Valary T. Raup

Refinement and validation of the urethral stricture score in categorizing anterior urethral stricture complexity

OBJECTIVE To update, simplify, and validate the UREThRAL Stricture Score (now called the U-score) for anterior urethral strictures, with the goal of using this system as a predictor of surgical complexity. METHODS This is a retrospective review of 102 patients (test set) who underwent anterior urethroplasty at Barnes-Jewish Hospital from 2009 to 2012 and a validation set of 96 patients from Northwestern University. The U-score was based on length (1-3 points), stricture number (1-2 points), location (1-2 points), and etiology (1-2 points) for a total ranging from 4 to 9. Excision and primary anastomosis, buccal mucosal graft, and augmented anterior urethroplasty were classified as low complexity, and double buccal mucosal graft, flap, or flap-graft combo were classified as high complexity. Operative time and estimated blood loss were used as surrogates of surgical complexity. RESULTS Mean U-score for low-complexity surgeries was 5.2 and for high complexity surgeries was 7.3. Factors that were associated with high-complexity repairs included stricture etiology (trauma or idiopathic or iatrogenic vs inflammatory or hypospadias; P ≤.0001), number (1 vs. >1; P = .003), location (penile vs. bulbar; P <.001), and length (<2 vs. 2-5 vs. >5 cm; P <.001). Increasing U-score correlated with increasing surgical complexity (P ≤.0001). A linear relationship between U-score and operative time was observed (P = .0018). U-score did not correlate with estimated blood loss (P = .82). Among the validation data set, etiology (P = .0014), location (P ≤.0001), stricture length (P ≤.0001), and overall U-score (P ≤.0001) correlated with surgical complexity. CONCLUSION The U-score is a validated scale to describe the complexity of anterior urethral strictures that correlates with surgical time and complexity of procedure.

Epidemiology of Traumatic Adrenal Injuries Requiring Surgery

OBJECTIVE To analyze adrenal injuries using the National Trauma Data Bank. Adrenal trauma is rare and current literature is lacking in data from large case series. METHODS A retrospective analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank from the years 2007-2011 was performed. Patient demographics, Injury Severity Score (ISS), mechanism of injury, type of trauma, associated injuries, and development of shock were assessed. Multivariable models were used to determine association with outcomes, such as characterization of injury, need for adrenalectomy, intensive care unit admission, and death. RESULTS Of the 1,766,606 trauma cases recorded, 7791 involved 1 or both adrenal glands (0.44%). Common associated injuries were to the ribs (50.9%), thorax (50.0%), and liver (41.6%). Eighty adrenal injuries required surgery (80/7791, 1.0%), none of which were isolated adrenal injuries (0/120, P = .63). Higher ISS (P = .009), Black race (P = .031), penetrating injury (P < .001), and splenic (P < .001) and intestinal injuries (P = .018) were associated with need for adrenalectomy. No isolated adrenal injuries were associated with death (12% vs 0%, P < .0001). Older age (P < .001), higher ISS (P < .001), chronic kidney disease (P = .009), penetrating injuries (P < .001), and injuries to the aorta/vena cava (P = .008), peripheral vasculature (P < .0001), thorax (P = .029), brain/spinal cord (P < .001), and abdominal polytrauma (P = .005) were associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS Adrenal injuries are rare, comprising 0.44% of recorded traumatic injuries. Isolated adrenal injuries were not fatal and did not require surgery, and thus should be managed conservatively. Detection of adrenal injury in polytrauma patients is key, particularly penetrating trauma and concurrent splenic and/or intestinal injuries, as these patients are more likely to require adrenalectomy.

Prostate MRI: a national survey of Urologist’s attitudes and perceptions

ABSTRACT Introduction The use of multi-parametric (MP) MRI to diagnose prostate cancer has been the subject of intense research, with many studies showing positive results. The purpose of our study is to better understand the accessibility, role, and perceived accuracy of MP-MRI in practice by surveying practicing urologists. Materials and Methods Surveys were sent to 7,400 practicing American Urological Association member physicians with a current email address. The survey asked demographic information and addressed access, accuracy, cost, and role of prostate MRI in clinical practice. Results Our survey elicited 276 responses. Respondents felt that limited access and prohibitive cost of MP-MRI limits its use, 72% and 59% respectively. Academic urologists ordered more MP-MRI studies per year than those in private practice (43.3% vs. 21.1%; p<0.001). Urologists who performed more than 30 prostatectomies a year were more likely to feel that an MP-MRI would change their surgical approach (37.5% vs. 19.6%, p-value=0.002). Only 25% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that MP-MRI should be used in active surveillance. For patients with negative biopsies and elevated PSA, 39% reported MP-MRI to be very useful. Conclusions Our study found that MP-MRI use is most prominent among practitioners who are oncology fellowship-trained, practice at academic centers, and perform more than 30 prostatectomies per year. Limited access and prohibitive cost of MP-MRI may limit its utility in practice. Additionally, study participants perceive a lack of accuracy of MP-MRI, which is contrary to the recent literature.

