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Background: In urology, ureteral stents are used to treat obstructive diseases. Hematuria (54%), fever, discomfort, and lower urinary system symptoms are the predominant symptoms related to ureteral stent. Aim: This article links stent symptoms to double-j width and length, as well as patient’s height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). Ureteric Stent Symptoms Questionnaire (USSQ) was used to measure ureteral stent symptoms at 1st and 4th week of stent in situ as well as the 4th week after pigtail removal. Methods: A 200-patient prospective study, where patients were allocated into four groups following ureteral stent insertion depending on the stent characteristics. Those groups were: 4.8 Fr./26 cm (Group A), 4.8 Fr./28 cm (Group B), 6 Fr/26 cm (Group C), and 6 Fr/28 cm (Group D). Results: Men comprised 53.5% of 200 patients. Participants had an average age of 49 ± 15.5 years, height of 175 ± 8.94 cm, and BMI of 23.8 ± 7.6 cm. The laboratory results were identical between groups. At the first and fourth week, groups had similar urine symptoms, pain severity, health status and occupational activities. The difference in pain location was statistically significant. Group A had 82.4% renal back pain in the first week, whereas Group B had 68.8%, Group C 31.3% and Group D 62.5 (p = 0.04). At the fourth week, 64.7% of Group A patients reported kidney front pain, compared to 100% of Group B, 93.3% of Group C, and 100% of Group D (p = 0.04). There was statistical significance in the sexual activity of the patients. 24.4% of Group C patients stopped sexual activity before stent installation, compared to 10.6%, 8.3%, and 6.4% of the other groups (p = 0.03). A moderate percentage of patients had active sexual activity at week 4 (Group A: 7.8%, Group B: 5.8%, Group C: 8.2%, Group D: 4.1%), p = 0.83. In multivariate analysis, urinary catheter group, age, weight, height, and BMI did not significantly affect urine index score (UIS), pain index score (PIS), general health (GH), quality of work (QW), and quality of sex (QS). Conclusions: Despite various attempts to establish the best ureteral stent, the effect of double-j stent physical features on stent-related symptoms remained unknown. No verdict is conceivable without adequate empirical data.

Background: At present, it is not possible to predict the ablation zone volume following irreversible electroporation (IRE) for prostate cancer (PCa). This study aimed to determine the necessary electrical field threshold to ablate human prostate tissue in vivo with IRE. Methods: In this prospective multicenter trial, patients with localized PCa were treated with IRE 4 weeks before their scheduled radical prostatectomy. In 13 patients, numerical models of the electrical field were generated and compared with the ablation zone volume on whole-mount pathology and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. Volume-generating software was used to calculate the ablation zone volumes on histology and MRI. The electric field threshold to ablate prostate tissue was determined for each patient. Results: A total of 13 patients were included for histological and simulation analysis. The median electrical field threshold was 550 V/cm (interquartile range 383–750 V/cm) for the software-generated histology volumes. The median electrical field threshold was 500 V/cm (interquartile range 386–580 V/cm) when the ablation zone volumes were used from the follow-up MRI. Conclusions: The electrical field threshold to ablate human prostate tissue in vivo was determined using whole-mount pathology and MRI. These thresholds may be used to develop treatment planning or monitoring software for IRE prostate ablation; however, further optimization of simulation methods are required to decrease the variance that was observed between patients.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the outcome of using a two-suture technique for the vesicourethral anastomosis (VUA) during radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two groups of 50 patients each underwent nerve-sparing RRP for localized prostate cancer by one surgeon. In one group, the vesicourethral anastomosis was performed using 2 Vicryl 2-0 stitches placed at the 3- and 9-o’clock positions and in the other group 6 Vicryl 2-0 stitches were placed at the 2-, 4-, 6-, 8-, 10- and 12-o’clock positions. The intraoperative and perioperative parameters analyzed were time to perform the VUA, time to remove the drain and hospitalization. The rate of incontinence, anastomotic stricture and erectile function were included in the outcome analysis. RESULTS: The anastomotic time differed statistically between the 2 groups (mean 3.3 minutes for the 2-suture group and 10.5 minutes for the 6-suture group, p < 0.0001) with similar periods of drain removal (mean 3.12 days for the 2-suture group and 3.45 days for the 6-suture group; p = 0.13) and hospitalization (mean 4.66 days for the 2-suture group and 5.3 days for the 6-suture group; p = 0.09). The functional outcome was excellent for the 2-suture group with no patient suffering from incontinence or anastomotic strictures 1 year postoperatively, while in the 6-suture group there were 2 patients (4%) suffering from incontinence (2 underwent sling procedure) and 1 patient suffered from anastomotic stricture. CONCLUSION: The low number of sutures in the 2-suture VUA technique reduces operating times, does not influence perioperative and intraoperative parameters and results in excellent functional outcome.

