Daniel S. Elliott

MAYO CLINIC LONG-TERM ANALYSIS OF THE FUNCTIONAL DURABILITY OF THE AMS 800 ARTIFICIAL URINARY SPHINCTER: A REVIEW OF 323 CASES

PURPOSE We determine the long-term durability of the AMS 800* artificial urinary sphincter in the correction of severe urinary incontinence, and evaluate mechanical versus nonmechanical failure and reoperation rates before (1983 to 1987) and after (1988 to present) the introduction of the narrow backing occlusive cuff design. MATERIALS AND METHODS From January 1983 to October 1994 more than 400 patients received an AMS 800 artificial urinary sphincter placed by 1 surgeon and 323, mean age 60.4 years, met study requirements for review. Mean followup was 68.8 months (range 18 to 153). Only patients with a minimum of 18 months of followup were included in the study. Of the 313 men and 10 women in the study group sphincters were placed at the urethra in 272 and at the bladder neck in 51. All patients were followed from surgery to the date of sphincter failure. Etiology of the failures was recorded and divided into mechanical versus nonmechanical sphincters placed before and after the introduction of the narrow backing cuff. RESULTS Overall, 58 of the 139 patients (42%) in the pre-narrow backing cuff group versus 31 of the 184 (17%) in the narrow backing cuff group required a first reoperation. Mechanical failure occurred in 29 cases (21%) with the pre-narrow backing and 14 (7.6%) with the narrow backing cuff. Nonmechanical failure developed in 24 cases (17%) with the pre-narrow backing and 17 (9%) with the narrow backing cuff. Ultimately 437 operations were required in the 323 patients, of whom 234 (72%) required no further surgical intervention at a mean followup of 68.8 months. CONCLUSIONS Technological advances in the design and construction of the AMS 800 have dramatically decreased the reoperation and failure rates. These advances and improved surgical techniques provide an excellent long-term solution and increased continence in correctly selected patients with urinary incontinence.

Is nephroureterectomy necessary in all cases of upper tract transitional cell carcinoma? Long-term results of conservative endourologic management of upper tract transitional cell carcinoma in individuals with a normal contralateral kidney.

Abstract Objectives. To evaluate the endoscopic management of upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) as a first-line treatment in patients with a normal contralateral kidney. Methods. During an 11-year period, 21 patients diagnosed with upper tract TCC were treated with conservative endourologic techniques using either neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser or electrocautery at our institution. The 21 patients were followed up for a mean of 6.1 years (range 1 to 11.6). Results. A total of 8 renal pelvic tumors and 13 ureteral tumors were found. All tumors were Stage T1 or less and grade 3 or less. All tumors were less than 2 cm in the greatest dimension (range 0.4 to 2). Of the 21 patients, 7 (33%) had one local recurrence and 1 (4.7%) developed two local recurrences. Of the 13 ureteral tumors, 6 (46%) recurred; 1 (12%) of the 8 renal pelvic tumors recurred. No recurrent tumor was shown to have an increase in grade. Of the 21 target renal units, 17 (81%) were preserved; 4 (19%) of 21 patients required nephroureterectomy because of tumor recurrence. Overall, 11 patients in the series died, 10 of non-TCC etiology and 1 secondary to invasive bladder TCC that developed after treatment for upper tract TCC. No patients died as a result of conservative management of their upper tract TCC. Conclusions. Endourologic techniques and conservative treatment of upper tract TCC is an evolving field; however, in properly selected patients, endoscopic treatment can be safely and effectively used as a first-line treatment for upper tract TCC.

Long-term follow-up of endoscopically treated upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES This report focuses on the long-term follow-up of patients with endoscopically treated upper tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) to determine the effectiveness of endoscopic therapy. METHODS From May 1983 to April 1994, 44 patients with TCC of the upper urinary tract underwent conservative endourologic treatment with either electrocautery fulguration or neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser at our institution. The mean follow-up period was 5 years (range, 3 months to 11 years). RESULTS Renal pelvic tumor sizes ranged from 0.4 to 4.0 cm (mean, 1.5) and ureteral tumors from 0.2 to 1.0 cm (mean, 0.5). The majority of tumors were of pathologic grade 3 or less, and all were Stage T2 or less. Seventeen of 44 patients (38.6%) had local tumor recurrence (mean time to recurrence, 12.8 months; range 1.5 to 64). Mean recurrence time was 7.3 months for renal pelvic tumors and 17.8 months for ureteral tumors. Nineteen of 44 patients (43.2%) developed bladder tumors. The overall 5-year disease-free rate was 57%. No recurrent tumor was shown to have increased in grade, and one recurrent tumor was proved to have progressed in stage. Six patients (14%) ultimately required a nephroureterectomy for recurrence. There were no major complications as a result of endoscopic therapy. Six patients (14%) died of the effects of metastatic TCC, 5 of whom had known muscle invasive bladder TCC. CONCLUSIONS Endourologic techniques and the conservative treatment of upper urinary tract TCC is an evolving field and can be safely and effectively used as a first-line treatment for upper tract TCC in selected patients.

