Marcos Lucon

Primary aortoenteric fistula related to septic aortitis

CONTEXT Primary aortoenteric fistulas usually result from erosion of the bowel wall due to an associated abdominal aortic aneurysm. A few patients have been described with other etiologies such as pseudoaneurysm originating from septic aortitis caused by Salmonella. OBJECTIVE To present a rare clinical case of pseudoaneurysm caused by septic aortitis that evolved into an aortoenteric fistula. CASE REPORT A 65-year-old woman was admitted with Salmonella bacteremia that evolved to septic aortitis. An aortic pseudoaneurysm secondary to the aortitis had eroded the transition between duodenum and jejunum, and an aortoenteric fistula was formed. In the operating room, the affected aorta and intestinal area were excised and an intestine-to-intestine anastomosis was performed. The aorta was sutured and an axillofemoral bypass was carried out. In the intensive care unit, the patient had a cardiac arrest that evolved to death.

Are total prostate-specific antigen serum levels in cirrhotic men different from those in normal men?

OBJECTIVES To determine the serum total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) levels in cirrhotic men and compare them with those in noncirrhotic men. METHODS We prospectively evaluated 113 cirrhotic patients listed for liver transplantation using the serum tPSA, total testosterone level, and Child-Pugh liver function score according to age and severity of liver disease. The tPSA levels were compared with those of 661 healthy men. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis, with a significance level of .05. RESULTS The median age of the cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients was 55 years (range 28-70) and 58 years (range 46-70), respectively (P < .01). However, when stratified by age group (<49, 50-59, and >60 years), this difference was not significant. The median serum tPSA level was 0.3 ng/mL (range 0.04-9.9) and 1.3 ng/mL (range 0.04-65.8) in the cirrhotic and noncirrhotic group, respectively (P < .0001). Stratifying both groups according to age, the cirrhotic patients had significantly lower tPSA levels than did the noncirrhotic patients. According to the Child-Pugh score (A, B, and C), Child-Pugh class C patients had significantly lower tPSA levels than did Child-Pugh class A patients and also had lower testosterone levels than did Child-Pugh class A and B patients. The tPSA levels correlated significantly with the testosterone levels in the cirrhotic patients (P = .028). CONCLUSIONS The results of our study have shown that cirrhotic patients have approximately 4 times lower serum tPSA levels than noncirrhotic men. Patients with more severe liver disease have lower tPSA and testosterone levels than patients less affected. The tPSA levels in cirrhotic men are affected by the total testosterone levels.

PSA levels in men with spinal cord injury and under intermittent catheterization.

To evaluate serum PSA levels of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) submitted or not to CIC in comparison to those of the general population.

Avaliação da disfunção erétil em pacientes com doença de Parkinson

Thirty men having Parkinsons disease (PD) and 30 controls were studied prospectively by the use of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) to assess erectile dysfunction (ED). Of the patients with PD (mean age of 59 years), 46.66% referred to the practice of sexual activity. All of the parkinsonians were using antiparkinsonian medication. In the control group (mean age of 63 years), 76.66% referred to the practice of sexual activity, 46.60% to arterial hypertension and 6.66% to diabetes mellitus. The median score for the PD group according to the IIEF was 34, and that for the controls 50. The main differences between the two groups were in the erectile function, orgasmic function and satisfaction with the sexual relationship. The IIEF is a multidimensional scale widely accepted to assess the ED. The data obtained suggest that ED is more frequent among parkinsonians and points out to the role of DP in the genesis of ED.

Paternity after vasectomy with two previous semen analyses without spermatozoa

CONTEXT The risk of paternity after vasectomy is rare but still exists. Overall failure to achieve sterility after vasectomy occurs in 0.2 to 5.3% of patients due to technical failure or recanalization. The objective of this report was to describe a rare but notable case of proven paternity in which the semen analyses had not given evidence of spermatozoa. CASE REPORT A 44-year-old vasectomized man whose semen analyses had shown azoospermia became a father four years after sterilization. Blood sample DNA analysis on the child and husband proved biological paternity. Vasectomy may fail in the long run even without spermatozoa in semen analysis. The patient must be aware of this possibility.

The Bacterial Spectrum and Antimicrobial Susceptibility in Female Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection: How Different They Are From Sporadic Single Episodes?

OBJECTIVE To analyze and compare the etiological uropathogens and the susceptibility profile findings on urine culture between sporadic cases of community-acquired, uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) and recurrent UTI cases in women. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 1629 women with uncomplicated UTI evaluated at our hospital between January 2007 and December 2012. Patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) no recurrent UTI and (2) recurrent UTI. We analyzed the microbiological findings and compared susceptibility profiles between groups. RESULTS A total of 420 women were included. Group 1 had 233 (55.5%) patients and group 2 had 187 (44.5%). Escherichia coli was the most common agent in both groups (76.4% and 74.3%, respectively; P = .625), whereas Staphylococcus saprophyticus (8.2%) was the second most common in group 1, and Enterococcus faecalis was the second most common in group 2 (8.0%). Nitrofurantoin was the only oral agent that maintained the susceptibility profile in both groups (87.1% and 88.7%, respectively; P = .883). For E coli infections, only nitrofurantoin and amoxicillin/clavulanate maintained susceptibility rates more than 90% in both groups. CONCLUSION UTI episodes in patients with recurrent UTI had similar bacterial spectra, but different susceptibility profiles compared with those from patients with nonrecurrent infections. The susceptibility rate for nitrofurantoin in patients with recurrent UTI remained high and comparable to the observed in patients with sporadic UTI, reinforcing its indication for empirical treatment while waiting for urine culture results.

