Caner Dinlenc

The laparoscopic Boari flap

PURPOSE Laparoscopic management of ureteral pathologies, such as ureteropelvic junction obstruction, ureteral calculi and retroperitoneal fibrosis, has proved to be highly effective. We present our initial experience with the laparoscopic Boari flap in regard to feasibility, safety and short-term results. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three patients who presented with distal ureteral obstruction underwent preoperative radiographic evaluation, including excretory urography, computerized tomography and retrograde pyelography, that showed upper urinary tract dilatation at the site of obstruction. The contralateral upper urinary tract was normal in all cases. Ureteroureterostomy and ureteroneocystostomy was not feasible because of stricture length and a laparoscopic Boari flap procedure was performed. Renal function, symptom improvement and radiological studies, including excretory urography and cystography, were assessed 3 and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS All procedures were successfully performed without any intraoperative complications or need for open conversion. Excretory urography showed good drainage with no obstruction of urine flow and all patients had grade I vesicoureteral reflux on cystography. CONCLUSIONS The laparoscopic Boari flap is feasible using currently available laparoscopic suturing techniques. Longer followup and larger series of patients are necessary to provide data comparable to that of the open approach.

NORMAL URODYNAMICS IN PATIENTS WITH BLADDER EXSTROPHY: ARE THEY ACHIEVABLE?

PURPOSE Urodynamic study was performed in patients with exstrophy to determine the effect of bladder neck reconstruction and the ability to achieve normal urodynamics following surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 30 exstrophy cases at different stages of reconstruction were retrospectively reviewed in terms of bladder capacity, compliance, stability and presence of detrusor contractions following urodynamic study. RESULTS Bladder capacity increased from a third predicted volume for age to half after reconstruction. Approximately 80% of patients had compliant and stable bladders before bladder neck reconstruction. Following bladder neck reconstruction approximately half of the patients maintained normal compliance with a smaller number maintaining normal stability. A quarter of patients maintained normal filling dynamics following bladder neck reconstruction, and 19% maintained normal filling and voiding dynamics after reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS The majority of closed exstrophy bladders have normal filling dynamics before bladder neck reconstruction. Compliance and stability are impaired following bladder neck reconstruction. Approximately 25% of patients with exstrophy may maintain normal detrusor function following reconstruction. However, less invasive alternatives to the Young-Dees-Leadbetter bladder neck reconstruction should be sought.

What Is the “True” Incidence of Active Surveillance and Brachytherapy Candidates in Men Undergoing Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy?

PURPOSE To correlate clinical low-risk prostate cancers with pathologic outcomes in men who are considered for active surveillance (AS), interstitial radiation therapy, or radical prostatectomy (RP). PATIENTS AND METHODS Clinical and pathologic data of 76 consecutive patients who underwent RP by a single surgeon between October 2001 and July 2008 were reviewed. The retrospective review identified men with clinical low-risk disease--defined as a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level <10 ng/mL, no Gleason pattern >3, no >2 cores positive, and no core >50%--who would also have been considered for AS and/or brachytherapy based on these features. Pathologic specimens were examined for Gleason primary, secondary, and tertiary patterns, perineural invasion, capsular involvement, margins, nodal disease, and seminal vesicle involvement. RESULTS Of the patients who underwent RP, 42/76 (55%) had low-risk clinical staging; 8/76 (19%) had low-risk features on final pathologic staging. Fifty-four of 76 (71%) were pT2c; 10% were pT3. Gleason 6 was seen in 41/76 (53%) of RP specimens; Gleason 7 and 8 in 41% and 4%, respectively. Favorable brachytherapy parameters were identified in 63% of those who underwent surgery, but 39 of 48 (81%) would have been inappropriately selected based on features of the pathologic specimen. CONCLUSION Clinical staging based on PSA level and biopsy findings correlates poorly with pathologic outcome when stratifying for low-risk features in men who may be candidates for brachytherapy and/or AS.

SECURED MEDICAL IMAGING OVER THE INTERNET

The Internet has established itself as an affordable, extremely viable and ubiquitous communications network that can be easily accessed from virtually any point in the world. This makes it ideally suited for medical image communications. Issues regarding security and confidentiality of information on the Internet, however, need to be addressed for both occasional, individual users and consistent enterprise-wide users. In addition, the limited bandwidth of most Internet connections must be factored into the development of a realistic usermodel and resulting protocol. Open architecture issues must also be considered so that images can be communicated to recipients who do not have similar programs. Further, application-specific software is required to integrate image acquisition, encryption and transmission into a single, streamlined process. Using Photomailer software provided by PhysiTel Inc., the authors investigated the use of sending secured still images over the Internet. The scope of their investigation covered the use of the Internet for communicating images for consultation, referral, mentoring and education. Photomailer software was used at several local and remote sites. The program was used for both sending and receiving images. It was also used for sending images to recipients who did not have Photomailer, but instead relied on conventional email programs. The results of the investigation demonstrated that using products such as Photomailer, images could be quickly and easily communicated from one location to another via the Internet. In addition, the investigators were able to retrieve images off of their existing email accounts, thereby providing greater flexibility and convenience than other systems which require scheduled transmission of information on dedicated systems. We conclude that Photomailer and similar products may provide a significant benefit and improve communications among colleagues, providing an inexpensive means of sending secured images on the Internet.