PURPOSE: Patients requiring chronic anticoagulation are theoretically at increased risk for hemorrhage or thromboembolism perioperatively. Experience with laparoscopic renal/adrenal surgery in patients on chronic warfarin is limited. We assessed hemorrhagic/thromboembolic complications in this group of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 787 patients undergoing laparoscopic renal/adrenal surgery were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 25 patients on chronic oral anticoagulation with warfarin were identified. The indications for warfarin therapy as well as perioperative management were reviewed. Clinical parameters, including operative time, estimated blood loss, hemorrhagic/thromboembolic complications and transfusions, were documented and compared with those in patients not receiving chronic anticoagulation. RESULTS: Atrial fibrillation (56% of cases) and a prosthetic mitral valve (28%) were the most frequent indications for chronic anticoagulation. Bridging anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin was the most frequent management method (68% of cases). Patients with anticoagulation were older (p <0.001) and hospitalized longer (<0.001) than those without anticoagulation. Operative time, estimated blood loss and the conversion rate were not significantly different between the groups. However patients on chronic warfarin significantly more often required transfusion (24% vs 5.2%, p <0.005) and had more postoperative bleeding episodes (8% vs 0.9%, p <0.05) than patients not on chronic anticoagulation. No thromboembolic events occurred in the anticoagulated group, while 3 occurred in the nonanticoagulated group (p = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic renal/adrenal surgery in patients requiring chronic anticoagulation therapy can be performed safely. The risk of intraoperative bleeding is not increased, although the incidence of postoperative bleeding as well as transfusions is higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE:: We describe our experience with and results of percutaneous computerized tomography guided radio frequency ablation (RFA) for small (less than 4 cm) renal tumors at a 2-year mean followup.MATERIALS AND METHODS:: A total of 49 patients (60 renal tumors) with a mean age of 63.9 years underwent percutaneous RFA. Indications for RFA were severe comorbidities or previous abdominal surgery precluding operative management, or hereditary conditions predisposing to multiple tumor recurrence. Persistent enhancement on initial followup imaging was considered incomplete treatment and all such patients underwent biopsy and were offered repeat RFA. Enhancement or enlargement on subsequent imaging was considered tumor recurrence and these patients were counseled regarding further therapy.RESULTS:: Three patients (4 tumors) were excluded from evaluation due to death from unrelated causes or loss to followup. A total of 46 patients (56 tumors) were available for evaluation at a mean followup of 27.5 months (range 12 to 48). Six tumors were incompletely treated with the first RFA and successfully treated with a second session. Recurrences after successful initial treatment were seen in 3 of 46 patients. These recurrences developed 24, 25 and 31 months following RFA, respectively, and all occurred in patients with a central tumor of 3.0 cm or greater. Overall local control was achieved in 94.6% of tumors (53 of 56).CONCLUSIONS:: RFA is an emerging alternative treatment modality for small renal tumors. Larger (greater than 3.0 cm) central tumors represent unique technical challenges, making these tumors more prone to recurrence. Long-term followup is needed to establish the oncological durability of this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In routine urological practice, pigtails are frequently utilized to relieve blockage. Early signs of pigtail problems include pain, lower urinary tract symptoms, pain, hematuria (54%) and fever. Seventy percent of patients experience irritable voiding symptoms, and 80% of patients or even more report pain interfering with everyday activities. Methods: This article's goal is to evaluate the various polymeric stents that are currently on the market. In addition, a review of their fundamental bioqualities is conducted, and a connection between their physical attributes (length, size, and composition) and stent-related issues is looked into. For this review, extensive Medline, PubMed, and literature research from 1987 to January 2023 was conducted. Lower urinary tract complaints, ureteral stents, “pigtail,” “materials,” “characteristics,” or “properties” were the search terms employed. Results: The reviews and publications that are now accessible linking certain materials to stent-related symptoms offer contradictory conclusions, and the majority of research do not specify the precise properties of the materials utilized. The results of the studies on the relationship between stents length and diameter and symptoms connected to stents are likewise inconclusive, despite the fact that there are several studies on this topic in the literature. Conclusion: Numerous studies imply a connection between the various types and properties of the utilized stents and stent-related complaints. However, the available data did not fully support this claim, necessitating additional research.