Wachira Kochakarn

Foreign bodies in the female urinary bladder: 20-year experience in Ramathibodi Hospital.

OBJECTIVE Foreign bodies in the female urinary bladder may occur by self-insertion or migration from adjacent organs. The most common reason for this is sexual in nature, but hygienic behaviour and attempts to relieve voiding problems have been reported. Only small case series were found in the literature devoted to foreign bodies in the urinary bladder. Therefore, we reviewed our experience regarding foreign bodies in the female urinary bladder in our hospital. METHODS Medical records of female patients who were diagnosed with a foreign body in the urinary bladder during 1985-2005 were reviewed. Demographics, causes, type of object found, clinical presentation, treatment and outcomes were noted. RESULTS Seventy-eight patients with a mean age of 38 years were identified. The major route for ingress of foreign bodies was via the urethra. The objects found self-inserted were cotton swabs, tampons, paper clips and pen casings. As most of Thailand is an agricultural environment, some small living organisms such as leeches could be found as foreign bodies in the bladder. The majority of the cases presented with haematuria associated with frequency, urgency and pelvic pain. Almost all cases could be managed by endoscopic removal with minimal complications. Four cases were treated by open surgery. CONCLUSION Foreign bodies in the urinary bladder represent a urological challenge that requires prompt management. The suspected history and presenting symptoms are crucial and lead to further investigations. Gentle endoscopic management is the main treatment with a high success rate.

Follow-up of Long-term Treatment with Clean Intermittent Catheterization for Neurogenic Bladder in Children

OBJECTIVES To assess the results of long-term clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) treatment for neurogenic bladder in children born with myelomeningocele, and to compare the long-term results between the early treatment group (< 1 year old) and late treatment group (> 3 years old). METHODS Thirty-six paediatric patients with myelomeningocele who were treated in the first year of life (Group 1) and 31 cases who were treated after the age of 3 years (Group 2) were followed regularly for at least 11 years. All medical records were reviewed and long-term results of treatment, including increases in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine, development of hydronephrosis, recurrent upper urinary tract infection, and the number of augmentation cystoplasties needed, were noted. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to analyse time-to-event data. RESULTS Mean age at start of treatment was 6.88 months (range, 3-1 months) in Group 1 and 44.97 months (range, 37-60 months) in Group 2. Increases in BUN and serum creatinine were found in 12 cases (33.3%) in Group 1 and 19 cases (61.3%) in Group 2. Patients in Group 2 showed earlier renal deterioration and worse renal function at the last follow-up. Hydronephrosis was found in 10 cases (27.8%) in Group 1 and 18 cases (58.1%) in Group 2. Patients in Group 2 also had earlier and more severe hydronephrosis. Augmentation cystoplasty was needed in five cases (13.9%) in Group 1 and 10 cases (32.3%) in Group 2. The results of surgery were better in Group 1 than in Group 2, and surgery was needed earlier in Group 2 compared with Group 1. There was no significant difference regarding upper urinary tract infection between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS For most patients and with close long-term follow-up, early treatment of neurogenic bladder using CIC in children born with myelomeningocele yields better results than late treatment. In our experience, treatment is recommended as soon as possible, especially during the first year of life.

Bladder substitution by ileal neobladder for women with interstitial cystitis

OBJECTIVE To report our experience with cystectomy and ileal neobladder for women with interstitial cystitis (IC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-five female patients treated during 2000-2005 with the mean age of 45.9 +/- 4.4 years were included in this study. All of them had experience suprapubic pain with irritative voiding symptoms and were diagnosed as having IC based on NIDDK criteria for at least 2 years. Conservative treatments had failed to relieve their symptoms; and therefore all of them agreed to undergo a bladder removal. For cystectomy, the urethra was cut 0.5 cm below the bladder neck, proximal to the pubourethral ligament, leaving the endopelvic fascia intact. An ileal segment of 65 cm was used to create the neobladder with the Studers technique. RESULTS All patients presented good treatment outcome with regard to both diurnal and nocturnal urinary control without any pain. Quality of life using the SF-36 questionnaire showed significant improvement of both physical health and mental health. Spontaneous voiding with minimal residual urine was found in 33 cases (94.3%), and the remaining 2 cases (5.7%) had spontaneous voiding with residual urine and were placed on clean intermittent catheterization (CIC). Twelve out of 30 cases with sexually active ability had a mild degree of dyspareunia but without disturbance to sexual life. CONCLUSION Bladder substitution by ileal neobladder for women who suffer from IC can be a satisfactory option after failure of conservative treatment. Resection of the urethra distal to the bladder neck can preserve continence and allow spontaneous voiding in almost all patients.

