Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E D Vaughan.
Our ability to detect and potentially to treat renal tumors earlier has increased exponentially during recent years, in part owing to the introduction of more sophisticated imaging modalities. We report 2 cases in which intraoperative sonography was used to localize tumors not palpable at operation. In both cases surgery was performed on solitary kidneys for renal cell carcinoma in otherwise healthy patients.
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Palliation of low lying anorectal and pararectal lesions frequently involves a colostomy. Using the urologic resectoscope for transanal resection of these lesions, a colostomy was avoided in 14 of 15 patients. There was good palliation of obstruction, bleeding and pain. The procedure does not require anesthesia, extreme positioning, surgical assistants, new equipment, new techniques or prolonged operative time. In selective instances, transanal resection of low lying anorectal and pararectal lesions offers excellent palliation.
Nuclear DNA content of paraffin-embedded tissue from 48 adrenocortical neoplasms, 18 histologically normal control adrenal glands, and five hyperplastic adrenal glands was analyzed retrospectively using flow cytometry. Aneuploidy was compared with morphologic criteria as a predictor of recurrence. All 18 controls, five hyperplastic glands, and 39 neoplasms were diploid. Nine neoplasms were aneuploid. Compared with their diploid counterparts, aneuploid neoplasms were more likely to weigh more than 50 g (P less than 0.0001) and to have three or more histologic features of carcinoma (P less than 0.0001). Thirty-six neoplasms were followed clinically for at least 2 years (range 24 to 120 months, mean = 64.6 months) or until local recurrence, metastasis, or death. Five were clinically malignant. Neoplasms which recurred or metastasized were more apt to be aneuploid (P less than 0.005) than those showing no evidence of further disease during the follow-up period. They were also more likely to weigh more than 50 g (P less than 0.005) and to have three or more histologic features of carcinoma (P less than 0.0025). However, neither aneuploidy, large size, nor unfavorable histology result was a consistent feature in every malignant neoplasm. Flow cytometric DNA content analysis appears to be as effective a predictor of clinical outcome as size and histology and may be of particular value when the morphologic features are ambiguous.
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Nuclear DNA content of paraffin-embedded tissue from 19 clinically benign adrenal pheochromocytomas and 18 control adrenal glands was analyzed using flow cytometry. All control adrenal glands and 6 pheochromocytomas were diploid. Four tumors were tetraploid. Nine were aneuploid with relative DNA indices in the near diploid range in 2, in the peritriploid range in 5, and in the near tetraploid range in 2. These results indicate that aneuploid DNA content is a frequent occurrence in benign adrenal pheochromocytomas. Aneuploidy per se is not a specific marker of malignancy in these tumors as has been suggested by previous reports.
One hundred impotent men were evaluated with Doppler pulse-wave analysis and intracavernous papaverine. Fifty-four men with normal Doppler study response had abnormal responses to papaverine. A normal Doppler study response failed to predict the inability of papaverine to induce an erection in 54 per cent of cases. Twenty-seven patients had abnormal Doppler study responses, and only 2 of these men had a normal response to papaverine. An abnormal Doppler study response was highly predictive of a vascular abnormality.
Irrigation of the urinary tract with alkaline solutions may be used appropriately in some clinical situations to dissolve uric acid stones. Since in vitro studies have suggested that tham-E (pH 10.6) is somewhat more effective than tham (pH 8.6) in promoting dissolution of uric acid, these studies were undertaken to assess the relative toxicities of these two irrigating solutions to the urothelium. Rabbit bladders were irrigated antegrade via a ureterotomy for twenty hours. Tham E produced considerably more mucosal injury than did tham (p = 0.0001). The minimal advantage in rapidity of stone dissolution offered by tham E over tham is more than offset by the considerably increased potential for toxic side effects. The results suggest tham and not tham E should be used for irrigation to dissolve uric acid stones.
We treated 19 men and 6 women less than 40 years old with bladder tumors. The average patient age at diagnosis was 30.6 years and the mean followup was 65 months. Gross hematuria was present in 84 per cent and excretory urography showed a mass in the bladder in 44 per cent of the patients. Of 8 patients less than 30 years old 6 had papilloma and 2 had grade II to III, stage O transitional cell carcinoma. All patients with papillomas were free of disease. The pathological reports of the patients more than 30 years old revealed papilloma or grade I, stage O transitional cell carcinoma in 9, grade II to III, stage O to A papillary transitional cell carcinoma in 6 and invasive disease in 2, 1 of whom died. Of the 9 patients with papilloma or grade I, stage O disease 77 per cent are currently free of disease. Of those with grade II to III, stage O to B papillary transitional cell carcinoma only 1 is free of disease, while 6 have had resectable recurrences. One patient with grade II to III disease was lost to followup. Accordingly, all patients, regardless of age, should be treated as aggressively as necessary on the basis of the stage and grade of the tumor.
