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Kentaro Ichioka

Publications and source records attributed to Kentaro Ichioka.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy using microwave tissue coagulator for small renal tumors: usefulness and complications.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the usefulness and complications of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for small renal tumors using a microwave tissue coagulator without renal pedicle clamping. METHODS: Between September 1999 and March 2003, 19 patients with small renal tumors 11 to 45 mm in diameter underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy without renal ischemia. RESULTS: Six and 13 patients were treated by the transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches, respectively. Excluding a case with open conversion due to dense perirenal adhesions, 18 patients successfully underwent laparoscopic procedures. The mean operative time was 240 minutes with minimal blood loss in 14 patients and 100 to 400 ml in 4. In a patient, frozen sections revealed a positive surgical margin and additional resection was performed. Postoperative complications included extended urine leakage for 14 days, arteriovenous fistula and almost total loss of renal function, respectively, in a patient. With the median follow-up of 19 months, no patients showed local recurrence or distant metastasis by CT scan. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic non-ischemic partial nephrectomy using a microwave tissue coagulator may be useful for treating small renal tumors because it does not require advanced laparoscopic skill. However, the indication of this procedure should be highly selective in order to minimize serious complications secondary to unexpected collateral damage to surrounding structures.

Adult↗

High incidence of inguinal hernia after radical retropubic prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the incidence of, and risk factors for, inguinal hernia after retropubic radical prostatectomy compared with after pelvic lymph node dissection and total cystectomy. METHODS: A total of 155 radical prostatectomies, 35 pelvic lymph node dissections, and 56 total cystectomies were included in this study. We reviewed the charts retrospectively and evaluated the incidence of, and risk factors for, inguinal hernia after surgery using Kaplan-Meier plots and a Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: Of 155 patients in the radical prostatectomy group, 35 patients in the pelvic lymph node dissection group, and 56 patients in the cystectomy group, 33 (21.3%), 4 (11.4%), and 3 (5.4%), respectively, developed inguinal hernias during follow-up. In the radical prostatectomy group, 27 (81.8%) of the 33 patients developed inguinal hernia within 2 years postoperatively. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that prostatectomy group, past history of inguinal hernia, and body mass index of less than 23 were significant risk factors for postoperative inguinal hernia. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of inguinal hernia after radical prostatectomy is not low. Urologists should realize that inguinal hernia is one of the major complications of radical prostatectomy and examine the groin preoperatively and postoperatively.

Aged↗

Comparative analysis of lower urinary tract symptoms and bother in both sexes.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in Japanese men and women and to analyze the impact on bother in an age-stratified manner. METHODS: A consecutive series of 2328 men (mean age 49.5 years) and 1735 women (mean age 48.3 years) who underwent multiphasic health screening at our institution completed the self-administered International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire with quality-of-life (QOL) assessment. RESULTS: A significant age-related increase in the IPSSs and QOL scores was observed in both sexes. Age-stratified analysis showed that the total IPSS, voiding symptoms, and QOL score were significantly greater in men than in women, and the storage symptoms were not significantly different between both sexes. The percentage with moderate to severe symptoms (IPSS 8 or greater) among those younger than 40, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70 years old or older was 7.9%, 12.0%, 23.7%, 32.0%, and 48.7%, respectively, in men and 6.5%, 8.3%, 12.1%, 13.8%, and 31.8%, respectively, in women. Within each category of the severity of IPSS, the distribution of the QOL score was very similar in both sexes, showing no sex difference in the impact of LUTS on bother. CONCLUSIONS: These data showed a similar age-related development of LUTS in both sexes, except that voiding symptoms were more prevalent among men. The impact of LUTS on bother was also comparable between men and women.