LONG-TERM FOLLOWUP AND EVALUATION OF PRIMARY REALIGNMENT OF POSTERIOR URETHRAL DISRUPTIONS

PURPOSE We analyzed the long-term results of treatment of posterior urethral disruptions with immediate primary realignment. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 57 patients with posterior urethral disruptions (56 complete and 1 partial) underwent primary urethral realignment within 6 hours after injury. Pelvic fractures were present in 52 patients. In all cases the actual operating time for realignment was 1.25 hours or less. All patients were evaluated postoperatively for incontinence, impotence and strictures. Mean followup was 10.5 years (range up to 40 years) after injury and 53 patients were available for long-term followup. RESULTS Erections-42 of 53 patients (79%) reported no erectile dysfunction, 7 (13%) reported decreased quality of erection but required no treatment and 4 (7.5%) had erectile dysfunction requiring treatment. Incontinence-2 of 53 patients (3.7%) reported mild post-realignment stress incontinence. Both patients did not need treatment for incontinence or protective padding. Strictures-18 of 53 patients (34%) had evidence of post-realignment strictures and required no further urethral dilation or surgical intervention. Mean followup for these 18 patients was 12 years 2 months. A total of 36 patients (68%) had post-realignment strictures; however, 23 (43.4%) were considered to have mild strictures that were observed or easily managed with in-office dilation. Mean followup for these patients was 8.5 years. Of the 53 patients 13 (24.5%) had more significant strictures that required a repeat procedure using general anesthesia. A total of 20 procedures was required to treat the 13 patients. Of the 20 procedures done using general anesthesia 16 (80%) were completed on an outpatient basis. The remaining 4 patients required urethroplasty. Mean followup of the 13 patients was 11 years 9 months. CONCLUSIONS Immediate primary realignment resulted in negligible intraoperative morbidity, and acceptably low incidences of impotence, incontinence and symptomatic strictures.

Endoscopic management of upper tract transitional cell carcinoma in patients with normal contralateral kidneys.

OBJECTIVES We report our experience using ureteroscopic or percutaneous management of upper tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in elective situations. METHODS Between 1983 and 2004 we identified 83 patients who underwent endoscopic management of upper tract TCC in the setting of a normal contralateral kidney. We performed a retrospective chart review and conducted outcome analyses. RESULTS Median age at diagnosis was 71 years (range, 37 to 90 years) and median tumor size was 0.8 cm (range, 0.2 to 3.0 cm). Grade 3 tumors were present in 8 patients (10%), whereas the remaining 75 (90%) patients were grade 1 or 2 or diagnosed as visual low grade. Tumor stage was Ta or visual Ta in 78 patients (94%). Median follow-up was 4.6 years (range, 0.4 to 17 years) during which 46 patients (55%) developed 76 upper tract recurrences and 37 patients (45%) developed a recurrence in the bladder. At last follow-up, 27 patients (33%) required a nephroureterectomy and 9 patients (11%) died from TCC. Patients with high-grade (risk ratio, 9.8; P = 0.001) and non-Ta stage tumors (risk ratio, 5.7; P = 0.003) were at significant risk of death from disease. Among 43 patients with a diagnosis based on visual inspection only, 9 (21%) developed grade 3 TCC during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Our results underscore the need for strict surveillance after endoscopic management of upper tract TCC. Recurrence is common and nearly one-third of patients in this cohort eventually required nephroureterectomy. Patients with a visual diagnosis, without adequate tissue for pathologic analysis, can experience recurrence of high-grade invasive TCC.

Long-term Outcomes Following Artificial Urinary Sphincter Placement: An Analysis of 1082 Cases at Mayo Clinic

OBJECTIVE To evaluate long-term device outcomes following primary artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified 1802 male patients with stress urinary incontinence that underwent AUS placement from 1983 to 2011. Of these, 1082 (60%) were involving primary implantations and comprise the study cohort. Multiple clinical and surgical variables were evaluated for potential association with treatment failure, defined as any secondary surgery. Patient follow-up was obtained through office examination, operative report, and written or telephone correspondence. RESULTS Patients undergoing AUS implantation had a median age of 71 years (interquartile range 66-76) and median follow-up of 4.1 years (interquartile range 0.8-7.7). Overall, 338 of 1082 patients (31.2%) underwent secondary surgery, including 89 for device infection and/or erosion, 131 for device malfunction, 89 for urethral atrophy, and 29 for pump malposition or tubing complications. No patient-related risk factors were independently associated with an increased risk of secondary surgery on multivariable analysis. Secondary surgery-free survival was 90% at 1 year, 74% at 5 years, 57% at 10 years, and 41% at 15 years. CONCLUSION Primary AUS implantation is associated with acceptable long-term outcomes. Recognition of long-term success is important for preoperative patient counseling.

