Ayhan Karakose

Erratum to “Does Urinary Bladder Shape Affect Urinary Flow Rate in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms?”

In the paper titled “Does Urinary Bladder Shape Affect Urinary Flow Rate in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms?” we should add an author who has contributed to our study for the images: Murat Cinar, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Izmir Katip Celebi University, 35620 Izmir, Turkey. In addition we should here correct the affiliation of one of the authors named Omer Karal and the postal code in the affiliation of the author Mahmut Pekedis.

The relationship between bladder wall thickness and lower urinary tract symptoms: Does bladder wall thickness change after alpha-blocker therapy with alfuzosin?

INTRODUCTION We evaluate the association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and bladder wall thickness (BWT) and investigate whether alfuzosin might improve BWT. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the data of 164 patients with LUTS. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to BWT (Group 1: BWT ≤5 mm, n = 69; Group 2: BWT >5 mm, n = 95). Age, international prostate symptom score (IPSS), maximum and average urinary flow rates (Qmax and Qave), quality of life (QoL), postvoid residual (PVR) urine volume, prostate volume and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were compared between the 2 groups. In total, 102 patients underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and 62 patients were treated with alfuzosin. We compared BWT, Qmax, Qave, IPSS, QoL, PVR and PSA before and at the sixth month of alfuzosin therapy. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS The mean BWT of Group 1 was 3.72 ± 0.56 mm and Group 2 was 6.43 ± 1.13 mm. There was a significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of mean Qmax and PVR. There was no statistical difference between the groups in terms of Qave, IPSS, QoL, prostate volume and PSA. There was significant difference between BWT before (6.8 ± 2.1) and after (4.6 ± 1.3) treatment with alfuzosin in 62 patients (p = 0.02). There was a significant difference between pre- and post-treatment values of mean Qmax, Qave, IPSS, QoL score, and PVR with alfuzosin. CONCLUSION BWT is a non-invasive and effective test to evaluate patients with lower urinary tract obstruction and may be used for showing the effectiveness of alpha-blocker therapy in patients with LUTS.

Recent management of urinary stone disease in a pediatric population

The incidence of stone disease has been increasing and the risk of recurrent stone formation is high in a pediatric population. It is crucial to use the most effective method with the primary goal of complete stone removal to prevent recurrence from residual fragments. While extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is still considered first line therapy in many clinics for urinary tract stones in children, endoscopic techniques are widely preferred due to miniaturization of instruments and evolution of surgical techniques. The standard procedures to treat urinary stone disease in children are the same as those used in an adult population. These include ESWL, ureterorenoscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (standard PCNL or mini-perc), laparoscopic and open surgery. ESWL is currently the procedure of choice for treating most upper urinary tract calculi in a pediatric population. In recent years, endourological management of pediatric urinary stone disease is preferred in many centers with increasing experience in endourological techniques and decreasing sizes of surgical equipment. The management of pediatric stone disease has evolved with improvements in the technique and a decrease in the size of surgical instruments. Recently, endoscopic methods have been safely and effectively used in children with minor complications. In this review, we aim to summarize the recent management of urolithiasis in children.

Long-term results of permanent memotherm urethral stent in the treatment of recurrent bulbar urethral strictures

PURPOSE To evaluate the long term outcomes of permanent Memotherm urethral stent in the treatment of recurrent bulbar urethral stricture. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty patients who underwent permanent Memotherm urethral stent implantation due to recurrent bulbar urethral stricture following previous unsuccessful surgical procedure from 1996 to 2002 were included in the study. Long-term outcomes of the patients were evaluated. RESULTS The overall success rate was 87.5% at the end of the tenth year. There was discomfort in implantation area in eight patients about 1 month following the procedure. These patients were treated with alpha-blocker and anti-inflammatory drugs. Stone formation was observed at the urethral stent implantation area in two patients. Post-void dripping has been observed in 15 patients up to the postoperative 3rd month. Stress urinary incontinence was observed in a patient with a 1-year follow-up. Partial stent migration was observed in two patients. None of the patients experienced pain during erection. CONCLUSION Memotherm urethral stent is a minimal invasive surgical procedure which can be safely and effectively used in patients with recurrent urethral stricture.

