Semih Tangal

Testicular versus ejaculated spermatozoa in ICSI cycles of normozoospermic men with high sperm DNA fragmentation and previous ART failures.

As a part of male assessment, conventional sperm parameters including morphologic features have been dedicated as major factors influencing fertilisation and pregnancy rates in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Genomic integrity of spermatozoa has also been found to influence fertility prognosis, and hence, sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) has been adopted by many centres to document this entity. Despite several suggested approaches, there is lack of universal consensus on optimising fertility outcomes in males with high sperm DFI. In this context, the results from cycles using testicular spermatozoa (TESA) obtained by aspiration were compared with those of ejaculated spermatozoa (EJ) in normozoospermic subjects with high sperm DFI and previous ART failures. Clinical (41.9% versus 20%) and ongoing pregnancy rates (38.7% versus 15%) were significantly better and miscarriages were lower in TESA group when compared to EJ group. Sperm DFI should be a part of male partners evaluation following unsuccessful ART attempts. When high DFI is detected (>30%), ICSI using testicular spermatozoa obtained by TESA seems an effective option particularly for those with repeated ART failures in terms of clinical, ongoing pregnancies and miscarriages even though conventional sperm parameters are within normal range.

Should repeated TESE be performed following a failed TESE in men with Klinefelter Syndrome

The main goal of this study was to evaluate the success rate of repeated Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE) in Klinefelter Syndrome (KS). Eighteen patients with the diagnosis of KS who had undergone micro TESE previously were re‐evaluated between May 2007 and May 2012. Testes were measured and testicular volume was calculated by orchidometer and by scrotal ultrasonography in all patients All patients underwent repeated micro TESE. Serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone levels and testicular volume of the patients with and without successful sperm retrieval were compared statistically. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean age of the patients was 30.3 years. The mean testicular volume was 2.08 and 2.1 mL for right and left testes respectively. The comparisons of serum FSH, LH, testosterone levels and testicular volume between patients with and without successful sperm retrieval did not show any significant difference. Three of the 18 patients who underwent repeated micro TESE, had successful sperm retrieval and repeated TESE failed in 15 patients. Three patients with successful sperm retrieval underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection using retrieved testicular spermatozoa. Two embryos for each patient which were determined as healthy were transferred to the wives of the patients. Pregnancy occured in one of them and a healthy female infant was born. We conclude that consideration and hope must be given for a repeated micro TESE in patients with KS, even with a minimal chance of success.

Evaluation of a New Ultrasound Measurement Tool for the Diagnosis of Dysfunctional Voiding in Pediatric Population: Full/Empty Bladder Wall Thickness Ratio

OBJECTIVE To investigate the roles of bladder wall thickness (BWT) measurement and full/empty (F/E) BWT measurement ratio in the diagnosis of dysfunctional voiding in pediatric population. METHODS Totally, 324 patients were involved in this prospective study, and group 1 consisted of healthy children (n=198), and group 2 consisted of patients with dysfunctional voiding (n=126). BWT measurements were done at the anterior, posterior, and lateral walls, and F/E BWT ratios were calculated. Two groups were compared for BWT measurement, and receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to find out a cutoff value for BWT and F/E BWT ratios. RESULTS Mean age of group 1 was 6.4 years and that of group 2 was 6.5 years. BWT measurements were higher in the empty state compared with full state and in boys compared with girls. However, BWT ratios did not show significant difference between male and female patients. F/E BWT ratios were found to be higher in group 2 compared with group 1 (P=.02). In receiver operating characteristic analysis, a cutoff value of 0.324 (sensitivity 66.67% and specificity 79.80%) and 0.295 (sensitivity 83.33% and specificity 64.14%) was found for anterior and posterior F/E BWT rates, respectively. CONCLUSION Ultrasonographic measurement of BWT and calculation of F/E BWT ratio may serve as a noninvasive tool for evaluating lower urinary tract symptoms in children. Further studies including larger number of patients would be of great interest.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder associated with chronic irritation related to a migrated intrauterine device

Abstract Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are one of the most commonly used methods for reversible contraception. This article reports a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder which exhibited a migrated IUD into the bladder. A 66-year-old woman with a 26-year history of IUD use admitted to the clinic with the chief complaint of intermittent macroscopic haematuria. Clinical examination raised a suspicion bladder carcinoma, so cystoscopy and histological sampling were performed and squamous cell carcinoma of bladder was diagnosed, which was related to chronic irritation by a migrated IUD.

