Robert S. Van Howe

Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis.

To map the fine‐touch pressure thresholds of the adult penis in circumcised and uncircumcised men, and to compare the two populations.

Incidence of Meatal Stenosis following Neonatal Circumcision in a Primary Care Setting

The objective of this study was to prospectively document the incidence of meatal stenosis in boys. The study included a consecutive sample of boys whose visit with the physician included a genital examination in a private primary care pediatric practice in rural northern Wisconsin. Meatal stenosis was diagnosed in boys from 1.94 to 12.34 years of age. The diagnosis was made in 24 of 329 circumcised boys who were Tanner I development and older than 3 years of age (7.29%, 95%CI=4.48-10.10%). Nearly all required meatotomy to resolve their symptoms. All of the boys with meatal stenosis were circumcised neonatally (exact OR=3.54, 95%CI=0.62-∞). The ratio of circumcised boys to noncircumcised boys in this study provided 80% power to demonstrate a 21.4% difference in the incidence of meatal stenosis between circumcised and noncircumcised Tanner I boys 3 years and older. Meatal stenosis may be the most common complication following neonatal circumcision. The frequency of this complication and the need for surgic...The objective of this study was to prospectively document the incidence of meatal stenosis in boys. The study included a consecutive sample of boys whose visit with the physician included a genital examination in a private primary care pediatric practice in rural northern Wisconsin. Meatal stenosis was diagnosed in boys from 1.94 to 12.34 years of age. The diagnosis was made in 24 of 329 circumcised boys who were Tanner I development and older than 3 years of age (7.29%, 95%CI=4.48-10.10%). Nearly all required meatotomy to resolve their symptoms. All of the boys with meatal stenosis were circumcised neonatally (exact OR=3.54, 95%CI=0.62-∞). The ratio of circumcised boys to noncircumcised boys in this study provided 80% power to demonstrate a 21.4% difference in the incidence of meatal stenosis between circumcised and noncircumcised Tanner I boys 3 years and older. Meatal stenosis may be the most common complication following neonatal circumcision. The frequency of this complication and the need for surgical correction need to be disclosed as part of the informed consent for neonatal circumcision. A careful meatal examination is indicted in any circumcised boy with abdominal or urinary complaints.

Out of step: fatal flaws in the latest AAP policy report on neonatal circumcision

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a policy statement and technical report on circumcision, in both of which the organisation suggests that the health benefits conferred by the surgical removal of the foreskin in infancy definitively outweigh the risks and complications associated with the procedure. While these new documents do not positively recommend neonatal circumcision, they do paradoxically conclude that its purported benefits ‘justify access to this procedure for families who choose it,’ claiming that whenever and for whatever reason it is performed, it should be covered by government health insurance. The policy statement and technical report suffer from several troubling deficiencies, ultimately undermining their credibility. These deficiencies include the exclusion of important topics and discussions, an incomplete and apparently partisan excursion through the medical literature, improper analysis of the available information, poorly documented and often inaccurate presentation of relevant findings, and conclusions that are not supported by the evidence given.

Primary and Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis: Similarities in Presentation

Objective. To determine the differences or similarities in the clinical presentation between patients with primary and secondary nocturnal enuresis. Methods. A total of 170 patients with nocturnal enuresis were assessed at a busy tertiary care pediatric voiding dysfunction clinic at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Patients with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) were compared with patients with secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE) for a variety of clinical features, including gender, age when first voiding on their own, age on presentation, infrequent voiding, frequent voiding, urgency, daytime wetting, nocturia, urinary tract infection, constipation, vesicoureteral reflux, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, uroflow results, and ultrasound evidence of a postvoid residual. Results. The only significant difference between the patients with PNE and those with SNE was in the prevalence of constipation. Constipation was significantly associated with PNE (74.59% vs 57.54%; odds ratio: 2.17; 95% confidence interval: 1.07–4.41). When adjusted for a history of constipation, the age at which a child began to void on his or her own became statistically significant. Patients with SNE started to void on their own at 2.13 years (SD: 0.61), an average of 0.22 years earlier than those with PNE, who started to void on their own at 2.35 years. Conclusions. PNE and SNE likely share a common pathogenesis. Symptoms of daytime voiding dysfunction are common in patients with PNE and SNE. Daytime voiding habits might influence how the central nervous system responds at night to a full or contracting bladder.

Diagnosis and management of pharyngitis in a pediatric population based on cost-effectiveness and projected health outcomes.