Unilateral complete ureteral duplication with distal ureteral stone: A rare entity

Complete duplex ureters opening separately into the urinary bladder is extremely rare; they can be embryologically explained as a development of two ureteral buds separately from a single mesonephric duct. We describe a case of unilateral complete ureteral duplication with distally localized ureteral stone in a 49-year-old male who presented with right flank pain.

The use of the amplatz sheath in percutaneous nephrolithotomy: does amplatz sheath size matter?

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of Amplatz sheath size used in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) on postoperative outcome, bleeding, and renal impairment rates. Materials and Methods: One-hundred and ten patients who underwent uneventful percutaneous nephrolithotomy between November 2011 and October 2012 were included in the study. The patients were divided into 5 groups based on Amplatz sheath size (22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 Fr). Groups were comppared in terms of pre- and post-operative mean hemoglobin, creatinine, nephrostomy time, nephrostomy tube diameter, operative time, and fluoroscope time. Results: Mean operative time, preoperative hemoglobin and creatinine values were similar in all groups. Postoperative mean hemoglobin level was significantly lower and postoperative mean creatinine level was significantly higher in patients who were treated with a larger Amplatz sheath when compared to a smaller size (p < 0.05). It was observed that nephrostomy time and nephrostomy tube size significantly increased as the Amplatz sheath size increased. Seven patients presented with postoperative infection (1, 2, 1, 0 and 3 patients in Group I, II, III, IV, and V respectively), 13 patients presented with bleeding requiring blood transfusion (2, 4, and 7 patients in Group III, IV, and V respectively), and residual stone was observed in 9 patients (5, 2, 0, 1, and 1 patients in Group I, II, III, IV, and V respectively). Conclusion: Although the use of a larger Amplatz sheath for larger stones seems to be suitable, this is not the case for smaller stones. For smaller stones, a smaller Amplatz sheath size would be useful to decrease the bleeding and renal impairment rates.

Epididymoorchitis as the First Finding in Patients with Brucellosis

Purpose. Acute scrotal pain as the first symptom of brucellosis is rarely observed. We aimed to evaluate the data of male patients with brucellosis and epididymoorchitis as the initial diagnosis. Material and Methods. The data of seven patients presented with testicular pain, hyperemia, swelling, and increased fever were reviewed. Concomitant focal diseases as well as clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings were retrospectively evaluated. Results. The mean age of the patients was 22.28 ± 7.78 (16–35) years. All patients presented with scrotal pain, swelling, and increased sweating. Additional findings included fever, asthenia, arthralgia, dysuria, shiver and rash, weight loss, and vomiting in 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, and 1 patient, respectively. In all of 7 patients, the agglutination tests of Rose-Bengal and Wright were positive. Coombs test was positive only in 3 patients. The patients underwent antibiotic and conservative treatment. No relapse was observed following the treatment. Conclusion. In endemic regions, epididymoorchitis caused by brucellosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with acute scrotal pain. Clinical and serological findings are sufficient for the diagnosis. Conservative management combined with antibiotic therapy is adequate for managing brucellar epididymoorchitis.

An Extremely Rare Complication of Double-J Stenting: Renal Parenchymal Perforation with no Hematoma

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Does Urinary Bladder Shape Affect Urinary Flow Rate in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

We aimed to investigate the role of urinary bladder shape which may potentially change with advancing age, increased waist circumference, pelvic ischemia, and loosening of the urachus on bladder emptying and UFR. We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 76 men. The patients were divided into two groups according to bladder shapes in MRI scan (cone and spheric shapes). There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of IPSS, Qmax, Qave, and waist circumference. A positive correlation has been demonstrated between mean peak urinary flow rate measured with UFM and mean flow rate calculated using the CP. There was a significant difference between mean urinary flow rates calculated with CP of cone and sphere bladder shapes. The change in the bladder shape might be a possible factor for LUTS in men and LUTS may be improved if modifiable factors including increased waist circumference and loosening of the urachus are corrected.

The stone formation in the Memotherm urethral stent implantation area: Is it a rare complication?

Recurrent urethral stricture is one of the biggest problems in urology. Urethral stents as an alternative treatment has been used since 1985. The stone formation in the Memotherm (Angiomed) urethral stent implantation area is a rare complication. We report the case of a 67-year-old man who had a stone in the Memotherm urethral stent implantation area 6 years after his urethral stent surgery.