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Background Aim of this study was to evaluate and compare perioperative outcomes of transperitoneal (TP) and retroperitoneal (TR) approaches in a multi-institutional cohort of minimally invasive partial nephrectomy (MI-PN). Material and methods All consecutive patients undergone MI-PN for clinical T1 renal tumors at 26 Italian centers (RECORd2 project) between 01/2013 and 12/2016 were evaluated, collecting the pre-, intra-, and postoperative data. The patients were then stratified according to the surgical approach, TP or RP. A 1:1 propensity score (PS) matching was performed to obtain homogeneous cohorts, considering the age, gender, baseline eGFR, surgical indication, clinical diameter, and PADUA score. Results 1669 patients treated with MI-PN were included in the study, 1256 and 413 undergoing TP and RP, respectively. After 1:1 PS matching according to the surgical access, 413 patients were selected from TP group to be compared with the 413 RP patients. Concerning intraoperative variables, no differences were found between the two groups in terms of surgical approach (lap/robot), extirpative technique (enucleation vs standard PN), hilar clamping, and ischemia time. Conversely, the TP group recorded a shorter median operative time in comparison with the RP group (115 vs 150 min), with a higher occurrence of intraoperative overall, 21 (5.0%) vs 9 (2.1%); p = 0.03, and surgical complications, 18 (4.3%) vs 7 (1.7%); p = 0.04. Concerning postoperative variables, the two groups resulted comparable in terms of complications, positive surgical margins and renal function, even if the RP group recorded a shorter median drainage duration and hospital length of stay (3 vs 2 for both variables), p Conclusions The results of this study suggest that both TP and RP are feasible approaches when performing MI-PN, irrespectively from tumor location or surgical complexity. Notwithstanding longer operative times, RP seems to have a slighter intraoperative complication rate with earlier postoperative recovery when compared with TP.

Background: To investigate the perioperative and morbidity outcomes after partial nephrectomy (PN) in patients with short life expectancy (SLE) (≥95% 10-year expected mortality (10y-EM)), to assess the main predictors of outcomes in this population and to compare these results with those of a group at the opposite upper range with long LE (LLE, ≤5% 10y-EM) relying on a multicenter Italian prospective registry of kidney surgery (the RECORD 2 project). Methods: Clinical data of 4,325 patients undergone kidney surgery were collected at 26 urological Italian Centers from 2013 to 2016. SLE was defined as a ≥95% 10y-EM (assessed using the age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index [CCI]). A multivariable logistic regression for overall postoperative complications, acute kidney injury (AKI), positive surgical margins (SM) and ∆ estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥25% at 2 years from surgery was performed in patients with SLE including clinically relevant variables. Adjusted outcomes reported as mean (SD) of the 2 groups were generated using separate multivariable logistic regression models and compared. Results: Overall, 559 patients with SLE were selected. Patients had an ASA score ≥3 in 58.4% of cases. A clinical T1a, T1b, and T2 stage was found in 412 (74.5%), 124 (22.4%), and 17 (3.1%) patients. The median PADUA score was 7 (6–8). Surgical and medical postoperative complication rates were registered in 14.8% and 6% cases. Postoperative AKI was reported in 27.3% cases, positive surgical margins (PSM) in 9.3% cases. In this subgroup of patients, ASA score, cerebrovascular disease, surgery in low volume centers, and open surgery were independent predictors of overall complications. ASA and PADUA scores, renal clamping, resection technique and lower eGFR at baseline were independent predictors of AKI. PADUA score, open approach and resection technique were independent predictors of PSM. Cardiovascular disease, hilar clamping, and resection technique were independent predictors of eGFR decrease >25% at 2 years from surgery. Patients with SLE were compared with those with LLE (n = 302). All analyzed parameters at baseline were significantly different among the groups with the exception of cancer laterality. After adjusting for several clinical variables, the SLE group had a significantly higher risk rate of adjusted overall postoperative complication rate compared to the LLE group (20.6% ± 0.36 vs. 9.9% ± 0.65, P < 0.0001), while the overall intraoperative complications (4.1% ±0.13 vs. 2.3% ± 0.23), overall postoperative major complications (3.8% ± 0.09 vs. 1.9% ± 0.14) adjusted AKI (24.2% ± 0.37 vs. 22.6% ± 0.92), positive surgical margins (8% ± 0.22 vs. 6.4% ± 0.49), and 2-year RF loss (13.4% ± 0.17 vs. 12.4% ± 0.74). Conclusion: In selected patients with SLE, PN is feasible with an acceptable safety profile that is overall comparable to patients with no LE limitations. While a robotic approach and surgery performed in high volume centers could reduce the risk of complications, an off-clamp approach and a SE surgical technique may decrease the risk of postoperative AKI and of longer term eGFR decrease.