Laparoscopic ureteropyeloanastomosis in the treatment of duplex system

PURPOSE Duplex system is one of the most common anomalies of upper urinary tract. Anatomical and clinical presentation determine its treatment. Usually, the upper moiety has a poor function and requires resection, but when it is not significantly impaired, preservation is recommended. Laparoscopic reconstruction with upper pole preservation is presented as an alternative treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four female patients with duplex system, one presenting with recurrent urinary tract infection and the others with urinary incontinence associated to infrasphincteric ectopic ureter, were treated. Surgical procedure envolved a laparoscopic ureteropyeloanastomosis of the upper pole ureter to the pelvis of the lower moiety, with prior insertion of a double J stent. RESULTS Surgical time varied from 120 to 150 minutes, with minimal blood loss in all cases. Follow-up varied from 15 to 30 months, with resolution of the clinical symptoms and preservation of the upper moiety function. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic ureteropyeloanatomosis is a feasible and safe minimally invasive option in the treatment of duplex system.

Alterações no Sistema de Fibras Elásticas da Fáscia Endopélvica de Paciente Jovem com Prolapso Uterino

A case report of a young virgin patient with a second-degree uterine prolapse is presented. During the corrective surgery (Gillian surgery) samples of the ligaments and the pelvic fascia were obtained to evaluate the elastic fiber system. There were structural changes of the elastic fibers similar to ageing process, which promotes connective tissue weakness inducing a pelvic support defect.

Evaluation of the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans in patients with interstitial cystis

INTRODUCTION Painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC) pathogenesis is not fully known, but evidence shows that glycosaminoglycans (GAG) of bladder urothelium can participate in its genesis. The loss of these compounds facilitates the contact of urine compounds with deeper portions of bladder wall triggering an inflammatory process. We investigated GAG in urine and tissue of PBS/IC and pure stress urinary incontinence (SUI) patients to better understand its metabolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tissue and urine of 11 patients with PBS/IC according to NIDDK criteria were compared to 11 SUI patients. Tissue samples were analyzed by histological, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence methods. Statistical analysis were performed using t Student test and Anova, considering significant when p < 0.05. RESULTS PBS/IC patients had lower concentration of GAG in urine when compared to SUI (respectively 0.45 ± 0.11 x 0.62 ± 0.13 mg/mg creatinine, p < 0.05). However, there was no reduction of the content of GAG in the urothelium of both groups. Immunofluorescence showed that PBS/IC patients had a stronger staining of TGF-beta, decorin (a proteoglycan of chondroitin/dermatan sulfate), fibronectin and hyaluronic acid. CONCLUSION the results suggest that GAG may be related to the ongoing process of inflammation and remodeling of the dysfunctional urothelium that is present in the PBS/IC.

Bilateral nephrectomy of huge polycystic kidneys associated with a rectus abdominis diastasis and umbilical hernia

BACKGROUND Patients with end-stage renal failure due to huge autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease usually have an umbilical hernia and rectus abdominis diastasis, which are very troublesome. Pretransplant bilateral nephrectomy techniques does not manage the umbilical hernia and rectus abdominis diastasis. We report our experience in performing bilateral nephrectomy and repairing the rectus abdominis diastasis and umbilical hernia through the one, small incision. METHODS Four patients aged 37 to 43 years with huge polycystic kidneys, an umbilical hernia, and a rectus abdominis diastasis underwent bilateral pretransplant nephrectomy through a midline supraumbilical incision including the umbilical hernia defect. The kidneys were removed through this incision. The incision was closed with the transposition of rectus abdominis muscle, pants-over-vest-style, to correct the diastasis and the umbilical hernia. RESULTS The average operative time was 160 minutes (range, 130-180); the average larger kidney size was 33 cm (range, 32-34 cm); no major complications occurred; one patient who had preoperative low hemoglobin required blood transfusion. Patients were discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 7 with an esthetically pleasing belly, no rectus abdominis diastasis, and no umbilical hernia. One to two months after bilateral nephrectomy, the patients received a live donor kidney with an uneventful outcome. CONCLUSION A midline supraumbilical incision is an excellent approach for bilateral nephrectomy of huge polycystic kidneys. In addition, an umbilical hernia and rectus abdominis diastasis may be successfully repaired through same incision with good cosmetic results.