Management of ureteric calculi during pregnancy by ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy.
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Publications and source records attributed to E Usai.
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We report on a 16-year old patient with a neuropathic bladder secondary to Behçet's disease, which is an uncommon vasculitis usually involving venules. The genitourinary manifestations of this disease are discussed, a neuropathic bladder being a rare complication of the involvement of the nervous system. Urodynamic assessment is important when voiding dysfunction is present; three patients previously reported revealed a bladder function changing from normal detrusor to overactivity. Our patient showed early and severe involvement of the nervous system, and detrusor areflexia two years after the onset of the disease. Spontaneous voiding was restored two months after urological management (intermittent catheterization) was started.
OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: We analyzed preoperative and postoperative urodynamic parameters in 26 patients who underwent transurethral prostatic resection with the aid of a computer program. The parameters URA, W and Wmax were evaluated: URA affords a monitoring of the removal of obstruction, while Wmax and W function monitor changes in detrusor contractility, which appear significant after prostatic resection in obstructed patients. RESULTS: Many patients had a fading contraction, that is detrusor contractility decreased during micturition: in most of them the removal of obstruction restored this pattern to normal. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of these parameters is recommended for preoperative assessment and postoperative follow-up.
PURPOSE: There is still excessive debate as to the preferred diagnostic and therapeutic approach to urolithiasis in pregnancy. We report our experience with 15 pregnant patients with renoureteral colic marked by pain not responsive to analgesia, dilatation and fever. We focused on the usefulness of ureteroscopy with thin instruments and ultrasound in the diagnosis and treatment of ureteral stone and ureteral colic during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1990 and 1993 we performed ureteroscopy and ureterolithotripsy on 15 pregnant patients 16 to 30 years old. Gestation time ranged from 20 to 34 weeks. All patients underwent ureteroscopy with thin rigid 7.0F or 9.5F ureteroscopes without dilation of the ureteral meatus. The use of ionizing radiation was avoided before, during and after the procedures. A stone was extracted from the lower third of the ureter in 2 cases, displaced into the kidney from the middle third of the ureter in 3, and fragmented with the pulsed dye laser in 3, the holmium:YAG laser in 3 and the ballistic lithotriptor in 2. Finally absence of ureteral calculi was confirmed in 2 cases. A double pigtail ureteral catheter was placed via echographic guidance in 14 cases to monitor curling of the pigtail in the renal pelvis, while in 1 a cylindrical ureteral catheter was used. In 5 cases no anesthesia was necessary, while 10 required neuroleptic analgesia. RESULTS: There were no complications after the procedure. All pregnancies were full term. CONCLUSIONS: Rigid ureteroscopy may be performed on the entire urinary tract even during advanced pregnancy. Stones may be fragmented, extracted or displaced and double pigtail ureteral catheters may be applied with only sonographic guidance, at times without use of anesthesia. The use of small instruments, such as the Gautier ureteroscope, that do not require dilation or any particular manipulation of the ureteral meatus seems to be essential together with an accurate ureteroscopic technique. In this manner it is possible to diagnose and treat ureteral calculi during pregnancy without resorting to ionizing radiation but using only ultrasound monitoring and ureteroscopy.
