K.P. Jünemann

Comparison of fesoterodine and tolterodine in patients with overactive bladder

To compare, in a post hoc analysis of a phase III trial, the maximum recommended doses of fesoterodine (8 mg) and tolterodine (4 mg) for improving overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL), as fesoterodine effectively reduces OAB symptoms vs placebo.

Urinary urgency: a review of its assessment as the key symptom of the overactive bladder syndrome

PurposeOveractive bladder (OAB) is a common condition that is associated with a negative impact on quality of life. Urgency is the essential symptom when making a diagnosis, and its effective treatment is a principal aim in OAB management. However, urgency has often been relatively neglected as an outcome measure in clinical trials. The aim of this review is, first, to describe the background to urgency in OAB; second, to determine whether results provided by several tools used to measure urgency in clinical trials could be cross-related to each other in a meaningful way.MethodsThe wording of various tools used to measure urgency in OAB was compared against the definition of urgency proposed by the International Continence Society (ICS). Urgency data were evaluated from two randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials with solifenacin in which seven tools were used to measure urgency as a primary or secondary outcome. In particular, subanalyses were available from these tools, which measured urgency equating to the ICS definition, excluding data points that could be interpreted as normal/strong desire to void.ResultsBaseline scores for ICS-defined urgency differed between the tools, which might reflect imprecision in their wording and consequent overlap between urgency and normal/strong desire to void. All the tools detected broadly similar mean percentage reductions in the number of urgency episodes from baseline to the endpoint of the studies.ConclusionsUrgency should be the primary or co-primary endpoint for future studies of OAB and detrusor overactivity. Greater clarity is needed in the development of instruments for measuring urgency, so that they do not confuse urgency with normal bladder sensations; more education and guidance are needed on how urgency is defined.

Methylene Blue as a Successful Treatment Alternative for Pharmacologically Induced Priapism

Objective: Priapism is defined as prolonged and persistent erection of the penis without sexual stimulation. Etiologies of this condition are numerous. Treatment of priapism varies from a conservative medical to a drastic surgical approach. Recent findings indicate methylene blue (MB), a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, to be a potential inhibitor of endothelial–mediated cavernous relaxation. This prompted us to assess the feasibility, use and effectiveness of MB in the treatment of priapism. Methods: 12 patients were treated for priapism. Etiologies were: 10 drug–mediated (PGE1 or papaverine/phentolamine mixture) after corpus cavernosum injection therapy (CCIT); 1 leukemia–induced, and 1 idiopathic high–flow priapism. The age range for all patients was 13–67 years, the average duration of priapism was 5.5 h after CCIT. MB was administered after blood aspiration of the corpora cavernosa. 5 ml of MB was injected intracavernously (i.c.) and left for 5 min. MB was then aspirated and the penis compressed for an additional 5 min. Results: All patients with CCIT–induced priapism were cured with MB alone. The 2 patients who did not respond to MB underwent i.c. phenylephrine administration and embolization of the pudendal artery, respectively. The etiology and duration of priapism were the strongest predictors for success with i.c. administered MB. The primary side effects were a transient burning sensation and blue discoloration of the penis on injection of MB. The initial baseline erectile status was restored in all patients cured by MB. Conclusion: These results confirm that MB is a safe and highly effective treatment agent for short–term pharmacologically induced priapism. The application of MB shows virtually no significant side effects compared to the systemic and local complications induced by α–adrenergic agonists.

Male genital injury: diagnostics and treatment

This article reviews the current status of information on external male genital injuries, focusing on cause, diagnostic and therapeutic management of this uncommon entity. Because of the high risk of infection and the major importance of preserving fertility, male genital injuries represent a serious urological disorder that demands immediate urological treatment. The diagnostic procedure classically consists of taking a history and inspecting the wound; this provides enough diagnostic information for the correct choice of conservative or surgical treatment. In most cases open injuries of the genitalia require surgical exploration to determine the extent of possible scrotal, testicular, epididymal, cavernosal or urethral damage, to debride nonviable superficial or deep tissue, to drain existing haematomas or to control active bleeding. Furthermore, the correct therapeutic approach is crucial for preserving fertility and penile erection. In cases where bilateral ablation is necessary, measures to preserve sperm, e.g. testicular or microsurgical sperm extraction, or squeezing the ductus during orchidectomy, must be considered.

