Won Hee Park

Urinary urgency outcomes after propiverine treatment for an overactive bladder: the ‘Propiverine study on overactive bladder including urgency data’

Study Type – Therapy (RCT)
Level of Evidence 1b

Risk factors for urinary stone formation in men with spinal cord injury: a 17-year follow-up study

To establish hazard ratios for risk of urinary stone formation in men with chronic spinal cord injury.

Desmopressin is an Effective Treatment for Mixed Nocturia with Nocturnal Polyuria and Decreased Nocturnal Bladder Capacity

To investigate the efficacy and safety of desmopressin in patients with mixed nocturia, Patients aged ≥18 yr with mixed nocturia (≥2 voids/night and a nocturnal polyuria index [NPi] >33% and a nocturnal bladder capacity index [NBCi] >1) were recruited. The optimum dose of oral desmopressin was determined during a 3-week dose-titration period and the determined dose was maintained for 4 weeks. The efficacy was assessed by the frequency-volume charts and the sleep questionnaire. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with a 50% or greater reduction in the number of nocturnal voids (NV) compared with baseline. Among 103 patients enrolled, 94 (79 men and 15 women) were included in the analysis. The proportion of patients with a 50% or greater reduction in NV was 68 (72%). The mean number of NV decreased significantly (3.20 to 1.34) and the mean nocturnal urine volume, nocturia index, NPi, and NBCi decreased significantly. The mean duration of sleep until the first NV was prolonged from 118.4±44.1 to 220.3±90.7 min (P<0.001). The overall impression of patients about their quality of sleep improved. Adverse events occurred in 6 patients, including one asymptomatic hyponatremia. Desmopressin is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for mixed nocturia.

Generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life in women with coital incontinence: a prospective, multicenter study.

Objective: This study was carried out to evaluate the impact of coital incontinence on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in women with lower urinary tract symptoms. Methods: A total of 180 women with sexual activity were evaluated. To obtain HRQOL assessments, patients were asked to fill out the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36) questionnaires. Results: The coital incontinence group had more frequently symptoms including urgency, urge incontinence, bladder pain, stress incontinence, unpredictable incontinence, nocturnal incontinence, reduced stream, and stopping flow than the no coital incontinence group. The frequency of incontinence and volume of leakage were also higher in the coital incontinence group than the no coital incontinence group. All symptom questions regarding sexual matters and quality of life except cutting down on fluid were more frequent in patients with coital incontinence than those without coital incontinence. Of the eight domains in the SF-36 questionnaire, five domains, namely, Physical functioning, Role-physical functioning, Social functioning, Role-emotional functioning, and Mental health were significantly different between the two groups. When comparing the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms scores in the two groups, the scores in all domains except Voiding symptoms in the coital incontinence group were significantly higher than those in the no coital incontinence group. Patients with coital incontinence had more HRQOL impairment than those without coital incontinence. Conclusions: Our study reveals that more emphasis should be placed on coital incontinence in the terminology of urinary incontinence.

A Prospective Multi-center Trial of Escherichia coli Extract for the Prophylactic Treatment of Patients with Chronically Recurrent Cystitis

We have assessed the efficacy and safety of Escherichia coli extract (ECE; Uro-Vaxom®) which contains active immunostimulating fractions, in the prophylactic treatment of chronically recurrent cystitis. Forty-two patients with more than 2 episodes of cystitis in the proceeding 6 months were treated for 3 months with one capsule daily of ECE and observed for a further 6 months. The primary efficacy criterion was the number of episodes of recurrent cystitis during the 6 months after treatment compared to those during the 6 months before treatment. At the end of the 9-month trial, 34 patients (all women) were eligible for statistical analysis. Their mean age was 56.4 yr (range, 34-75 yr), and they had experienced recurrent urinary tract infections for 7.2±5.2 yr. The number of recurrences was significantly lower during the 6-month follow-up period than during the 6 months preceding the trial (0.35 vs. 4.26, P<0.001). During the follow-up, 28 (82.4%) patients had no recurrences and 4 (11.8%) had 1 each. In patients who relapsed, ECE alleviated cystitis symptoms, including painful voiding, frequency and urgency. There were no serious adverse events related to the study drug. Our study demonstrates the efficacy and safety of ECE in the prophylactic treatment of chronically recurrent cystitis.

Safety and efficacy of 8-mg once-daily vs 4-mg twice-daily silodosin in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (SILVER Study): a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, parallel, multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE To show the noninferiority of silodosin 8-mg once-daily (QD) to 4-mg twice-daily (BID) in efficacy and safety in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms or benign prostatic hyperplasia in the Korean population. METHODS A prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, comparative study was conducted. A total of 532 male patients aged ≥50 years with lower urinary tract symptoms or benign prostatic hyperplasia were included. All patients received silodosin QD or BID for 12 weeks. The primary end point was the change from baseline in total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) at 12 weeks. Adverse drug reactions, vital signs, and laboratory tests were recorded. RESULTS A total of 424 patients were randomized to the silodosin QD or BID groups. These groups were not significantly different in baseline characteristics. The mean total IPSS change in QD group was not inferior to that in BID group (-6.70 and -6.94, respectively; 95% confidence interval, -0.88 to 1.36). The QD and BID groups did not significantly differ in the following: percentages of patients with ≥25% (63.41% and 67.82%, respectively; P = .349) or ≥4-point improvement in total IPSS (65.85% and 69.31%, respectively; P = .457), maximum urinary flow rate improvement ≥30% (47.32% and 40.59%, respectively; P = .172), changes in IPSS voiding subscore (-4.42 ± 4.93 and -4.65 ± 4.77; P = .641), IPSS storage subscore (-2.05 ± 3.07 and -2.52 ± 2.97; P = .117), quality of life (-1.19 ± 1.49 and -1.40 ± 1.42; P = .136), maximum urinary flow rate (3.55 ± 5.93 and 3.74 ± 6.79 mL/s; P = .768), International Continence Society male questionnaire score, Patient Goal Achievement Score, or Treatment Satisfaction Question. The 2 groups had similar frequencies of adverse drug reactions. CONCLUSION QD administration of silodosin was not inferior to BID in efficacy. The 2 groups had similar adverse drug reaction profiles.