Comparison of imaging modalities for detection of residual fragments and prediction of stone related events following percutaneous nephrolitotomy

Introduction Achieving stone free status (SFS) is the goal of stone surgery. In this study it is aimed to compare effectiveness of unenhanced helical computerized tomography (UHCT), KUB and ultrasonography (US) for detection of residual RFs and predicition of stone releated events following percutaneous nephrolitotomy (PNL). Materials and Methods Patients underwent PNL for radiopaque stones between November 2007 and February 2010 were followed. Patients were examined within 24-48 hours after the procedure by KUB, US and UHCT. For stone size 4 mm was accepted as cut off level of significance.Sensitivity and specificity of KUB and US for detection of RFs and value of them for prediction of stone related events were calculated. Results SFS was achieved in 95 patients (54.9%) and when cut off value of 4 mm for RFs was employed, SFS was achieved in 131 patients (75.7%). Sensitivity was 70.5% for KUB, and 52.5% for US. UHCT was shown to be significantly more efficient for detection of RFs compared to both KUB (p=0.01) and US (p=0.001). When cut off level of 4 mm employed, sensitivity of KUB and US increased to 85.7% and 57.1%. Statistical significant superiority of UHCT still remained (p value vs. KUB: 0.03 and p value vs. US: 0.008). Conclusion UHCT is the most sensitive diagnostic tool for detecting RFs after PNL. It has higher sensitivity regardless of stone size compared to KUB and US. Additionally UHCT has higher capability of predicting occurrence of stone related events.

Role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in prediction of Gleason score upgrading and disease upstaging in low-risk prostate cancer patients eligible for active surveillance.

INTRODUCTION Active surveillance (AS) is an option for management of low-risk prostate cancer (PCa). However, grade and stage progression is an important consideration. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a useful marker of cancer-related inflammation. In this study, we aimed to identify the roles of neutrophil count (NC), lymphocyte count (LC), and NLR to predict Gleason score (GS) upgrading, disease upstaging, and biochemical recurrence rates (BCR) in low-risk PCa patients. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated data of 210 low-risk PCa patients eligible for AS, but who underwent radical prostatectomy. The roles of NC, LC, and NLR on the GS upgrading, disease upstaging, and BCR rates were investigated. Univariate and multivariate models were used to determine the effect of these parameters. RESULTS There were 104 and 106 patients in the NLR <2.5 and NLR ≥2.5 groups, respectively. GS upgrading in the NLR ≥2.5 group was more common than in the NLR<2.5 group (p=0.04). The NLR ≥2.5 group had significantly higher GS (8-10; p=0.03). With regard to NLR, the groups were found to have similar rates of disease upstaging (9/104 in NLR <2.5 vs. 16/106 in NLR ≥2.5; p=0.200). BCR rates were also significantly different between groups (p=0.033). NC an LC were not found to be associated with GS upgrading, disease upstaging, or BCR. CONCLUSIONS NLR is a predictor of GS upgrading and BCR, but not disease upstaging in patients with low-risk PCa. Furthermore, higher NLR was found to be associated with higher GS PCa. NLR is a cost-effective and easily accessible tool that can be used in the decision-making process for treatment of low-risk PCa cases.

Evaluation of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio prior to prostate biopsy to predict biopsy histology: Results of 1836 patients.

INTRODUCTION We evaluate the role of NLR prior to prostate biopsy to predict biopsy histology and Gleason score in patients with prostate cancer. METHODS In this retrospective study, we evaluated data of patients underwent prostate biopsy between May 2005 and March 2015. We collected the following data: age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), biopsy histology, Gleason score (GS) in prostate cancer patients, neutrophil counts, and lymphocyte counts. Patients were grouped as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer, and prostatitis. The Chi square test was used to compare categorical variables and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied for continuous variables. RESULTS Data of 1836 patients were investigated. The mean age, total PSA and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of the population were 66.8 ± 8.17 years, 9.38 ± 4.7 ng/dL, and 3.11 ± 1.71, respectively. Patients were divided as follows: 625 in the group with BPH history, 600 in the prostatitis group, and 611 in the prostate cancer histology group. The mean NLR of the prostatitis group was higher compared to the prostate cancer and BPH groups (p = 0.0001). The mean NLR of the prostate cancer group was significantly higher compared to the BPH group (p = 0.002). The GS 8-10 group had a significantly higher mean NLR compared to GS 5-6 (3.64 vs. 2.54, p = 0.0001) and GS 7 (3.64 vs. 2.58, p = 0.0001) patients. CONCLUSIONS NLR was found to differ with regard to histology of prostate biopsy and higher GS was associated with higher NLR in patients with prostate cancer. However prostatitis prevents the use of NLR in predicting prostate cancer before a prostate biopsy. Also, the retrospective nature and lack of multivariate analysis in this study somewhat limits the relevance of these results.

