W. Sameh

Pressure transmission through ureteric stents: a novel in vivo human study.

OBJECTIVE To document, in an in vivo study, the pressure transmission from the urinary bladder to the upper tract through ureteric stents in human patients. Stents have acquired special importance in the urological armamentarium. Flank pain and hydronephrosis are associated with stenting in 50% and 18% of cases, respectively. Pressure transmission from urinary bladder to the upper tract through the stent is the logical explanation for loin pain and hydronephrosis. METHODS This study was conducted in a prospective manner. We did not select patients or modify their management; instead, we studied patients who, during the course of urological management of some upper tract disease, are left with both a ureteric stent and a nephrostomy tube. Twenty patients fulfilled our criteria. After written consent, a pressure-flow study was done monitoring pressure changes in the renal pelvis during different phases of bladder filling in sitting and recumbent positions. RESULTS Pressure-flow curves showed almost equal transmission of pressure from the bladder to the renal pelvis throughout all phases of bladder filling and emptying. Any voluntary and involuntary rise of pressure in the bladder was instantly and almost equally transmitted to the renal pelvis. A subgroup of patients with infravesical obstruction resulting from benign prostatic hyperplasia also showed equal transmission of the elevated intravesical pressure during voiding to the renal pelvis. CONCLUSION Pressure from the lower urinary tract is transmitted to the upper tract through the stent, posing a threat to the renal parenchyma and function. Stent placement, when indicated, should be used for the shortest period possible, in sterile urine.

Clinical experience with shock-wave lithotripsy using the Siemens Modularis Vario lithotripter

Abstract Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of a lithotripter (Modularis Vario; Siemens, AG Healthcare, Munich, Germany) in the management of renal and ureteric stones. Patients and methods: In all, 1146 adult patients with renal or ureteric stones were treated at one urological centre using the latest model of the Modularis Vario lithotripter. The effectiveness of lithotripsy and re-treatment rate were assessed. Data were obtained on stone location, stone size, shock wave usage, success rate, and complications. Results: Between May 2007 and November 2009, 698 patients with renal stones and 448 with ureteric stones underwent extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL). The mean (SD) renal stone size was 12.8 (3.8) mm; a mean of 1.36 sessions was required, with a mean (SD) number of 3744 (1961) shocks delivered per renal stone. After 3 months, the success rate defined as the patient being stone-free or with residual fragments of <4 mm; for renal stones the rate was 91.1%, with a 6.9% complication rate in the form of steinstrasse and severe renal colic. The mean (SD) ureteric stone size was 10.4 (2.7) mm. A mean of 1.37 sessions was required, with a mean (SD) of 4551 (2467) shocks delivered for each ureteric stone. The success rate for ureteric stones was 89.5%, with a 5.6% complication rate. The overall efficiency quotient was 0.66. Conclusion: The Siemens Modularis Vario lithotripter is a safe and effective machine for treating renal and ureteric stones.

Can percutaneous nephrolithotomy be performed as an outpatient procedure

Abstract Objectives: To examine the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) as an outpatient procedure, as in most centres PCNL is performed as an inpatient procedure that necessitates postoperative hospital admission. Patients and methods: Our study included 186 patients undergoing PCNL for renal calculi. Only those who met strict inclusion criteria were discharged home on the same day. Preoperative eligibility criteria for outpatient management included no complex medical problem, normal renal function, and easy access to an emergency room. Patients were divided into two groups. The outpatient group (Group 1) included those patients discharged on the same day as the PCNL and the hospitalised group (Group 2) included those who were considered appropriate for outpatient management but needed to be hospitalised. Results: In all, 162 patients (87%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria for outpatient management and 146 of these patients (90.1%) planned for outpatient management were discharged on the same operative day (Group 1). The mean time to discharge home was 8.97 h. In all, 16 patients who opted for the outpatient approach subsequently required hospitalisation (Group 2). In the hospitalised group the mean operative time was longer, which was probably related to its higher stone burden. Conclusion: PCNL can be safely performed with excellent outcomes as an outpatient procedure. Outpatient PCNL offers several advantages including a more rapid patient convalescence, reduced healthcare expenditure, decreased postoperative nosocomial infections with no additional morbidity for the patient, and with no compromising of the stone-free rate.

Recurrence pattern in patients with locally advanced renal cell carcinoma: The implications of clinicopathological variables.

Abstract Objectives: Recurrence rates for patients with locally advanced renal cell carcinoma (LARCC) remain high. To date the predictors of recurrence in those patients remain controversial. The aim of the present study was to assess the relapse pattern in those patients and identify predictors for recurrence. Patients and methods: We evaluated retrospectively 112 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for LARCC (T3–T4N0M0) between January 2000 and December 2010. Clinical and pathological data were collected from hospital medical records and compiled into a computerized database. Studied variables were age, mode of presentation, Tumour-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage, Fuhrman nuclear grade, histological subtype, tumour size, venous thrombus level, collecting-system invasion and sarcomatoid differentiation. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results: Patients were followed for a mean and median follow-up of 33 and 24 months, respectively, after surgery. During the follow-up, recurrences (distant and/or local) were recorded in 58 patients, representing 52% of the cohort. The mean and median times to recurrence were 25 and 13 months, respectively. Sites of recurrence were multiple in 36 patients (62%), lung only in 14 (24%), and local in eight (14%). RFS rates at 1, 2, and 5 years were 50%, 43% and 34%, respectively, while the median RFS was 23.7 months. Using univariate analysis, RFS after nephrectomy was significantly shorter in patients aged <70 years, symptomatic at presentation, with larger tumours, higher nuclear grade, collecting-system invasion, and/or sarcomatoid differentiation. After multivariate analysis, T-stage, nuclear grade and sarcomatoid differentiation retained their power as independent predictors of RFS (P = 0.032, <0.001 and 0.003, respectively). Conclusions: For patients with LARCC, T-stage, grade and sarcomatoid differentiation independently dictate the risk of tumour recurrence. Considering these variables in the postoperative surveillance protocols and in the need for a multimodal therapeutic approach is highly recommended.

Open adrenalectomy for medium sized adrenocortical tumour: How I do it?

INTRODUCTION The aim of our work was to report our experience in managing cases with medium-sized adrenocortical carcinoma by the high retroperitoneal extra pleural approach. METHODS During the past 2 years, 10 patients with suspected adrenocortical carcinoma were managed by our technique: the high supra 10th rib, retroperitoneal extra pleural approach. We included cases with 5 to 10 cm adrenal masses, suspected as adrenocortical carcinoma. RESULTS The mean patient age was 38 years (range: 26-44), the median tumour volume was 7 cm (range: 5-8). Of the 10 patients, 7 were female. Of the patients, 6 had right- and 4 had left-sided tumours. Intraoperatively, all cases had proper surgical removal, with no apparent residual tumour tissue. No single patient required a chest tube or developed respiratory problems. There were no major vascular injuries during surgery. We did not compare our findings to the standard lateral or subcostal approaches, as in our institution we adopt this high lateral approach for medium-sized tumours, while managing larger tumours with transperitoneal subcostal approach and smaller tumours laparoscopically. CONCLUSION The high supra 10th lateral retroperitoneal, extra pleural approach is a safe, doable technique, allowing easy access to medium-sized suprarenal tumours and its vasculature, for cases suspected to be adrenocortical carcinoma.