Outcome Analysis of Urethral Wall Stent Insertion With Artificial Urinary Sphincter Placement for Severe Recurrent Bladder Neck Contracture Following Radical Prostatectomy

PURPOSE We present outcome and quality of life analyses for the treatment of post-radical prostatectomy bladder neck contracture with urethral wall stent insertion and subsequent artificial urinary sphincter placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis from June 2001 to September 2007 identified 25 consecutive men who underwent urethral wall stent placement for severe, recurrent bladder neck contracture despite aggressive transurethral resection after radical prostatectomy. Assessment of symptoms and quality of life impact from urinary incontinence was conducted with a self-administered, standardized questionnaire. Nonparametric testing was used for comparing covariates among groups. Univariate Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to assess predictors of treatment failure. P values are double-sided and are considered statistically significant if </=0.05. RESULTS Etiology of recurrent bladder neck contracture was radical prostatectomy in all patients. Concurrent severe stress incontinence before treatment of bladder neck contracture was noted in 23 of 25 patients (92%). Before urethral wall stent insertion a median of 3 (IQR 2 to 5) failed endoscopic treatments were performed. Bladder neck contracture stabilization with insertion of 1 urethral wall stent was noted in 13 of 25 (52%) patients with a median followup of 2.9 years from last urethral wall stent insertion. Multiple urethral wall stent insertions (range 2 to 4) salvaged an additional 6 of 25 (24%) patients and failure to obtain patency was observed in 6 of 25 (24%). All patients responded to the questionnaire and quality of life improvement was noted in 23 of 25 patients (92%). CONCLUSIONS Urethral wall stent and delayed artificial urinary sphincter placement for treatment of severe, recurrent bladder neck contracture and incontinence after radical prostatectomy is associated with improvement in quality of life. Long-term followup is required to further delineate the efficacy of this treatment approach.

Long-Term Device Outcomes of Artificial Urinary Sphincter Reimplantation Following Prior Explantation for Erosion or Infection

PURPOSE We evaluated clinical outcomes in patients treated with artificial urinary sphincter reimplantation after artificial urinary sphincter explantation for erosion or infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified 704 consecutive artificial urinary sphincter implantation procedures performed at our institution from 1998 to 2012, including 497 (71%) as primary implantation and 138 (20%) as revision surgery for device malfunction. A total of 69 patients (10%) had undergone at least 1 prior artificial urinary sphincter explantation secondary to urethral erosion and/or device infection, of whom 36 (52%) were treated with 2 to 5 prior reimplantation procedures. Patient followup was performed through office examination, or written or telephone correspondence. RESULTS Patients treated with artificial urinary sphincter reimplantation had a median age of 78 years (IQR 72, 80) and a median followup of 34 months (IQR 5, 61). Artificial urinary sphincter reimplantation was done a median of 9 months (IQR 6, 13) after explantation. Patients treated with reimplantation after erosion or infection were more likely to require repeat explantation than those with primary implantation (13 of 69 or 19% vs 32 of 497 or 6.4%, p = 0.002). However, when evaluating repeat procedures, the 5-year device survival rate after reimplantation due to erosion or infection vs primary implantation was 68% vs 76% (p = 0.38). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that artificial urinary sphincter reimplantation after explantation for urethral erosion and/or device infection is associated with an increased rate of recurrent erosion/infection requiring repeat explantation. However, in appropriately selected and counseled patients clinically acceptable long-term device use can be achieved.

Postprostatectomy urinary incontinence: a comparison of the cost of conservative versus surgical management.

OBJECTIVES Post-radical prostatectomy stress incontinence occurs in up to 20% of patients. Postprostatectomy incontinence is initially treated with undergarments, pads, or drip collectors. Patients with persistent leakage are often treated with a transurethral bulking agent (Contigen) or placement of an artificial genitourinary sphincter (AGUS). We have compared the direct costs of each treatment at our institution over 10 years. METHODS The Mayo Clinic estimating office provided the Medicare and non-Medicare charges for patients receiving both collagen injection (outpatient) and AGUS placement (2-day hospitalization) during August 1995. The Mayo Store provided the current price of all undergarments, pads, and drip collectors carried. Two local grocery stores provided the cost of Depends undergarments. RESULTS The following items were the least expensive carried at the Mayo Clinic Store: Entrust undergarments, Active Style pads, and Conveen drip collectors at

Elective endoscopic management of transitional cell carcinoma first diagnosed in the upper urinary tract

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