BACKGROUND. Pharyngitis is a common childhood complaint. Current management for children and adolescents includes 1 of 6 strategies, ie, (1) observe without testing or treatment, (2) treat all suspected cases with an antibiotic, (3) treat those with positive throat cultures, (4) treat those with positive rapid tests, (5) treat those with positive rapid tests and those with positive throat cultures after negative rapid tests, or (6) use a clinical scoring measure to determine the diagnosis/treatment strategy. The sequelae of untreated group A hemolytic streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis are rare, whereas antibiotic treatment may result in side effects ranging from rash to death. The cost-utility of these strategies for children has not been reported previously. METHODS. A decision tree analysis incorporating the total cost and health impact of each management strategy was used to determine cost per quality-adjusted life-year ratios. Sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations assessed the accuracy of the estimates. RESULTS. From a societal perspective with current Medicaid reimbursements for testing, performing a throat culture for all patients had the best cost-utility. For private insurance reimbursements, rapid antigen testing had the best cost-utility. Observing without testing or treatment had the lowest morbidity rate and highest cost from a societal perspective but the lowest cost from a payer perspective. The model was most sensitive to the incidence of acute rheumatic fever and peritonsillar abscess after untreated GAS pharyngitis. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated considerable overlap among all of the options except for treating all patients and observing all patients. CONCLUSIONS. Observing patients with pharyngitis had the lowest morbidity rate. The costs of this option were primarily from parental time lost from work. Before recommending observation rather than treatment of GAS pharyngitis, accurate estimates of the risk of developing acute rheumatic fever and peritonsillar abscess after GAS pharyngitis are needed.

How the circumcision solution in Africa will increase HIV infections

The World Health Organization and UNAIDS have supported circumcision as a preventive for HIV infections in regions with high rates of heterosexually transmitted HIV; however, the circumcision solution has several fundamental flaws that undermine its potential for success. This article explores, in detail, the data on which this recommendation is based, the difficulty in translating results from high risk adults in a research setting to the general public, the impact of risk compensation, and how circumcision compares to existing alternatives. Based on our analysis it is concluded that the circumcision solution is a wasteful distraction that takes resources away from more effective, less expensive, less invasive alternatives. By diverting attention away from more effective interventions, circumcision programs will likely increase the number of HIV infections.

HIV infection and circumcision: cutting through the hyperbole

The objective of this study was to determine whether the justifications given for promoting mass circumcision as a preventive measure for HIV infection are reasonable and whether mass circumcision is a feasible preventive measure for HIV infection in developing countries. The medical literature concerning the practice of circumcision in the absence of medical indication was reviewed regarding its impact on HIV infection and related issues. The literature was analysed with careful attention to historical perspective. Our results show that the medical literature supporting mass circumcision for the prevention of HIV infection is inconsistent and based on observation studies. Even if the two ongoing randomised controlled trials in Africa show a protective benefit of circumcision, factors such as the unknown complication rate of the procedure, the permanent injury to the penis, human rights violations and the potential for veiled colonialism need to be taken into account. Based on the best estimates, mass circumcision would not be as cost-effective as other interventions that have been demonstrated to be effective. Even if effective, mass circumcision as a preventive measure for HIV in developed countries is difficult to justify.

Birthweight by Gestational Age and Sex at a Rural Referral Center

OBJECTIVE: Determine the distribution of birthweights in singleton births by gestational age and gender at Marquette General Hospital, a rural referral center in Michigans upper peninsula.STUDY DESIGN: Birth log data were examined for prenatal factors and obstetrical outcomes. The birthweight distribution was compared to published values, and a linear regression model of prenatal factors was developed.RESULTS: Our median birthweights were significantly greater than published values. Males were 128 g heavier than female infants after adjusting for gestational age. In a multivariable linear regression model, birthweight was significantly associated with gestational age, sex of the infant, maternal age, primigravida status of mother, and maternal diabetes (all p<0.01). Using published standards resulted in an overdiagnosis of large for gestational age and an underdiagnosis of small for gestational age.CONCLUSION: Local birthweight distributions can differ significantly from historical or national distributions. The development of birthweight distributions accommodating for prenatal factors is needed.

Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in infants in a rural population: longitudinal data over the first six months.

BackgroundIncreasing numbers of infants are receiving prescription medications for symptoms associated with gastroesophageal reflux. Our aim was to prospectively measure reported gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in healthy term infants for the first six months of life.MethodsIn a prospective cohort study in the rural Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 128 consecutive maternal-infant pairs were followed for six months and administered the Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire Revised (I-GERQ-R) at the one-month, two-month, four-month, and six-month well-child visits.ResultsThe I-GERQ-R scores decreased with age. Average scores were 11.74 (SE = 5.97) at one-month, 9.97(4.92) at two-months, 8.44(4.39) at four-months, and 6.97(4.05) at six months. Symptoms associated with colic were greatest at one month of age.ConclusionSymptoms of gastroesophageal reflux as measured by the I-GERQ-R decrease with age in the first six months of life in otherwise healthy infants; however the I-GERQ-R may have difficulty differentiating gastroesophageal reflux disease from colic in those under 3 months of age.

Not a surgical vaccine: there is no case for boosting infant male circumcision to combat heterosexual transmission of HIV in Australia

Objective: To conduct a critical review of recent proposals that widespread circumcision of male infants be introduced in Australia as a means of combating heterosexually transmitted HIV infection.