Murilo de Almeida Luz

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for residual masses after chemotherapyin nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumor

BackgroundRetroperitoneal lymph node dissection has been advocated for the management of post-chemotherapy (PC-RPLND) residual masses of non-seminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis (NSGCT). There remains some debate as to the clinical benefit and associated morbidity. Our objective was to report our experience with PC-RPLND in NSGCT.MethodsWe have reviewed the clinical, pathologic and surgical parameters associated with PC-RPLND in a single institution. Between 1994 and 2008, three surgeons operated 73 patients with residual masses after cisplatin-based chemotherapy for a metastatic testicular cancer. Patients needed to have normal postchemotherapy serum tumor markers, no prior surgical attempts to resect retroperitoneal masses and resectable retroperitoneal tumor mass at surgery to be included in this analysisResultsMean age was 30.4 years old. Fifty-three percent had mixed germ cell tumors. The mean size of retroperitoneal metastasis was 6.3 and 4.0 cm, before and post-chemotherapy, respectively. In 56% of patients, the surgeon was able to perform a nerve sparing procedure. The overall complication rate was 27.4% and no patient died due to surgical complications. The pathologic review showed presence of fibrosis/necrosis, teratoma and viable tumor (non-teratoma) in 27 (37.0%), 30 (41.1%) and 16 (21.9%) patients, respectively. The subgroups presenting fibrosis and large tumors were more likely to have a surgical complication and had less nerve sparing procedures.ConclusionPC-RPLND is a relatively safe procedure. The presence of fibrosis and large residual masses are associated with surgical complications and non-nerve-sparing procedure.

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma in a horseshoe kidney

Horseshoe kidney has an incidence rate ranging from 1 in 400 to 1 in 1000, with a 2:1 ratio in men. It also has a predilection for chromosomal aneuploidies. From a pathophysiology standpoint, this anomaly occurs during the second to sixth week of gestation when the inferior portion of the metanephric blastema fuses to form an isthmus, commonly in the lower renal pole (90%). As a result of this fusion, the kidney may not bypass the inferior mesenteric artery and is impeded in its ascent. With an aberrant anatomical orientation and location, complications arise including hydronephrosis, renal calculi and a twofold risk of Wilms tumour. Despite these findings, the association of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) within a horseshoe kidney is extremely rare and fewer than 200 cases have been described. Therapeutically speaking, partial nephrectomies are the gold standard of treatment for renal tumours smaller than 4 cm in diameter, with a growing indication to accomplish this procedure by laparoscopic or robotic means. We report a case of an asymptomatic 58-year-old male with an incidental computed tomography scan finding of a 4-cm solid mass in the right moiety of a horseshoe kidney. He was treated by laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. There have only been 2 other reported cases to our knowledge on a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in a horseshoe kidney for RCC. We believe that, in experienced hands, the laparoscopic approach may be used successfully for this clinical situation.

Determinants of performance on the Transfer Task of the Basic Laparoscopic Urologic Surgery (BLUS(©)) curriculum administered at objective structured clinical examinations.

PURPOSE To assess determinants of performance on the Transfer Task of the Basic Laparoscopic Urologic Surgery (BLUS(©)) skills curriculum administered at Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). METHODS After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent, urology trainees (Postgraduate Year [PGY]-3 to PGY-5) from four different training programs (A, B, C, D) were recruited for the study. Transfer Task Times (TTTs) were compared and correlated with previous laparoscopic experience, amount of endotrainer practice and scores obtained at practice sessions and other OSCE stations. RESULTS A total of 37 trainees were evaluated on three successive semiannual OSCEs from May 2011 to May 2012, including 16 (43.2%) trainees from program A with a dedicated laparoscopic skills training program. Compared with trainees from programs B, C, and D, trainees from program A had significantly more practice per week (0 v 45 minutes, p=0.001) and significantly lower median TTTs at OSCEs (114 [68-209] v 74 [52-189] seconds, p=0.001) despite significantly lower number of laparoscopic cases assisted within the previous 6 months (13 [0-57] v 2 [0-35], p=0.001). For program A trainees, TTTs moderately correlated with median TTTs at practice sessions (r=0.57, p=0.001) and negatively correlated with amount of practice per week (r=-0.41, p=0.003). Thus, more training resulted in faster times at OSCEs. On multivariate analysis, amount of practice per week was the only significant predictor of TTTs at OSCEs (p=0.028). CONCLUSION Performance on the transfer task of BLUS during OSCEs significantly correlated with the amount of practice rather than the number of laparoscopic cases assisted.

Does transperitoneal minimally invasive radical prostatectomy increase the amount of small bowel receiving salvage radiation

INTRODUCTION Transperitoneal minimally invasive radical prostatectomy (MIRP) has become first choice for several urologists and patients dealing with localized prostate cancer. We evaluate the effect of postoperative radiation on the small bowel in patients who underwent extraperitoneal open versus transperitoneal MIRP. METHODS We reviewed all patients who received postoperative radiation from 2006 to 2010. Planning target volume (PTV) and surrounding organs, including the small bowel, were delineated. The presence of the small bowel in PTV and its volume in receiving each dose level were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 122 patients were included: 26 underwent MIRP and 96 underwent open prostatectomy. The median age of patients was 66 years, with median body mass index 27 kg/m(2). The total PTV dose was 66 Gy, with the minimum and maximum doses received by the small bowel 0.4 and 66.4 Gy, respectively. The maximum volume of small bowel that received the safe limit of 40 Gy was 569 cm(3). Of the 26 patients who underwent MIRP, 12 (46%) had small bowel identified inside the PTV compared to 57 (59%) among patients who underwent open prostatectomy (p = 0.228). The mean volume of the small bowel receiving 40 Gy was 26 and 67 cm(3) in open and MIRP groups, respectively (p = 0.006); the incidence of acute complications was the same in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Higher volumes of the small bowel are subjected to significant radiation after MIRP procedures compared to open procedures; however, we could not demonstrate any impact on acute complications. Whether there is a difference in late complications remains to be evaluated.