A New Dimension in Vesicovaginal Fistula Management: An 8-year Experience at Ramathibodi Hospital

OBJECTIVE Vesicovaginal fistula is mostly iatrogenic in origin and causes devastating medical, social, psychogenic and hygienic consequences. The aetiology has changed since the nineteenth century, becoming more associated with hysterectomy rather than other obstetric procedures, which were common in the past. We studied the causes, clinical presentations and management of vesicovaginal fistula in our institute during 1998 to 2005. METHODS From 1998 to 2005, 45 patients were treated in our hospital, of whom 35 were referred from other hospitals after failed surgery. All the medical records were reviewed. Fistulae, clinical presentation, clinical findings, means of treatment and clinical outcome as well as complications were noted. RESULTS The most common cause of a fistula in our study was post laparoscopic hysterectomy that comprised 28 cases (62.2%). Transabdominal hysterectomy caused fistula in 10 cases (22.2%) and vaginal hysterectomy only four cases (8.8%). Most cases of vesicovaginal fistulae after laparoscopic hysterectomy presented with early urinary leakage, of which 35.7% presented within 1 week and 50% in the second week. Most of the patients after transabdominal hysterectomies (90%) had leakage in the second week. All patients were treated with surgical repair, 19 cases by a transvaginal approach and 26 cases by a transabdominal repair. Seventeen cases in the transvaginal group and 25 cases in the transabdominal group were dry after the first operation. The rest of both groups were dry after the second operation. After 38 months of follow-up, no complication or incontinence was noted. CONCLUSION Vesicovaginal fistula is still a serious iatrogenic consequence and causes suffering in the physical, emotional and social functioning of patients. The study found that the condition is now more frequently associated with laparoscopic hysterectomy. Successful closure of the fistula requires an accurate and timely repair using procedures that exploit basic surgical principles. With the appropriate surgical expertise, all patients can be cured of this distressing condition.

Efficacy of Tamsulosin in the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) in Women

OBJECTIVE We attempted to determine whether tamsulosin is an efficacious therapy for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in women. METHODS A total of 140 women, aged 27-69 years old with LUTS entered a randomized double-blind study comparing tamsulosin (70) versus placebo (70) for 1 month. The outcome variables were mean change from baseline of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), mean change from baseline of mean and maximum urinary flow rate and any adverse effects. RESULTS Mean change from baseline of IPSS (standard deviation, SD) were -5.6 (6.3) in the tamsulosin group and -2.6 (6.1) in the placebo group. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.008). Mean change from baseline of mean urinary flow rate (SD) was 0.7 (2.7) mL/second in the tamsulosin group and -0.5 (2.6) mL/second in the placebo group. The difference was also statistically significant (p = 0.013). However, the difference in mean change from baseline of maximum urinary flow rate between the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.506). There were two patients in the tamsulosin group who experienced dizziness and asthenia. No other adverse effect was detected. CONCLUSION Tamsulosin is more efficacious than placebo in the treatment of LUTS in women.

A risk index for prostate cancer

Background: The aim of the present study was to create a simple numerical index predicting the presence of prostate cancer in a group of high risk patients, for the purpose of selecting those most likely to need prostate biopsy.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy for xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis with nephrocutaneous fistula after failed flank exploration.

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis presenting with nephrocutaneous fistula is a rare condition, and its treatment of choice is nephrectomy. Laparoscopic management has been proved to be challenging in these inflammatory renal conditions. However, there was no previous report in the literature regarding laparoscopic treatment of nephrocutaneous fistula especially after previous operation. In this communication, we report the first case of hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy for xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis with nephrocutaneous fistula after previous failed flank exploration.