Adult↗

Association of lower urinary tract symptoms with erectile dysfunction in Japanese men.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the age-stratified prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) and how lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are associated with ED, and to estimate the correlates of ED among Japanese men. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire of the International Prostate Symptom Score and the abridged 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function were given to 3189 noninstitutionalized men during a multiphasic health screening. The data from 2084 men who provided complete responses to the questionnaire were analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence of moderate to severe ED increased from 13.4% among those younger than 40 years to 20.6%, 39.9%, and 63.1% among those aged 40 to 49, 50 to 59, and 60 years or older, respectively. Most were dissatisfied with their sex life regardless of age. The severity of ED was significantly associated with moderate to severe International Prostate Symptom Scores (age-adjusted odds ratio 1.52), specifically in the urgency (1.75) and nocturia (1.36) domains, and for those with diabetes mellitus (2.54) and coronary artery disease (8.04). CONCLUSIONS: ED is highly prevalent among Japanese men with LUTS and is significantly associated with the severity of LUTS after controlling for age. This significant aspect of life for men of all ages should be taken into account when treating patients with LUTS.

Adult↗

Primary localized amyloidosis of urethra: magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Amyloidosis of the urogenital tract is relatively rare. We experienced a case of primary localized amyloidosis of the urethra and report its characteristics on magnetic resonance imaging. In our case, the lesion exhibited low signal intensity on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images and was well-enhanced on gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images. The gross appearance on cystoscopic examination suggested urethral malignancy but the low signal intensity is atypical for malignant tissue. Because magnetic resonance imaging clearly demonstrated the local extent and depth of the lesion, it was useful in making our decision to perform conservative resection.

Adult↗

Effect of urinary incontinence on lower urinary tract symptoms in Japanese women.

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether urinary incontinence and its severity are associated with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) in Japanese women using linguistically validated questionnaires. METHODS: Using a self-administered questionnaire of the IPSS and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), lower urinary tract symptoms were evaluated in a consecutive series of 1634 women (mean age 48.1 years) who underwent multiphasic health screening at our institution. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was applied, with age, ICIQ-SF, and continence status as the explanatory variable and IPSS severity as the response variable. RESULTS: All scores, including the IPSS (with its voiding and storage symptom scores) and the ICIQ-SF, were significantly greater for the incontinent than the continent women and for those with urge and mixed incontinence than those with stress incontinence. Including all women, IPSS severity was significantly associated with age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03), ICIQ-SF (OR 1.22), and urge (OR 2.79) and mixed (OR 3.54) incontinence, but not with stress incontinence. Among women with stress incontinence, however, the IPSS severity was significantly associated with the ICIQ-SF (OR 1.21), but not with age. CONCLUSIONS: Not only continence status, but also its severity (ICIQ-SF score), has a significant impact on IPSS. We, therefore, must be cautious about interpreting the epidemiologic data on female lower urinary tract symptoms without simultaneous quantitative assessment of urinary incontinence with a validated instrument.

Adult↗

The use of artificial neural network analysis to improve the predictive accuracy of prostate biopsy in the Japanese population.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the efficacy of an artificial neural network analysis (ANNA) based on parameters available from previously existing examinations for improving the predictive accuracy of prostate cancer screening in the Japanese population. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-eight patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) of 2-10 ng/ml were enrolled in this study. Two artificial neural network analysis (ANNA) models were constructed: ANNA1 with patient age, total PSA, free to total PSA ratio, prostate volume, transition zone volume (TZ), PSA density (PSAD) and PSA-TZ density (PSATZ) as input variables, and ANNA2 with presumed circle area ratio (PCAR), digital rectal examination (DRE) findings and chief complaint added as variables. The predictive accuracies of the ANNA models were compared with conventional PSA and volume-related parameters and a logistic regression (LR) model by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Of 228 patients, 58 (25.5%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer. While ANNA2 had a slightly larger area under the curve (AUC) than ANNA1 (0.782 versus 0.793, P = 0.8477), the AUC of ANNA2 was significantly greater than those of ln(PSA), PSAD, PSATZ and free to total PSA ratio (P = 0.0004, 0.0230, 0.0304, and 0.0037, respectively). The accuracy of ANNA2 was significantly better than that of LR analysis at 90 and 95% sensitivity levels (P = 0.0051 and P < 0.0001, respectively). At 95% sensitivity level, ANNA2 reduced unnecessary biopsies by 40.0% with a negative predictive value of 95.7%. CONCLUSIONS: To determine the indication of prostate biopsy for PSA value in the range of 2-10 ng/ml, the ANNA model has the possibility to reduce unnecessary biopsies without missing many cases of cancers.

