Priyadarshi Ranjan

Gabapentin: A novel drug as add-on therapy in cases of refractory overactive bladder in children

OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of gabapentin as an add-on therapy in children presenting with overactive bladder (OAB) not responding to conventional anticholinergics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Children with refractory OAB were included prospectively from March 2009 to February 2010. The inclusion criterion was persistence of symptoms while on conventional anticholinergics for 6 months. Gabapentin was prescribed as an add-on therapy. The patients were followed 4 weekly with bladder diary and urodynamic study was repeated at 3 months. RESULTS There were 31 children, 26 of neurogenic OAB and 5 of non-neurogenic origin. Mean ± SD age was 8.5 ± 5.3 years. Data were analyzed in 30 patients as treatment was terminated in 1 due to adverse effects. Continence improved in 16 (53.3%) patients. Voiding volume improved from 175 ± 90 to 320 ± 110 ml (p<0.03). Objective assessment of OAB symptom relief showed marked improvement (p<0.05). Mean maximum cystometric bladder capacity improved from 210 ± 94 to 360 ± 110 ml (p<0.02). The maximal detrusor contraction decreased from 75 ± 35 to 25 ± 15 cmH(2)O (p<0.02). Fourteen patients (46.7%) failed to respond to gabapentin therapy. These patients had baseline maximum cystometric bladder capacity <60% for age and maximum detrusor contractions >50 cm of water (p<0.03). CONCLUSIONS Gabapentin gives moderate results in children with OAB refractory to conventional anticholinergics. In general, the drug is well tolerated with fewer adverse effects.

Post-traumatic urethral strictures in children: What have we learned over the years?

BACKGROUND Urethral stricture presents an uncommon but difficult urological problem in the pediatric population. Treatment protocols are different from in adults due to anatomical considerations. MATERIAL AND METHODS A thorough manual and Medline search was conducted to review the existing literature on post-traumatic pediatric urethral strictures, with key words: stricture, children, post-traumatic, urethroplasty, pediatric. RESULTS Opinion early on was that, due to the confined perineum, high incidence of supramembranous injury resulting in less predictable distraction defects of the posterior urethra and a high incidence of prostatic displacement, transperineal urethroplasty is technically more difficult than in adults and thus the transpubic approach is more feasible. Recent reports revealed that both approaches resulted in almost the same clinical outcomes for children with post-traumatic posterior urethral strictures. CONCLUSION The ideal reconstruction for the treatment of post-traumatic posterior urethral strictures in children is bulboprostatic anastomosis. This procedure should be initially attempted through the perineum in every case. A transpubic procedure should be done only when tension-free anastomosis cannot be accomplished through the perineum.

Erectile Dysfunction Precedes and Is Associated with Severity of Coronary Artery Disease among Asian Indians

INTRODUCTION Erectile dysfunction (ED) and coronary artery disease (CAD) often share common risk factors, and there is growing evidence that ED might serve as a clinical marker for cardiovascular disease. Despite rising trends of CAD in Asian Indians, limited data are available on the prevalence of ED and its correlation with CAD severity in such patients. AIM To study the prevalence of ED in Asian Indian patients undergoing coronary angiography and to assess if the severity of ED correlates with angiographic severity of CAD. METHODS In all patients undergoing coronary angiography, ED was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND RESULTS Among 175 male patients, ED was present in 70%; patients with ED had a higher incidence of multivessel CAD (80% vs. 36%, P 0.001), diffuse CAD (81% vs. 34%, P 0.001), and higher number of mean coronary vessels involved compared with those without ED. Those with severe ED had higher prevalence of multivessel CAD and higher number of mean coronary vessels involved compared with those with milder grades of ED. Onset of symptoms of ED preceded symptoms of CAD by a mean of 24.6 months in 84% of patients. The presence of severe ED was associated with a 21-fold higher risk of having triple-vessel disease (odds ratio [OR] 21.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.41-141.09, P = 0.001) and an 18-fold higher risk of having diffuse angiographic CAD (OR 17.91, 95% CI 3.11-111.09, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION Asian Indians with angiographic CAD frequently have ED; symptoms of ED precede that of CAD in most patients. Incidence of multivessel and diffuse CAD is significantly more common in patients with ED. It is important for physicians to be aware of the close relationship between the two conditions so that patients with ED can have optimal risk stratification for concomitant CAD whenever required.

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Urinary Bladder Managed by Laparoscopic Partial Cystectomy

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the urinary bladder is a rare mesenchymal tumor with uncertain malignant potential. It often mimics soft tissue sarcomas both clinically and radiologically. Surgical resection in the form of partial cystectomy or transurethral resection remains the mainstay of treatment. Herein we report the case of an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in a young girl, which was managed by laparoscopic partial cystectomy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of laparoscopic management of an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the urinary bladder.

Impaired flow-mediated vasodilatation in Asian Indians with erectile dysfunction.