Management of Low Compliant Bladder in Spinal Cord Injured Patients

Low bladder compliance means an abnormal volume and pressure relationship, and an incremental rise in bladder pressure during the bladder filling. It is well known that at the time bladder capacity decreases, intravesical pressure increases, and the risk of upper deterioration increases. Hypocompliance is usually thought to be the range from 1.0 to 20.0 mL/cmH2O. Though the exact cause of hypocompliance is not known, it may be caused by changes in the elastic and viscoelastic properties of the bladder, changes in detrusor muscle tone, or combinations of the two. Management aims at increasing bladder capacity with low intravesical pressure. The main is a medical therapy with antimuscarinics combined with clean intermittent catheterization. The results are sometimes unsatisfactory. Various drugs or agents through the mouth or the bladder, including oxybutynin, new antimuscarinics, capsaicin and resiniferatoxin were tried. Among them botulinum toxin‐A is promising. Some patients eventually required surgical intervention in spite of the aggressive medical therapy. Finally most patients undergo the surgical treatment including autoaugmentation, diversion, and augmentation cystoplasty. Among them augmentation cystoplasty still seems the only clearly verified treatment method.

Prevalence and treatment efficacy of genitourinary mycoplasmas in women with overactive bladder symptoms.

Purpose To evaluate the incidence of genitourinary mycoplasmas and the efficacy of antibiotics in women with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. Materials and Methods Women with OAB symptoms (micturition ≥8/24 hours and urgency ≥1/24 hours) for ≥3 months were screened for Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis), Ureaplasma urealyticum (U. urealyticum), and Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis). Specimens from urethral and cervical vaginal swabs were examined for M. hominis and U. urealyticum by using the Mycoplasma IST2 kit and for C. trachomatis by using PCR. Women with positive results were treated with a 1 g dose of azithromycin. Persistent infection was treated with doxycycline. Changes in a 3-day bladder diary, Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC), and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-FLUTS) were evaluated 4 weeks after negative conversion. Patient satisfaction was assessed. Results Of 84 women screened, 42.8% were positive (U. urealyticum, 40.5%; M. hominis, 7.1%; C. trachomatis, 3.6%; two organisms, 8.3%). After treatment, 82.7% obtained negative conversion, and their median number of micturition episodes decreased from 10.6/24 hours to 8.1/24 hours (p=0.002). PPBC and domain scores of the ICIQ-FLUTS (filling and quality of life) significantly improved. About 87.5% women with negative conversion were satisfied with the treatment. Conclusions Considering diagnostic tests and treatment for genitourinary mycoplasmas might be beneficial before invasive workup or treatment in women with OAB symptoms.

Persistence of solifenacin therapy in patients with overactive bladder in the clinical setting: a prospective, multicenter, observational study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the persistence with solifenacin therapy over a 12‐month period in patients with overactive bladder (OAB).

Upper urinary tract cholesteatoma misdiagnosed as a ureteral tumor.

Cholesteatoma of the upper urinary tract is a rare nonmalignant condition histologically characterized by keratinizing desquamative squamous metaplasia. Cholesteatoma has microscopic features of squamous metaplasia of the transitional epithelium and keratinization. These changes with subsequent desquamation of the superficial epithelial layers explain clinical manifestations of the disease. Flank pain, passage of cornified material in the urine and a filling defect on excretory urography (IVP) constitute the characteristic triad. Most cases are managed by extensive ablative surgery due to the potential for malignancy. A 60-year-old woman presented with a 3-year history of intermittent right flank pain in September 1999. These episodes recurred at 3 to 4-month intervals, and the pain was sometimes colicky. Medical history included hypertension and transabdominal hysterectomy for uterine myoma in 1992. Physical examination was unremarkable. Urine microscopy revealed hematuria. Urine cultures, including cultures for acid-fast bacilli, were negative. Serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were normal. Plain abdominal radiographs showed multiple linear calcification in the right 4th lumbar paravertebral area. IVP revealed a coarse linear filling defect in the calcified area of the proximal ureter and ureteral dilatation proximal to the involved area. A right retrograde pyelogram demonstrated a large filling defect in the proximal ureter with focal segmental narrowing and dilatation just distal to the involved area. This configuration resembled the “goblet sign” often associated with ureteral tumors (fig. 1). Computerized tomography showed right hydronephrosis with a focal filling defect in the right renal pelvic area and 1 3 1 3 5 cm. calcified mass in the right proximal ureter. Urine cytology demonstrated a moderate number of benign squamous cells and a few suspicious cells. From these findings we could not rule out a ureteral tumor. Right nephroureterectomy with bladder cuffing was done. The specimen showed a dilated pelvicaliceal system filled with whitish keratinous material extending into the proximal ureter. The mass was attatched loosely to the mucosa of the renal pelvis (fig. 2). Microscopically, there was keratinizing desquamative squamous metaplasia of the mucosa of the renal pelvis with marked keratinized debris in the renal pelvis and proximal ureter.