Aged↗

Impact of volume weighted mean nuclear volume on outcomes following salvage radiation therapy after radical prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: Although salvage radiation therapy (RT) is a potentially curative treatment option for men with biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy (RP), to our knowledge there are no definitive pretreatment factors predicting patients likely to benefit from this treatment. We examined the impact of volume weighted mean nuclear volume (MNV) of biopsy specimens on disease outcomes and describe its usefulness as a new independent predictor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 33 patients who received salvage RT for biochemical failure after RP, including 11 who had received neoadjuvant hormone therapy before RP. Salvage RT was delivered to the prostatic bed at a total dose of 60 Gy with a 4-field contoured technique. Unbiased estimates of MNV were calculated from more than 100 cancer nuclei per patient captured from biopsy specimens based on a stereological method and compared with other clinical and pathological findings, including patient age, pretreatment prostate specific antigen (PSA), PSA density, biopsy Gleason score, neoadjuvant therapy, surgical Gleason score, pathological stage, tumor volume, surgical margin status, biochemical disease-free duration before RT, nadir PSA and PSA doubling time before RT, and pre-RT PSA with regard to predicting the disease outcome after salvage RT. RESULTS: The median followup after salvage RT was 43.4 months. A total of 17 patients (52%) experienced biochemical failure a median of 6.7 months (range 0 to 48.1) after RT. On univariate analysis MNV and log(pre-RT PSA) were significant predictors of disease outcome in all patients and in the 22 nonneoadjuvant patient subset (p = 0.0124 and 0.0159, respectively). Log(nadir PSA) and PSA doubling time were also significant in the latter subset (p = 0.0287 and 0.0475, respectively). However, dual multivariate analysis revealed that MNV was the only independent predictor in the 2 groups (logistic regression analysis p = 0.00931 and 0.03511, and Cox proportional hazards analysis p = 0.00483 and 0.02277, respectively). There was a statistically significant biochemical disease-free survival advantage for small vs large MNV in each data set (p = 0.0072 and 0.0036, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that an estimate of MNV contributes significantly to the prediction of biochemical control after salvage RT. However, further investigation in a larger nonneoadjuvant population is needed to confirm its significance in combination with other clinical and pathological findings.

Aged↗

Role of sildenafil citrate in treatment of erectile dysfunction after radical retropubic prostatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Sildenafil citrate was introduced as a treatment for erectile dysfunction in April 1998 in the United States and has been available since March 1999 in Japan. In this article, we assess the efficacy of sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in Japanese men after radical retropubic prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. METHODS: Of 106 men who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy between January 1994 and March 2000, 43 were prescribed sildenafil at their request after radical retropubic prostatectomy. Medication was initiated at 25 mg, and if this was ineffective, the dose was increased to 50 mg. Of the patients, 18 underwent bilateral and 21 unilateral nerve sparing (NS) procedures, while in 4 patients, a non-NS procedure was performed. These patients were interviewed using a questionnaire about their response to sildenafil and using the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty-three of the 43 patients were eligible for evaluation of the efficacy of sildenafil and 27 completed the IIEF-5 questionnaires. Sildenafil at 50 mg had a better effect on sexual function than 25 mg in most Japanese patients. Of the 16 patients who underwent bilateral NS procedures, 10 (62.5%) had improved ability for intercourse and 3 (18.8%) had improved erections. Of the 13 patients who underwent unilateral NS procedures, 7 (53.8%) had improved ability for intercourse and 4 (30.8%) had improved erections. None of the 4 patients who underwent non-NS procedures had a positive response. Of 24 patients with positive response to sildenafil, 3 (12.5%) did not have to take sildenafil after receiving it because they did not require it for intercourse. Mean IIEF-5 score increased from 4.3 to 11.4 (P < 0.0001). Patient age, time since surgery, PSA and pathological stage did not have statistically significant effects on outcome. The most commonly cited adverse effect was headache (21%). CONCLUSION: Sildenafil is equally effective for erectile dysfunction in Japanese patients who have undergone bilateral and unilateral NS procedures, and aids recovery of natural erectile function after radical retropubic prostatectomy. However, non-NS procedure patients had no response to sildenafil. This study suggested that sildenafil is well tolerated and should be initially used for treatment of Japanese men with erectile dysfunction after radical retropubic prostatectomy.

