case) suggests that the evolution of these tumors may be considerably longer than previously documented.

Clinical observations on sixty-nine cases of in situ carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

In the course of screening 35,000 urological outpatients with urine cytological examinations, cytological indication of cancer was found in 106 patients in the absence of a cystoscopically visible bladder tumor. Sixty-nine of the 106 patients have biopsy-proven in situ carcinoma of the bladder, all transitional in type and anaplastic. Follow-up data on effects of therapy are available on 58 patients treated by various means, including total cystectomy, partial cystectomy, transurethral fulguration, intravesical thiotepa, and external radiation. The duration of symptoms before diagnosis was remarkably long, and the prolonged course of the in situ lesion was also noteworthy. Differences in the observed behavior of in situ bladder carcinoma may be due, in addition to differences in host resistance, to the existence of two pathogenetic forms of bladder cancer, one arising in an extensive field of abnormal epithelium and the other developing in a focal area of abnormality.

Carcinoma in Situ of the Bladder.

Central to the earlier detection and effective treatment of bladder cancer is the understanding of the basic principle that in situ cancer, evolving from epithelial atypia or hyperplasia, is the early phase in the development of invasive bladder cancer. While it may be asymptomatic, irritative bladder symptoms such as frequency, urgency, and dysuria irrespective of bacteriuria are usually evident and should be evaluated with exfoliative urinary cytology to detect the presence of this cancer. Properly collected and skillfully interpreted cytologic examination of the urine is probably the most accurate screening test for this and other important varieties of bladder cancer. Improved technologic features of cystoscopy have aided in the identification of in situ cancer, particularly when multiple random cold biopsy specimens of all quadrants, including the trigone, of the bladder and of the prostatic urethra are employed. Such investigative methods recognize that in situ cancer is a generalized urothelial malignancy that very often involves ureteral, prostatic as well as all bladder mucosa. Despite the pathologic observation that this cancer shows an intense cellular activity, the temporal aspect of its transition from a superficial cancer to an invasive one remains unpredictable, although clearly finite. Treatment is controversial. Radical cystectomy should effect cure if recommended early and before it becomes clinically apparent that the disease is already invasive in some urothelial locations. If the cancer appears to be localized to a relatively small (5 cm) area of the bladder and the patient's symptoms are not excessive, intravesical chemotherapy using such preparations as Thio-tepa, mitomycin, Adriamycin, or epodyl may result in a temporary, sometimes complete, remission.

Prolactin--added dimension in male genitosexual disorders.

Prolactin-producing pituitary adenomas known to cause amenorrhea and galactorrhea in the female have been implicated recently in male infertility and impotence. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of prolactin and of the choices of treatment for these tumors is an important adjunct to the urologist's armamentarium.

Reevaluation of vest technique of vesicourethral reconstruction in radical retropubic prostatectomy.

Vesicourethral reconstruction after radical retropubic prostatectomy was done by the Vest technique in 36 patients and by direct vesicourethral anastomosis in 100 patients. Complications resulting from the two methods of vesicourethral reconstruction were similar. Incontinence after radical retropublic prostatectomy appears not to be related to the method of vesicourethral reconstruction but occurs because of damage during surgery or postoperative scarring of the distal sphincteric mechanism.

Bladder carcinoma presenting with rectal obstruction.

Two patients with bladder carcinoma that caused annular constriction of the rectum are described. A mechanism of local invasion by genitourinary malignancies (bladder and prostate) involves penetration of the rectovesical fascia of Denonvillier and circumferential rectal spread. Treatment of complete or partial obstructing lesions includes surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy (or combination), as well as several new techniques, notably laser destruction and transrectal tumor resection.

Comparison of techniques for vesicourethral anastomosis: simple direct versus modified Vest traction sutures.

Radical retropubic prostatectomy has become a mainstay surgical procedure in the treatment of cancer of the prostate. There has been controversy, however, regarding the most appropriate method of vesicourethral reconstruction. We examined the records of 692 consecutive patients who underwent a radical retropubic prostatectomy from 1978 through 1984 at the Mayo Clinic. Of these, 416 patients underwent a modified Vest procedure, and in 276 patients a direct simple anastomosis was fashioned. In comparing these two methods, our review showed no substantial difference in complications, including the rate of urinary incontinence.

Medical treatment of the infertile male.

In summary, the effective treatment of certain disorders of male infertility is possible. As in all areas of medicine, the more specific the diagnosis, the more specific the treatment, and, as expected, the greater the success of treatment. Much of the confusion regarding the efficacy of the medical treatment of infertility has been generated by the use of empiric treatment modalities without thorough diagnostic evaluation. Further advances in knowledge pertaining to the mechanism of infertility should increase the precision of our forms of treatment, thus producing increased rates of success.

Urine cytology of transitional cell neoplasms.

The extrinsic and intrinsic factors which influence the interpretation of cytologic findings are explained in detail. Although plagued by limitations that have yielded false-positive and false-negative results, through research, attempts are being made to improve the efficacy of urine cytology in the detection of neoplasms of the urinary tract.

Preliminary investigation of EMG biofeedback induced relaxation with a preschool aged stutterer.