Comparison of Postoperative Analgesic Efficacy of Penile Block, Caudal Block and Intravenous Paracetamol for Circumcision: A prospective Randomized Study

PURPOSE To evaluate the postoperative analgesic efficacy of penile block, caudal block and intravenous paracetamol administration following circumcision. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this prospective randomized study a total of 159 patients underwent circumcision under general anesthesia at urology clinic of Ufuk University Faculty of Medicine and Sorgun State Hospital between May 2012 and September 2012. The patients were randomized to three groups to receive penile block (Group 1), caudal block (Group 2) and intravenous paracetamol administration (group 3). Pain measurement of the patients was done via CHEOPS scoring system at 30,60,120 and 180 minutes postoperatively and compared. Statistical tests were performed with a conventional statistics program and statistical significance was set at a p value of < 0.05. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 5.7 years. Patients in group 1 had significantly lower pain score at 30 minutes compared to other two groups. At 60 minutes groups 1 and 2 had significantly lower score compared to group 3. At 120 and 180 minutes no difference between the groups was observed. No significant major complications were observed in all 3 groups. CONCLUSION Penile block and caudal block provide similar pain scores and painless postoperative periods after circumcision under general anesthesia. Intravenous paracetamol is insufficient at the early postoperative period. The three procedures were shown to be safe for analgesia following circumcision.

DNA fragmentation index and human papilloma virus in males with previous assisted reproductive technology failures

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in semen and document the cycle outcomes in couples with previous intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) failures. MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred and seventeen couples with at least two ICSI attempts were included in the study. HPV infection in semen and DNA fragmentation in samples were analyzed by commercially available kits. The percentage of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA (DNA fragmentation index: DFI) was determined during fluorescence microscopic examination as previously described. The cycle outcomes of couples with or without HPV infected male partners were recorded. RESULTS According to our results, the prevalence of HPV was 7.7% in asymptomatic males with at least two previous ICSI failures. The increased DFI (>30%) was observed in 82.9% of the cases. In HPV-positive cases significantly lower number of good quality embryos were obtained. The implantation and pregnancy rates were similar in infected and non-infected males (p>0.05). The early miscarriage rate was slightly higher in HPV- positive group (33% vs. 10%, p>0.05). CONCLUSION In cases with previous ICSI failures, the prevalence of HPV infection in semen is not higher than previously reported infertile populations. The reproductive outcome might be impaired in HPV-positive semen due to lower number of good quality embryos, which needs to be clarified by further large population-based studies.

Endoscopic management of patients with complicated vesicoureteral reflux

Özet Amaç: Vezikoüreteral reflüde (VUR) açık cerrahi sonrası görülebilecek sorunların yaşanmadığı subtrigonal enjeksiyon tedavisinin anatomik ya da fonksiyonel nedenlere bağlı komplike vakalardaki yerini ve başarı oranlarını sorguladık. Gereç ve yöntem: Komplike vaka kriterlerine uyan ve ortalama yaşı 3.1 (dağılım 1.2-16) olan 45 hastada (33 kız, 12 erkek) toplamda 64 reflülü üretere tecrübeli iki pediatrik ürolog tarafından endoskopik subtrigonal enjeksiyon uygulandı. Ortalama takip süresi 33 (dağılım 9-60) ay olan hastaların tümüne postoperatif 3. ayda voiding sistoüretrogram çekildi. Üreter başına ortalama 1.2 (dağılım 0.7-2.1) mL enjeksiyon materyali (dekstranomerhiyaluronik asit kopolimer) uygulandı. Bulgular: Toplam 64 reflülü üreterin 39’unda (%61) yaş, cinsiyet ve tanıdan bağımsız olarak ilk enjeksiyon sonrası başarı sağlandı. On hastaya uygulanan reenjeksiyon sonrasında başarı oranı %78’e yükseldi. Biri hariç paraüreteral divertikülün eşlik ettiği ve tek orifisli ‘Y/V’ duplike sistemlere olan reflülerin tümünde ilk ya da ikinci enjeksiyon sonrası kür sağlandı. Ekstravezikal üreteroneosistostomi sonrası reflüsü devam eden 6 hastada toplam 7 reflülü üretere endoskopik tedavi uygulandı ve 3 üreterde ilk enjeksiyon sonrasında ve 1 üreterde ise ikinci enjeksiyondan sonra reflü olmadığı izlendi. Dirençli işeme disfonksiyonu olan ve nörojen mesane tanısı ile izlenen 3’er hastada ilk ya da ikinci enjeksiyon sonrasında başarı sağlandı. Bu iki hasta grubunda yer alan toplam 5 hasta ise enjeksiyon sonrası reflü derecesinin azalması ve klinik sorun yaratmaması nedeniyle reimplantasyon uygulanmadan profilaksi kesilerek takibe alındı. Takip süresince hastaların hiçbirinde rekürren idrar yolu enfeksiyonu görülmedi. Sonuç: Komplike VUR’lu olgularda uygun enjeksiyon materyali ve tekniği ile tecrübeli ellerde, subtrigonal enjeksiyon kabul edilebilir bir tedavi seçeneğidir. Bununla birlikte bu hastalarda reimplantasyonun yeri göz ardı edilemez.