Aged↗

Prostate-specific antigen doubling time among Japanese men in an annual health screening program.

BACKGROUND: Prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSA-DT) has been studied as a parameter reflecting the biological doubling rate of clinically localized prostate cancer treated expectantly. With the use of PSA-DT, we studied the natural history of PSA changes among Japanese men in a health screening program. METHODS: Between July 1994 and December 2002, a cohort of 1995 men aged 40-79 years underwent a total of 5700 PSA measurements in an annual multiphasic health screening program. Prostate-specific antigen doubling time was calculated using a log-linear regression model for 994 (49.8%) men who had three or more serial PSA measurements with a mean follow-up of 46.2 months. RESULTS: Of the 994 men, 192 (19.3%) had a PSA-DT of less than 10 years and 12 (1.2%) had a PSA-DT of less than 2 years. Median PSA-DT in 14 men with a subsequent diagnosis of prostate cancer was 41.6 months (range, 12.2 to stable). A log-linear model statistically fitted 65 of 180 non-cancer patients with a PSA-DT of less than 10 years. The percentages of statistically fit cases increased with higher baseline PSA (5.3%, 7.7% and 8.7% among men with <1.0, 1.0-1.99 and 2.0-3.99 ng/mL, respectively) and older baseline age (3.7%, 8.5% and 6.9% among ages 40-49, 50-59 and 60 or older, respectively). CONCLUSION: In a small but significant portion of men, PSA increases exponentially when it is still less than 4.0 ng/mL, with a PSA-DT of less than 10 years. The clinical significance of this finding should be evaluated by a prospective screening including biopsy.

Adult↗

Long-term treatment outcome of tamsulosin for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

BACKGROUND: The present study assessed the long-term efficacy (>12 months) of tamsulosin in 123 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: The patients received a starting dose of tamsulosin of 0.2 mg/day, with a further titration up to 0.4 mg/day until symptom relief. Subjective and objective clinical variables were assessed using the international prostate symptom score (IPSS), IPSS quality of life (QoL) score, BPH impact index score, peak urinary flow rate (Q(max)) and postvoid residual urine volume. RESULTS: Except for Q(max), all clinical variables showed significant sustained improvements from baseline throughout the study period (median follow up, 43 months). Thirty patients (24.4%) withdrew because of surgical interventions. The Cox proportional hazards model showed that a baseline IPSS total score >or=15 (HR [hazard ratio] 2.13; 95% CI 1.04-4.34) was predictive of failure for tamsulosin therapy. Furthermore, during the first 12 months, a lowest IPSS total score >or=13 (HR 2.34; 95% CI 1.12-4.89), a lowest IPSS QoL score >or=3 (HR 4.16; 95% CI 1.26-13.68), and a lowest BPH impact index score >or=4 (HR 3.54; 95% CI 1.62-7.75) were also predictive of failure for tamsulosin therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Tamsulosin treatment of BPH patients for more than 12 months showed a sustained, stable efficacy. Patients without short-term effects were prone to withdraw from tamsulosin therapy, but so did patients with a high baseline IPSS total score, even if therapy was effective for at least 12 months.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗

Interstitial laser coagulation for management of benign prostatic hyperplasia: long-term follow-up.