A Comparative Analysis of International Knee Documentation Committee Scores for Common Pediatric and Adolescent Knee Injuries.

Background: Several different etiologies cause knee pain in the pediatric and adolescent population, including anterior knee/patellofemoral pain, patellar instability, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, meniscal tears, osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions, and discoid meniscus. The purpose of the current study was to determine the relative morbidity of different causes of knee pain in children and adolescents using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected data of a cohort of pediatric and adolescent patients with knee pain who presented to a single surgeon. Each patient completed an IKDC questionnaire at the time of diagnosis and patients were grouped by diagnosis for analysis. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the IKDC scores of the 7 diagnostic groups, and a P-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The IKDC mean score for all 242 patients was 50.3±18.3. The mean IKDC score for patients with isolated meniscal tears was 41.2±16.0, combined ACL and meniscal injuries was 50.2±13.9, and isolated ACL tears was 48.1±14.1. The mean IKDC score for patients with symptomatic discoid meniscus was 46.3±13.2, anterior knee pain/patellofemoral pain was 49.0±17.4, patellar instability was 49.2±22.1, and OCD lesions was 62.2±19.5. Conclusions: The IKDC scores of most of the diagnostic groups were similar to the overall average score, with the notable exception of patients with OCD lesions exhibiting statistically significant less morbidity reflected by a higher IKDC score. Although symptoms in each individual clinical presentation may vary, knowledge of the relative morbidity of these diagnostic groups is valuable in counseling patients and their families regarding these common pediatric and adolescent sources of knee pain. Level of Evidence: Level IV.

Urinary-cutaneous Fistulae in Patients With Neurogenic Bladder

OBJECTIVE To review our experience with neurogenic bladder (NGB) patients who developed urinary-cutaneous fistulae (UCF). Patients with NGB can form UCF of multiple etiologies; however, little is known about the characteristics or long-term outcomes of these defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed 21 patients with NGB who developed UCF between 1998 and 2013. The clinical end points of the study were development of UCF, fistula repair failure, and need for permanent urinary diversion. Possible risk factors associated with repair failures were examined. RESULTS We evaluated 21 patients with a mean age of 39.5 years (23-76) and median follow-up of 67 months (1-179). Causes of UCF included decubitus ulcers (7), wound infections or abscess formation (5), condom catheter complications (4), traumatic catheterization (4), and pelvic trauma (1). Thirteen patients had their fistulae repaired surgically, with 9 patients eventually requiring urinary diversion with a suprapubic (SP) tube (7) or ileal conduit (2) (9 of 13, 69%). Eight patients had their urine diverted upon presentation, with ileal conduit (5 of 8, 63%), SP tube (2 of 8, 25%), or perineal urethrostomy (1 of 8, 12%). In total, 17 eventually required permanent surgical or SP tube urinary diversion (81%), of which 9 were with an SP tube (53%), 4 with an ileal conduit (23%), 3 with a conduit catheter (18%), and 1 with a perineal urethrostomy (6%). CONCLUSION UCF repairs in patients with NGB are a challenge to manage. Patients who undergo surgical repair of their fistula are likely to require repeat repairs with eventual need for a permanent urinary diversion.

Scrotal Ultrasound for Pain: Low Frequency of Absolute Surgical Indications

OBJECTIVE To examine the results of scrotal ultrasounds (US) conducted for scrotal or testicular pain and review the pathologic findings of orchiectomies done for lesions that were suspicious for malignancy on US. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the indications and findings of all scrotal US completed at our institution from 2002 to 2014. If a patient underwent an orchiectomy for an intratesticular lesion that was concerning for malignancy on US, the pathology report was also reviewed. RESULTS There were 18,593 scrotal US performed, with 7,668 (41.2%) conducted for scrotal pain. Of the US performed for pain, 80.4% revealed benign or normal findings, and only 2.2% demonstrated a finding that is an absolute indication for surgery (intratesticular lesion suspicious for malignancy 0.8%, abscess 0.7%, torsion 0.6%, infiltrative process such as lymphoma 0.1%). For those patients undergoing an orchiectomy, 75% had malignancy on pathologic analysis. CONCLUSION The majority of the 7668 US performed to evaluate scrotal or testicular pain reveal normal or benign findings. A low percentage demonstrates a finding that necessitates urgent or emergent surgery.