Interobserver variation in grading and staging of squamous cell carcinoma of the penis in relation to the clinical outcome.

To examine interobserver variations in assessing grade and stage of penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Squamous cell carcinoma of the penis: Predicting nodal metastases by histologic grade, pattern of invasion and clinical examination

With a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the penis, there is still a significant need to define the tumor criteria that allow the disease to be stratified according to the risk of developing lymph node metastases. The histopathology of the primary tumor in 72 consecutive patients with resected squamous cell carcinoma of the penis was reviewed for this study. Tumor tissue was reviewed for (1) histologic grade, (2) invasion pattern, (3) tumor stage, (4) proportion of poorly differentiated tumor cells, (5) invasion depth, (6) proportion of tumor necrosis, (7) angioinvasion, (8) histologic classification, (9) number of lesions, (10) growth pattern, (11) number of mitoses, (12) degree of keratinization, and (13) clinical groin status. It was found that the presence of inguinal lymph node metastases correlated in descending order of frequency with grade G2/G3, clinically positive groin status, reticular invasion, stage pT2/T3, >50% poorly differentiated tumor cells, depth of invasion, and comedolike tumor necrosis. These results revealed that the risk of inguinal lymph node metastasis in penile carcinoma can be predicted on the basis of 3 major factors: histologic grade, pattern of invasion, and clinical groin status.

Findings with Bilateral Sacral Neurostimulation: Sixty-two PNE-Tests in Patients with Neurogenic and Idiopathic Bladder Dysfunctions.

We performed bilateral PNE (peripheral nerve evaluation) tests to identify which diagnostic groups are the most likely to profit from bilateral sacral neuromodulation since the results published so far have been obtained exclusively on the basis of unilateral sacral root stimulation. In contrast to the original unilateral technique, we performed bilateral PNE test stimulation in 62 patients (36 with urinary retention symptoms and 26 with overactive detrusor; 21 with idiopathic and 41 with neurogenic bladder dysfunction) over 3–4 days. We used an advanced electrode, model #3057 (Medtronic, Inc. Minneapolis, MN). The stimulation amplitudes were adjusted individually for each side. Retrospectively, we analyzed our data according to diagnostic characteristics (retention vs. overactive bladder and neurogenic vs. idiopathic) of those patients who had positive PNE test results. The PNE test was successful in 32 patients (51.6%). Of these, 27 suffered from neurogenic bladder dysfunction; in five cases the cause was idiopathic. We conclude that bilateral PNE test stimulation with side‐specific amplitude adjustment and the use of advanced PNE electrodes led to a positive PNE result in 51.6% of the patients, which is a substantially increased response rate compared to previous studies. Of the diagnostics groups, the group with neurogenic bladder dysfunctions showed the highest response rate.

Chronische sakrale bilaterale Neuromodulation Einsatz einer minimalinvasiven Implantationstechnik bei Patienten mit Blasenfunktionsstörungen