AIM: We evaluated the long-term results of transurethral interstitial laser coagulation in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with up to 9 years of follow up at the Kurashiki Central Hospital and determined the patient characteristics that predict a favorable outcome. METHODS: From December 1993 to May 1997, a total of 82 patients were enrolled in the present study. Subjective and objective voiding parameters were collected from medical records and a self-administered questionnaire was sent to the patients. Kaplan-Meier plots were constructed to assess the risk of retreatment. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 48.4 months (range, 3-108 months). A total of 59 patients (72%) did not need any additional treatment at 12 months and 30 patients (37%) did not require additional treatment during the entire follow-up period. A total of 29 patients (35%) were retreated during follow-up. Transurethral prostate resection (TURP) was performed in 18 patients (22%). The remaining 11 patients (13%) were offered additional pharmacotherapy. The minimum and median retreatment-free durations were 3 and 14 months, respectively. Seven patients died and 17 were lost to follow-up. Men aged 71 years or older had greater likelihood of requiring retreatment than those younger than 71 years (P = 0.0397). No significant differences were noted in the other baseline characteristics. Among postoperative parameters, a rate of decrease of the International Prostate Symptom Score of the patient of lower than 60% and a rate of decrease in patient quality of life of lower than 50% at 3 months were associated with greater likelihood of retreatment (P = 0.0083 and P = 0.0006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Interstitial laser coagulation is effective for the treatment of BPH. Good long-term results and an acceptably low retreatment rate render this modality an effective alternative to TURP, especially for younger patients. Short-term improvement of subjective symptoms was predictive of favorable long-term outcome.

Age Factors↗

Retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy: experience of 23 cases.

INTRODUCTION: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy has recently been performed in several institutions for renal cancer. We report our experience with this type of operation and discuss the anatomy of perirenal fascial structures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From July 2000 to May 2002, we performed retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in 23 patients. We began this operation with longitudinal cutting of two layers of the posterior renal fasciae, and removed specimens without any fascial structure. RESULTS: Mean operative time was 203 min (range 129-314 min) with an average estimated blood loss of 113 ml (range 0-837 ml). There was 1 patient who required open conversion due to uncontrollable hemorrhage, but no complication was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is a safe and reliable method when the anatomy of the perirenal fasciae is clearly understood. Long-term follow-up of patients undergoing this procedure is warranted to its effect on the prognosis of renal cancer.

Adult↗

[Periprostatic local anesthesia before transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy].

PURPOSE: We prospectively assessed the safety and efficacy of periprostatic local anesthesia before transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 178 consecutive men undergoing transrectal prostate biopsy at our institution were enrolled in this study. From January to June 2001, 84 men underwent prostate biopsy without anesthesia (control group). From July to December 2001, 94 men received local anesthesia before prostate biopsies (anesthesia group). A 5-ml dose of 1% lidocaine was injected into the periprostatic nerve plexus on each side via a 22 gauge needle at 3 minutes before the procedure. Pain during and after biopsy was assessed using a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS). Complications were evaluated with a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The average pain score during biopsy was 3.18 in the anesthesia group versus 4.16 in the control group (p = 0.0067), while average pain score on the next day was 2.12 and 2.25, respectively (p = 0.7451). In the anesthesia group 13% of patients had a pain score > 5 versus 34% in the control group (p = 0.0043). The complication rate showed no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Periprostatic lidocaine injection is a safe and effective method of anesthesia for transrectal prostate biopsy.

Anesthesia, Local↗

[Two cases of encrusted cystitis].

Encrusted cystitis is a type of severe cystitis, which progresses chronically and is characterized by excessively alkaline urine and calcifications within the bladder wall. We report two cases of encrusted cystitis. Both cases were high aged and had severe anemia with chronic cystitis. They complained of gross hematuria, voiding frequency and pain upon urination. Urine pH was 8-9, and urine cytology was negative. Urine culture contained Corynebacterium Group D2. Abdominal computed tomography and transurethral resection revealed wall bladder wall calcification and inflammatory change. We diagnosed it as encrusted cystitis. The patients underwent excision of plaques of calcified encrustation, adapted antibiotic therapy and acidification of urine. It is essential to diagnose encrusted cystitis early and to provide adequate treatment promptly.

Aged↗