A 4 1/2-yr.-old stutterer was run on a series of comparative speech tasks and EMG recording periods to assess the potential of using EMG biofeedback-assisted relaxation to reduce stuttering. The basic finding was that the subject was able to reduce the level of tension in the laryngeal area by using EMG biofeedback but not without some difficulty. The effect of EMG biofeedback training on his frequency of stuttering was small but in the direction of less stuttering.

Transureteroureterostomy with cutaneous ureterostomy: a 25-year experience.

We reviewed 67 patients who underwent transureteroureterostomy with cutaneous ureterostomy for benign (32) and malignant (35) disease in regard to the indications for and complications of the procedure. The most common complications included urine leakage at the ureteroureterostomy, stomal stenosis and calculus formation. Renal function improved or remained stable in 75% of the patients. Transureteroureterostomy with cutaneous ureterostomy is a viable alternative diversion technique in a select group of patients.

Urodynamic evaluation of patients after the Camey operation.

Ten patients were evaluated urodynamically 3 to 18 months after they underwent the Camey operation. Of these patients 2 had total diurnal and nocturnal continence, 1 was totally incontinent and 6 were incontinent to various degrees that necessitated the use of 1 to 3 pads or diapers per day. All but 2 of the Camey neobladders had cystoplasty contractions at a capacity of 50 to 200 ml. The 2 totally continent patients had no cystoplasty contractions. The bladder in the totally incontinent patient had good capacity, good compliance and low pressure contractions up to a volume of 400 ml. The condition in this patient may be attributed to sphincteric incontinence. Urinary flow is achieved by abdominal straining and is interrupted. Vesicoureteral reflux occurred in 3 of 20 renal units.

Neodymium:YAG laser treatment of cystitis glandularis.

We report a case of severe cystitis glandularis of the entire bladder, which caused a large retrovesical mass and bilateral hydronephrosis. Treatment included whole bladder neodymium:YAG laser therapy, a technique not previously reported for this extent of disease. The etiology, diagnosis, treatment and malignant potential of cystitis glandularis are discussed.

Perioperative and postoperative complications from bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy.

The complications experienced by 692 consecutive patients who underwent bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy from 1978 through 1984 were analyzed. Four patients (0.6 per cent) died in the perioperative or early postoperative period. Pulmonary embolus developed in 19 patients (2.7 per cent) and severe to total urinary incontinence occurred in 34 (5 per cent). Our large series suggests that radical retropubic prostatectomy with staging bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy can be performed in a safe manner with minimal postoperative morbidity.

Stage D1 prostate cancer treated by radical prostatectomy and adjuvant hormonal treatment. Evidence for favorable survival in patients with DNA diploid tumors.

BACKGROUND: Stage D1 disease is found in at least every sixth patient undergoing bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for clinically localized prostate cancer (PC). Previous recommendations for monotherapy using surgery, radiation, or systemic therapy alone for Stage D1 disease have usually been associated with a poor outcome in regard to progression and survival. Unlike other pathologic stages, D1 disease treated with RRP is mainly related to DNA ploidy pattern in regard to all end points (progression and survival) and immediate adjuvant hormonal treatment (AHT) rather than to the usual pathologic variables, including the number of positive nodes. METHODS: Complete DNA ploidy information was available in 370 patients with Stage D1 disease (age range, 40-77 years; mean, 64 years) undergoing RRP with or without AHT with a follow-up of up to 22 years (mean, 5 years). RESULTS: Overall, 80% of all DNA ploidy classes (diploid, 37%; tetraploid, 46%; and aneuploid, 17%) had AHT that highly significantly delayed progression for diploid (P less than 0.0001) more than tetraploid (P less than 0.0001) and more than aneuploid (P less than 0.0001) tumors. Significant prolongation of the disease-free interval might have improved the quality of life for tetraploid and aneuploid patients. Survival (crude and cause-specific) was significantly (P = 0.02) improved only for diploid patients who received AHT but not for tetraploid and aneuploid patients. This was due to the significantly accelerated death rate after progression in those patients with early AHT for tetraploid and aneuploid (but not diploid) tumors. Delayed (on progression only) AHT resulted in high progression rates for all DNA ploidy classes (aneuploid greater than tetraploid greater than diploid); e.g., 21 of 30 diploid patients progressed and 6 patients died from disease at a median of 31.5 months in spite of immediate hormone treatment on progression. RRP and AHT for patients with Stage D1 disease resulted in a highly significant delay in overall progression (76% at 10 years) and excellent local control, depending on DNA ploidy pattern (diploid greater than tetraploid greater than aneuploid) compared with a treatment regimen without AHT (24% overall nonprogression); only 20% of all patients with AHT are projected to die of disease at 10 years. Disease in diploid patients (37%) treated with AHT rarely progressed and those patients are unlikely to die of disease in 10 years or less; delayed (on progression) hormone treatment for diploid patients seemed ineffective. Inclusion of values for prostate specific antigen led to a higher failure rate on progression, and this is dependent on DNA ploidy class (diploid greater than tetraploid greater than aneuploid). CONCLUSION: Only patients with nondiploid tumors should be entered into prospective studies using innovative adjuvant treatment protocols to improve survival.