ZusammenfassungIn der Literatur werden die Misserfolgsraten mit der von Tanagho und Schmidt beschriebenen unilateralen Stimulation mit bis zu 50% angegeben. Zur Verbesserung der Modulationseffektivität und besseren Elektrodenplatzierung und Fixation führen wir eine minimale sakrale Laminektomie mit bilateraler Elektrodenplatzierung durch.Bei insgesamt 20 Patienten wurde nach erfolgreichem PNE-Test (periphere Nervenevaluierung) ein sakraler Neuromodulator mit bilateraler Elektrodenplatzierung implantiert. Zur besseren Elektrodenplatzierung und Fixierung wurde eine minimal-invasive Laminektomie durchgeführt.Bei den Patienten mit Detrusorinstabilität reduzierten sich die Inkontinenzepisoden von durschnittlich 7,2 auf 1 pro Tag, die Blasenkapazität stieg von 198 auf 352 ml. Bei den Patienten mit hypokontraktilem Detrusor reduzierten sich die Restharnwerte von 450 auf 108 ml. Der maximale Detrusorkontraktionsdruck während der Miktion stieg von 12 auf 34 cm H2O.Mit der bilateralen sakralen Neuromodulation und mit der von uns entwickelten Implantationstechnik sind optimale Ergebnisse bei Patienten mit therapierefraktären Detrusorinstabilitäten und Patienten mit hypokontraktilem Detrusor zu erzielen.AbstractThe implantable neuromodulation system described by Tanagho and Schmidt enables unilateral sacral nerve stimulation. Reports have been made on sacral neuromodulation failures of up to 50% in patients undergoing this procedure. We chose the bilateral electrode implantation and a minimal invasive laminectomy to ensure a more effective modulation and better placement and fixation of the electrodes.After successful assessment using a peripheral nerve evaluation test, 20 patients (14 with detrusor instability, 6 with hypocontractile detrusor) underwent minimally invasive laminectomy and bilateral electrode placement. In the patients with detrusor instability, the incontinence episodes were reduced from 7.2 to 1 per day and the bladder capacity improved from 198 to 352 ml. In patients with hypocontractile detrusor, the initial residual urine level of 450 ml dropped to 108 ml. Maximum detrusor pressure during micturition rose from 12 cmH2O initially to 34 cmH2O. The average follow up period was 17.5 months. There was no sign of deterioration in the modulation effect in any of the patients.Bilateral electrode implantation and the new sacral approach allow optimal neuromodulation in patients with bladder dysfunction. Laminectomy enables optimum electrode placement and fixation with minimal trauma.

New aspects in the treatment of priapism.

Summary. Recent advances in the understanding of erectile physiology have improved the prompt diagnosis and treatment of priapism. During initial assessment, the physician must distinguish between veno‐occlusive low flow (ischemic) and arterial high flow (nonischemic) in order to choose the correct treatment option for each type of priapism. Patient history, physical examinition, penile haemodynamics and corporeal metabolic blood quality assist the distinction between static and dynamic priapism. Normally, priapism is effectively treated with intracavernous vasoconstrictive agents or surgical shunting. However, when these two methods fail, subsequent treatment procedures are a matter for debate. Alternative options, such as intracavernous injection of methylene blue or selective penile arterial embolization, for the management of high and low flow priapism are described and a survey of current treatment modalities is presented.

Botulinumtoxin in der Therapie der überaktiven Blase – ein Überblick

This article shall give a state-of-the-art review about the treatment of neurogenic and idiopathic detrusor overactivity with botulinum toxin injections into the detrusor muscle. We searched PubMed for original articles up to December 2006. Abstracts published at international congresses were also considered if they provided substantial new information. Based on this review it appears that a majority of patients with spinal cord injury regains continence after botulinum toxin A injection and that in children with myelomeningocele a significant improvement in continence can also be achieved. A concomitant reduction of intravesical pressure protects the upper urinary tract in these patients. In idiopathic detrusor overactivity, injection of botulinum toxin A also resulted in improvement of continence and reduction of daily micturition frequency. For both indications a high success rate could be achieved with an average duration of the effect of 6 months. Repeated injections into the detrusor seem to have no adverse effects in terms of duration or strength of the effect. Side effects were marginal and systemic side effects were experienced only in individual cases; in some patients with idiopathic detrusor overactivity intermittent self-catheterization was required. Overall intradetrusor injections of botulinum toxin seem to be a new, highly effective, and safe alternative in the treatment of neurogenic and idiopathic detrusor overactivity.