A marked decrease in renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was found after 24, 48 and 72 hours of total unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in the rabbit. Contralateral GFR showed a modest increase consistent with compensatory hypertrophy. The urinary excretion of thromboxane B2 (TxB2), the stable metabolite of the vasoconstrictor prostaglandin, thromboxane A2 (TxA2) was significantly elevated in the urine obtained following release of the obstructed ureter when compared to the TxB2 level in the urine from the contralateral kidney. Continuous infusion of OKY-046 at 100 micrograms./kg./min. over 24 hours during UUO decreased TxB2 excretion by greater than 80 per cent. However there was no significant preservation of RBF or GFR of the obstructed kidney following ureteral release despite the selective inhibition of TxA2. Moreover the increase in contralateral GFR was also abolished. Taken together with other studies these results strongly suggest that the potent vasoconstrictor TxA2 is not responsible for the rise in renal resistance that follows acute UUO.
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As described in the above paragraphs, efforts in the areas of immunology, cytogenetics, molecular biology, and cytopathology have been applied to the problems urologists face in treating the individual patient with bladder cancer. It is hoped that continued investigations in these disciplines will not only lead to earlier diagnosis of bladder cancer and better prediction of tumor behavior but will further our understanding of the molecular basis of oncogenesis.
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I use this approach for all patients with primary hyperaldosteronism due to a right adenoma. In addition, the approach has been used for other functioning and nonfunctioning adrenal lesions less than 6 centimeters in size, if there is no anatomic or biochemical evidence of a malignant lesion. This approach is not recommended for patients with pheochromocytoma, carcinoma of the adrenal gland or lesions of the adrenal gland greater than 6 centimeters.
Four hundred sixty-seven patients with symptomatic upper urinary tract calculi underwent extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center during the first year. Ninety-five percent of stones were completely treated with one ESWL session. An analysis of 300 treatments revealed that the overall stone-free rate (success) three months after treatment was 75%. The stone-free rate for patients with renal pelvic calculi less than or equal to 20 mm in diameter was 91%. Individual patient stone-free rates depended on stone size (burden), position, composition, and quality of disintegration. Two percent of treatments failed to disintegrate the targeted stone. Complications were minimal. Seven percent of treatments were followed by a secondary endoscopic procedure to facilitate complete stone passage, and 23% of treatments were preceded by cystoscopy with ureteral stent placement of manipulation of stones. Combined therapy utilizing percutaneous surgery or multiple sequential ESWL treatments is necessary for complex stones, and ureteroscopy or basket extraction remains the treatment of choice for distal ureteral calculi.
Twenty-three patients with advanced (Stage III) mixed germ cell tumors underwent laparotomy and thoracotomy or neck dissection for excision of persistent radiographic masses after systemic chemotherapy. In those who received multidrug regimens incorporating high-dose cisplatin, 4 of 15 (27%) harbored persistent tumor in at least one site, 6 of 15 (40%) demonstrated necrotic tumor or fibrosis only in all sites examined, and the remaining 5 of 15 (33%) harbored mature teratoma in at least one area. In patients treated with high-dose platinum chemotherapy regimens 11 of 15 (73%) remain disease-free with a median follow-up period of 29 months (range, 1-58 months). Histologic comparison of tissues resected during thoracotomy and retroperitoneal node dissection indicated that patterns were dissimilar in 8 of 23 patients (35%). These data indicate the favorable impact of combined sequential chemotherapy and surgery in patients with advanced mixed germ cell tumors. In patients with Stage III tumors, persistent radiographic disease after cyclic cisplatin-based chemotherapy is appropriately managed by excision of both thoracic and retroperitoneal deposits.
Twenty-one patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder received a total of 121 doses of intravesical methotrexate (MTX) at 11 different concentrations of drug, ranging from 40 mg/m2 (mean concentration of 2.9 X 10(-3) M) to 500 mg/m2 (4.9 X 10(-2) M). Biochemical evidence of absorption was minimal in all cases. The maximum serum level was observed within 0.5-2 h in all patients and ranged from 1.8 X 10(-8) M to 5.0 X 10(-7) M. By 24 h the serum levels were negligible and ranged from 5.5 X 10(-9) M (the lowest limit detectable by the assay) to 4.4 X 10(-8) M in the patient who received the highest dosage of 500 mg/m2. Biologic evidence of absorption was minimal. Myelosuppression, mucositis, and nausea were not observed. Eighteen patients received six consecutive weekly doses ranging from 40 to 500 mg/m2. All patients had repeat cytoscopy performed within 2-4 weeks after six consecutive doses to evaluate local toxicity and efficacy. Flow cytometry was performed on the bladder washings of 22 patients, illustrating the use of flow cytometry, in conjunction with conventional cytology, as an additional means of objectively quantifying results. Despite MTX's established activity in systemic treatment of advanced bladder carcinoma, this study failed to demonstrate any clinical response to intravesically administered MTX, in doses of up to 500 mg/m2, and in concentrations of up to 4.9 X 10(-2) M.
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) currently is performed in selected urologic centers to treat over 80 per cent of patients with symptomatic upper urinary tract calculi. This noninvasive technique utilizing shockwaves to disintegrate stones into sand-sized particles allows the patient to pass the particles with spontaneous urination and replaces most surgery or percutaneous endoscopy for stone removal. However, stone-free success rates must be individualized depending on stone position, stone size, and composition. Lithotripsy of renal stones prior to migration and proximal ureteral stones early in their symptomatic course may alter significantly the incidence of distal ureteral calculi requiring hospitalization, cystoscopy, or ureteroscopy.