OBJECTIVES: The pediatric application of ureteroscopy was initially hindered by the size of the instruments and the fear of damaging the urethra and ureterovesical junction during endoscopic maneuvers. This review of our experience is focused on the usefulness of thin and ultrathin ureteroscopes such as the 7 F Gautier rigid ureteroscope with rod lens optics (Wolf) or the new, ultrathin 4.8 F Wolf ureteroscope, semirigid, fiberoptic, in conjunction with atraumatic sources of energy such as pulsed dye laser or ballistic lithotripter, for the treatment of ureteral stones in children. METHODS: Between 1989 and 1994, we performed ureteroscopy and ureterolithotripsy on 7 children less than 10 years old. There were 6 male patients and 1 female patient, with a mean age of 6 years (range, 3.5 to 10). We used the pulsed dye laser Pulsolith and the ballistic lithotripter Lithoclast, the Gautier (Wolf) rigid, rod lens ureteroscope (7 F), without the sheath or the blunt needle 4.8 F semirigid (Wolf), fiberoptic ureteroscope. In all cases a double pigtail ureteral catheter was left in situ. RESULTS: In all 7 cases, the treatment was successful without early or delayed complications. In particular, no case of vesicoureteral reflux was observed in any of the children during subsequent follow-ups. CONCLUSIONS: This article demonstrates the feasibility of ureteroscopy and ureterolithotripsy in children less than 10 years old with ureteral stones. We believe that because of the fragility of the ureter in the pediatric age group, ureteroscopic maneuvers should be performed and handled by experienced endourologists in well-equipped centers.
Five-year overall survival after radical surgery in N0M0 renal cell carcinoma varies from 45-80% in pT2 to 35-50% in pT3 categories. In view of the alpha interferon and vinblastine combination which has shown some activity in advanced disease with increasing efficacy in limited metastatic invasion, we decided to explore the theoretical advantage of adjuvant chemo-immunotherapy in radically resected stage II, III renal cell carcinoma. A single-institution phase II study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of alpha 2a-interferon (alpha 2a-INF) in combination with vinblastine in 30 patients with pT2-T3 N0M0 renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Thirty-two patients who received only radical nephrectomy and extended lymphadenectomy were analyzed and results were compared with the first group. Twenty-three of 30 (76.6%) patients in the first group are alive with no evidence of disease. The median follow-up for the 23 patients still alive was 67 months (range 60 to 72). Metastases were documented in 5 patients (16.6%) with a median interval to progression of 24 months. Four of them (13.6%) died of tumor. In the control group, 16 out of 32 patients (50%) are still alive, with a median follow-up for the patients still alive of 62 months (range 60 to 68). Fifteen patients developed distant metastases and 2 of them had a local recurrence. All of them (46.8%) died of tumor. Median progression interval was 24 months. After stratification by pathological grade, site, laterality and number of nodes found at lymphadenectomy there were no statistical differences in risk of progression or death in the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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The mucosal surface of the human urothelium represents a very large exposure area to exogenous agents, including potentially harmful microorganisms. Male human urothelium was treated for the immunohistochemical demonstration of secretory IgA (sIgA) in order to verify its own possible antimicrobial properties. An intense immunoreactivity for sIgA was observed in the apical cells of the urethral and vesical epithelia. The ureteric epithelium, at the luminal surface, showed discontinuous areas of less dense or completely absent reaction product. A less intense immunoreactivity was observed in the pelvic apical epithelial cells. The results suggest that sIgA play a prominent role in the local defence mechanisms of the lower urinary tract against ascending infections, whereas in the upper urinary tract the immuno-specific local defences seem reduced.
Forty-six patients were evaluated for complaints of urinary incontinence or voiding disorders. Diagnostic testing included a detailed history, physical examination, urine analysis, and urodynamic studies consisting of a conventional urodynamic test (S.I.) including provocative manoeuvres and extramural ambulatory urodynamic monitoring (e.a.m.). We compared the pre-classification diagnoses obtained from the medical history with both urodynamic tests. Conventional cystometry detected detrusor instability in 8 patients out of 16 with a history of urgency, while a normal detrusor behaviour was observed in the other 8. "Provocative" manoeuvres yielded an additional 13.3%. Extramural ambulatory monitoring confirmed the diagnosis in the 8 patients with hyperactivity and revealed detrusor instability in a further 7. E.a.m. proved adequate in 93.7% of patients with symptoms of detrusor instability. In the group of patients with urinary stress incontinence (USI) e.a.m. revealed detrusor instability in 18.7% of the patients, but did not significantly improved the diagnostic results obtained by S.I. Coughing was the most effective stimulus to objectify stress incontinence. The comparison of the results obtained with S.I. and those obtained with home e.a.m. will probably lead to a more rational use of both methods. Our data confirm the promising impact of ambulatory urodynamic investigation.