Endothelial dysfunction is the postulated link between coronary artery disease (CAD) and erectile dysfunction (ED). Brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) is a non-invasive surrogate marker for endothelial function assessment. Despite Asian Indians representing a considerable global CAD burden, data on FMD and ED in these patients are lacking. Of the 225 patients undergoing coronary angiography, 72% had ED (assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire); ED was moderate to severe in 61% of the patients. ED patients had a higher incidence of severe and diffuse angiographic CAD, a greater number of coronary vessels involved and a lower mean brachial artery FMD (6.40%±4.60% vs. 9.10%±4.87%, P<0.001) compared to non-ED patients. A progressive reduction in FMD was noted with increasing severity of ED. Impaired FMD (≤5.5%) was twice as common in ED patients (52% vs. 24% without ED). Patients with impaired FMD had higher ED prevalence (85% vs. 62%) and lower mean IIEF-5 scores compared to those with normal FMD. Impaired FMD was a significant ED predictor independent of other risk factors (odds ratio, 2.33; 95% confidence interval: 0.59-9.23; P=0.03). An inverse correlation between FMD and ED severity was observed (r=-0.22; P=0.004). ED is common among Asian Indians with angiographically documented CAD. Patients with ED have impaired FMD independent of other risk factors, suggesting that endothelial dysfunction is the underlying pathophysiology. Urologists and cardiologists need to be aware of the association between ED, CAD and endothelial dysfunction.

Total laparoscopic management of a large renal hydatid cyst by using hydatid trocar cannula system

Renal hydatidosis usually requires surgical treatment such as pericystectomy, marsupialization, or nephrectomy. In the era of minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopic treatment is preferred. Two main challenges in laparoscopy are to avoid the spillage of contents and to minimize incision for delivering the specimen. We herein discuss the use of a hydatid trocar cannula system (HTCS) to overcome these problems. A 46-year-old male patient having a large renal hydatid cyst (18×15 cm) was operated using HTCS. Three standard laparoscopic ports were placed and the HTCS was placed from the fourth port (18 mm). After aspiration of contents, the cyst was inspected using laparoscope and all contents were sucked. The operation time was 120 min and the total blood loss was around 100 ml. No intraoperative spillage was noted. The patient was orally allowed on Day 2 and discharged on Day 3. Oral albendazole therapy was continued 3 months after the operation. He remained symptom free and abdominal computed tomography did not reveal any recurrences during a follow-up of 2 years. Use of HTCS in renal hydatidosis not only prevents the spillage of hydatid fluid, but also assists in the complete evacuation of contents and allows intracystic visualization to check complete removal of scolices.

Female urethral diverticulum presenting with acute urinary retention: Reporting the largest diverticulum with review of literature

Female urethral diverticulum is a rare entity with diverse spectrum of clinical manifestations. It is a very rare cause of bladder outlet obstruction and should be considered as a differential diagnosis in females presenting with acute urinary retention associated with a vaginal mass. Strong clinical suspicion combined with thorough physical examination and focused radiological investigations are vital for its diagnosis. Herein we report a case of giant urethral diverticulum presenting with acute urinary retention in a young female. It was managed by excision and urethral closure, and is the largest urethral diverticulum reported till date in the literature.

Endoscopic management of emphysematous periurethral and corporal abscess.

We came across an interesting case which was presented with fever, dysuria and perineal pain, not responding to antibiotics. The computed tomography scan showed periurethral abscess containing multiple air specs with involvement of bilateral corpora cavernosa. We successfully treated this patient with endoscopic drainage. Spontaneous periurethral and corporal abscess in male is a rare entity and emphysematous form in corpora has not been described before.

Acute renal failure due to bilateral ureteric necrosis following percutaneous chemical lumbar sympathectomy.

We report a case of acute renal failure as a result of obstructive uropathy as a consequence of instillation of phenol used for chemical sympathectomy in Beurgers disease of the lower limbs. Extensive bilateral ureteral necrosis occurred as a result of phenol instillation that. Such practices are still common among the general surgeons and such a complication has not been described before.

Isolated renal zygomycosis: novel diagnostic and prognostic criteria with experience of a tertiary care center.

Background: Isolated renal zygomycosis is a life-threatening infection and difficult to diagnose ante mortem due to varied presentations. Most reports in the literature are case reports. We are presenting our experience of 10 patients. Materials and Methods: Retrospective data of 10 consecutive patients with primary renal zygomycosis, including 2 post-transplant patients, in our tertiary care center was analyzed. Epidemiological characteristics, predisposing conditions, clinical presentation, diagnostic findings and treatment outcomes were recorded. Characteristic radiological findings were recorded. Localized disease was managed by supportive treatment or percutaneous drainage and extensive disease with unilateral or bilateral nephrectomy. Renal involvement was confirmed in all patients by histopathology. Results: The mean age of presentation was 35 years. Five patients who had bilateral renal involvement presented with oliguric acute renal failure, hematuria and abdominal pain. Three had unilateral renal disease and presented with flank pain and fever. The two post-transplant patients presented with fever and graft dysfunction. Even after aggressive treatment 5 patients died, accounting for a mortality rate of 50%. Conclusion: Isolated renal zygomycosis can be diagnosed with typical radiological findings, combined with clinical, laboratory and histopathological features. This study describes the newer ante mortem radiological diagnostic criteria and prognostic predictors of the disease.