Hemorrhagic cystitis requiring bladder irrigation is associated with poor mortality in hospitalized stem cell transplant patients

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the overall prognosis of post-stem cell transplant inpatients who required continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) for hematuria. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of adult stem cell transplant recipients who received CBI for de novo hemorrhagic cystitis as inpatients on the bone marrow transplant service at Washington University from 2011-2013. Patients who had a history of genitourinary malignancy and/or recent surgical urologic intervention were excluded. Multiple variables were examined for association with death. Results: Thirty-three patients met our inclusion criteria, with a mean age of 48 years (23-65). Common malignancies included acute myelogenous leukemia (17/33, 57%), acute lymphocytic leukemia (3/33, 10%), and peripheral T cell lymphoma (3/33, 10%). Median time from stem cell transplant to need for CBI was 2.5 months (0 days-6.6 years). All patients had previously undergone chemotherapy (33/33, 100%) and 14 had undergone prior radiation therapy (14/33, 42%). Twenty-eight patients had an infectious disease (28/33, 85%), most commonly BK viremia (19/33, 58%), cytomegalovirus viremia (17/33, 51%), and bacterial urinary tract infection (8/33, 24%). Twenty-two patients expired during the same admission as CBI treatment (22/33 or 67% of total patients, 22/28 or 79% of deaths), with a 30-day mortality of 52% and a 90-day mortality of 73% from the start of CBI. Conclusions: Hemorrhagic cystitis requiring CBI is a symptom of severe systemic disease in stem cell transplant patients. The need for CBI administration may be a marker for mortality risk from a variety of systemic insults, rather than directly attributable to the hematuria.

Testicular Interposition Flap for Repair of Perineal Urinary Fistulae: A Novel Surgical Technique.

Rectourinary fistulae and urinary-cutaneous fistulae are a rare yet devastating complication. Current options for tissue interposition include rectus, gracilis, or gluteal muscle, omentum, or intestine for use in coloanal pull-through procedures. In elderly patients, testicular interposition flaps may be an excellent tissue option to use when vitalized tissue is necessary to supplement fistula repair. Elderly patients frequently have increased spermatic cord length, potentially offering a longer flap reach than use of a muscle flap. Additionally, mobilizing one of the testicles and developing it through the external inguinal ring may be a less morbid and less costly procedure than harvesting and tunneling a muscle flap. Longer follow-up and further studies are needed to determine the outcomes of this novel technique.

The pitfalls of electronic health orders: development of an enhanced institutional protocol after a preventable patient death.

BackgroundContinuous bladder irrigation (CBI) is a long-standing treatment used in the setting of gross hematuria and other acute bladder issues. Its use has traditionally been reserved for patients under direct urologic care, but with the constraints of modern large-hospital healthcare, many patients have CBI administered by providers unfamiliar with its use and potential complications.FindingsThere were 136 CBI orders placed in 2013 by non-urologic providers. The biggest hazard found in our analysis was the requirement for entering a rate of irrigation administration. Nurses with no experience with CBI viewed this order as an indication to administer via an infusion pump, which can easily exceed the mechanical integrity of the bladder and increase the risk of bladder perforation. Our panel also found that due to lack of experience by nurses and non-urologic providers, that signs and symptoms of CBI dysfunction were not common knowledge. Also we found that non-urologic providers were unfamiliar with administration and dosing of medications for CBI patients to help with the intrinsic discomfort with CBI administration.ConclusionsIn our revised order set we found that removing the requirement for an infusion rate, along with placing warnings in the CPOE, helped staff better understand this possible complication. We created a best practice alert in our CPOE to strongly recommend the urology service be consulted. Communication text boxes were added to the order set to help staff be aware of the signs and symptoms of CBI dysfunction, along with a guide for trouble shooting.

Artificial Urinary Sphincters for Treatment of Urinary Incontinence in Elderly Males

Introduction: We sought to examine the role of advanced age (defined as >70 years), impaired cognitive function, and decreased manual dexterity in the rates of re-operation (revision or replacement) of artificial urinary sphincters (AUS). Methods: From 1988 to 2012, 213 men underwent virgin AUS placements. Failure was defined as a revision performed for stress incontinence and replacement/exploration performed for urethral erosion/infection or mechanical failure. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to compare failure rates with age and Cox proportional hazard models were used to test associations. Results: Advanced age was not associated with overall failure (p = 0.48), erosion/infection failure (p = 0.65), recurrent/persistent incontinence failure (p = 0.08), or mechanical failure (p = 0.36). Controlling for age, patients with cognitive dysfunction or decreased manual dexterity showed a higher rate of overall failure (p = 0.01). Conclusions: AUS placement is an excellent option to treat stress urinary incontinence in elderly men with intact cognition and good manual dexterity. AUS placement should be performed with caution in patients with impaired cognitive function or decreased manual dexterity, and additional effort should be made to identify these conditions both before and after surgery.