Urodynamic investigation was performed in 12 men, 3 to 8 months after cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer and bladder substitution, using a detubularized ileal segment as described by Studer-Zingg. All patients underwent a standard urodynamic evaluation and extramural ambulatory urodynamic monitoring (e.a.m.). Ten patients were continent by day and 3 were incontinent during the night to a degree that necessitated use of a condom catheter. Three patients awakened every 3 hours to void and 6 had to void 1-2 times nightly. The residual urine was over 100 ml in 3 patients; it was low or absent in the remainder. Micturition was achieved by straining, with a maximum flow rate of 13 ml per second or greater, except in 2 patients. In 2 patients a urethral narrowing was found at the urethro-ileal anastomosis, and in 1 of them an incoordination between the neobladder and the pelvic floor required the use of a urethral catheter and a subsequent protocol of pelvic floor rehabilitation. The incidence of nocturnal incontinence was 56.6%. In 2 patients urethral pressure profile revealed hypotonia, with a maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) < 45 cm H2O. During e.a.m. study pressure values in the neobladder usually ranged below 15 cm H2O and exceeded 35 cm H2O in only 1 patient who complained of daytime and nocturnal incontinence. Neobladder compliance was normal in all cases. In order to achieve a complete rehabilitation after operation, the patient should be instructed to follow a careful training in order to prevent overdistention of the neobladder by voiding at regular intervals and to obtain continence.
The study included 18 men, submitted to urodynamic investigation 9-18 months after cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer and bladder substitution with a detubularized ileal segment as described by Studer-Zingg. Sixteen patients were continent by day and 3 were incontinent during the night so as to require the use of a condom catheter. The residual urine was over 100 ml in 3 patients, while it was low or absent in the remainder. Micturition was performed by straining, and maximal flow rates were normal, although the pattern was intermittent. The incidence of nocturnal incontinence was 55.5%. Measurement of the urethral pressure profile revealed a shortened functional length, and low pressure was found in 3 patients, with a maximum urethral closure pressure < 45 cm H2O. During extramural ambulatory urodynamic monitoring, pressure values in the neobladder usually ranged below 20 cm H2O and exceeded 34 cm H2O in only 2 patients who complained of daytime and nocturnal incontinence. The urodynamic features of the neobladder in patients who underwent radical cystoprostatectomy and bladder replacement with a detubularized ileal segment indicate low pressure at high-level filling.
Our study describes the results obtained in 44 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who underwent transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) and their follow-up at 12 months. Prostatron, a prostatic TUMT device which comprised a microwave heat generator and a cooling system, was used at our centre. Forty-four out of the 60 patients given the treatment had a 12-month follow-up to be evaluated. The evaluation of subjective symptoms, according to the Boyarsky symptom score, demonstrated a significant rate of response (p < 0.0005). The analysis of pressure-flow recordings demonstrated a reduction of mean detrusor opening pressure (p < 0.0005), a reduction of detrusor pressure at maximum flow 12 months after treatment (p < 0.0005) and an improvement of mean values of maximum flow after treatment (p < 0.0005). This study shows that TUMT, though it cannot be considered an alternative to surgical or endoscopic therapy of BPH for severely obstructed patients, can produce improvement of both subjective and objective parameters of mild prostatic bladder outflow obstruction.
The presence and distribution of immunocompetent cells in normal and dysplastic urothelium of the bladder were investigated in 3 patients. Using an indirect immunoperoxidase staining procedure, monoclonal antibodies reacting with B (Leu12+) and T (Leu4+) cells, cells of the suppressor/cytotoxic (Leu2a+), helper/inducer (Leu3a+) and natural killer (Leu7+) phenotypes, monocyte-macrophages (LeuM3+), and cells expressing interleukin-2 receptor and HLA-DR antigen (HLA-DR+) were tested in all specimens. The results confirmed the presence of a well ordered and compartmentalised distribution of immunocompetent cells in the normal mucosa far from dysplasia. There was an increased number of lymphocytes in the hyperplastic/dysplastic urothelium with associated Von Brunn's nests. Leu2a+ cells, HLA-DR expressing cells and monocyte-macrophages were present inside the epithelium, particularly within dysplasia and von Brunn's nests, but the Leu3a+/Leu2a+ ratio was not inverted (0.48 + 0.1 to 0.74 + 0.2). These findings reveal that in mild urothelial dysplasia with von Brunn's nests there is a spatial modification of the immunological barrier associated with the mucosa.
Cytogenetic studies have provided a great deal of useful information about the biology and diagnosis of renal cell tumors. Particularly papillary and non-papillary tumors seem to be characterized by different cytogenetic patterns. We report the cytogenetic and histologic analysis of 16 renal tumors, 5 of which showed clonal chromosome changes. Most had chromosome abnormalities which have so far been described as specific of particular histopathologic subgroups.
Sleep-related erections in 5 patients with stage T3N0M0 prostate cancer treated with a new nonsteroidal antiandrogen, Casodex, were evaluated with continuous monitoring of penile tumescence and rigidity on multiple nights. Mean serum luteinizing hormone levels were 7.2 +/- 1.2 IU/l. before therapy and increased to 14 +/- 3.6 IU/l. after 6 months of therapy. Serum testosterone and estradiol levels also increased from a basal level of 5.05 +/- 1.9 ng./ml. and 102 +/- 18 pmol./l., respectively, to 8.04 +/- 1.32 ng./ml. and 175 +/- 20 pmol./l., respectively, after 6 months of therapy. No significant modifications in regard to number of nocturnal penile tumescence episodes, maximum penile circumference and total rigidity time were found before and after therapy. Only 1 patient reported a decrease in sexual drive and libido. All patients presented with stable disease (National Prostatic Cancer Treatment Group criteria) and an unmodified performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) after 6 months. Pure antiandrogen therapy did not seem to interfere significantly with the erectile capability of men with prostate cancer.
A total of 36 patients with single superficial bladder cancer TNM stage Ta-T1/G2 was studied over a 24-month period before entering the study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of high doses of beta-interferon (beta-INF); 24 patients had a primary tumour (group 1) and 12 had had more than 3 recurrences (group 2). They received 8 intravesical doses of beta-INF, 50,000,000 IU in 50 ml sterile water, at weekly intervals, 15 days after transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB). Efficacy was estimated by simple recurrence rate and by the person-years method. The recurrence rate was 25% in group 1 with a mean follow-up of 21.6 months. Comparison with the recurrence rate of a historical control group treated only by TUR showed that there was a slight statistically significant difference. Group 2 had a recurrence rate of 100% in the period before beta-INF (follow-up 24 months) and 91% after INF administration (mean follow-up 20.5 months). Patients were questioned about side effects before and after each treatment; tolerance of the drug was excellent. The results suggest that beta-interferon could be safely used as a prophylactic agent against the recurrence of primary superficial bladder cancer. Its efficacy seems comparable to that obtained with other current chemoprophylactic agents.
42 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma were treated with a combination therapy with interferon alpha 2a (mean dosage 16 x 10(6) U i.m. 3 times/week) and vinblastine (0.1 mg/Kg every 21 days). 12 patients (28.5%) had a positive response. Of them 1 presented a complete response (2.38%), 5 a partial response (11.9%) and 6 a stable disease (14.2%). No significant side effects were observed apart from the flu-like syndrome (all patients) and a moderate leukopenia (45.2%). The median duration of responses was 10+ months (range 3-37 months). At 4-year follow-up the median survival time was 16.0 months (range 4-37 months).
Two rare cases of ureteroscopic removal of impacted ureteral calculi in patients with partial and complete ureteral duplication are described. The procedural steps and problems encountered are discussed. Successful ureteroscopic stone extraction was obtained in the 2 patients.