Visceral metastasis is widely considered a prognostic factor for overall survival of men with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) and has been historically managed with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). More recently, this therapeutic scenario has been enriched by the possibility to integrate ADT with chemotherapy or novel androgen-signaling-targeted inhibitors. In order to define the effect of chemotherapy/androgen-signaling-targeted inhibitors plus ADT, we performed a pooled analysis on patients with mCSPC and visceral metastases, revealing that survival was significantly improved in patients without visceral metastasis (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.56-0.74; P .01) compared to men with visceral metastases (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.51-0.91; P .01). Although several limitations do not allow us to draw definitive conclusions, our analysis confirms the efficacy of chemotherapy/androgen-signaling-targeted inhibitors in combination with ADT in mCSPC with visceral metastases as well. In the absence of specific randomized controlled trials, symptoms, toxicity, cost, patient preference, and clinical experience should guide the decision to add chemotherapy or androgen receptor-targeted therapy to ADT in patients with visceral metastases from mCSPC.

Introduction: Microchimerism (MC) is the presence of a small amount of foreign cells or DNA within a person’s circulation or tissues. It has been identified also in recipients of solid organ transplants where it seems to be critical for the development and maintenance of immunological tolerance. Nevertheless, natural and/or iatrogenic MC can be acquired prior to transplantation, through pregnancy and/or blood transfusion. Objective: The aim of this study was to detect the presence of MC in women after renal transplantation from male cadaveric donors and its relationship with graft outcomes. Methods: We studied by qPCR the presence of the DYS14 gene sequence of the Y chromosome in 12 females who received a kidney graft from a male donor before transplantation (T0), after 15 days (T1) and 1 year of transplantation (T2). We found the sequence in all recipients after renal transplantation. Results: All the women were negative for this sequence prior to transplantation (T0). Mean (SD) Y-related DNA quantity was 0.80 (0.69) ng/mL plasma and 0.15 (0.26) ng/mL plasma at T1 and T2, respectively. No acute rejection was observed, and mean (SD) estimated Cr clearance was 68.8 (16.9) mL/min within 1 year from transplantation. Conclusions: Presence of MC was associated with good kidney graft outcomes after 1 year of transplantation, but further studies will be needed to investigate the relationship between clinical outcomes and the development of MC in renal transplant recipient.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the correlation of a history of lower urinary tract symptomatology during childhood with lower urinary tract dysfunction in young adult women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This was a multicentre, prospective, case-control study conducted between April 2013 and November 2015. A total of 300 women, aged 18-40 years, participated. The case group comprised women attending urogynaecology clinics for various lower urinary tract complaints and the control group was recruited from a healthy population. Exclusion criteria were designed to avoid common causes of lower urinary tract dysfunction and symptoms and included diabetes mellitus, neurological disease and pelvic inflammatory disease. All women completed a self-administered 77-item questionnaire, exploring childhood urological and bowel history, as well as current urological, bowel and sexual symptoms. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests to compare categorical variables. Multivariate logistic regression models were fit for the prediction of the adult outcomes, incorporating as explanatory variables all those that showed a significant P value in bivariate analysis. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS Women with childhood urinary voiding and storage symptoms had a higher prevalence of these symptoms in adult life compared with women without such history. Women with urinary tract infections (UTIs) during childhood had a higher incidence of adult UTIs compared with women without this problem in childhood. CONCLUSIONS Lower urinary tract dysfunction in childhood seems to 'persist' in young adult life but the implications of this finding in clinical practice need to be defined in future studies.

Objectives To present our experience with a sigmoid orthotopic neobladder. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the functional and oncological outcomes of 160 patients who underwent orthotopic neobladder reconstruction using a detubularized 20–25-cm sigmoid segment at our institution. Each patient was evaluated every 3 months the first year, every 6 months for the next 4 years and annually thereafter. Urodynamic studies of all consenting patients were carried out after 6 months, and 2, 5 and 10 years. We carried out the log–rank test, and used Cox regression models and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. The anova test was used to compare urodynamic findings over time. Results Mean follow up was 6.8 years (range 0.65–21.7 years). Overall survival was 58.1% at 5 years, and 47.1% at 10 years. Early complications occurred in 36 patients (22.6%); late complications in 40 (25%). Stage V chronic kidney disease developed in two patients (1.3%). Complete (daytime and night-time) continence, defined as no need for pads or condom devices, was achieved by 45% of patients at 5 years, daytime continence was achieved by just 36% of patients; both were unchanged at 10 years. A significant difference emerged in maximal neobladder capacity and post-void residual values between 6 months and 2 years, and between 2 and 5 years (P < 0.01 and P = 0.03, respectively). Conclusions Sigmoid neobladder continence and capacity significantly improve over the first 5 years, and they remain stable over the long term. Upper urinary tract function is not affected by endoluminal pressure, and the rate of metabolic imbalance is negligible.

Introduction Coital urinary incontinence (CUI) is not much explored during clinical history, and this could lead to an underestimation of the problem. Aim To evaluate the prevalence and clinical risk factors of CUI in women with urinary incontinence (UI), and to measure the impact of CUI on women’s sexuality and quality of life. Methods This was a multicenter international study, conducted in Italy, Greece, the United States, and Egypt. Inclusion criteria were: sexually active women with UI and in a stable relationship for at least 6 months. Exclusion criteria were: age Main Outcome Measures To evaluate the CUI and its impact on sexual life we used the open questions on CUI as well as the International Consultation on Incontinence questionnaire and Patient Perception of Bladder Condition questionnaire. Results In this study 1,041 women (age 52.4 ± 10.7 years) were included. In all, 53.8% of women had CUI: 8% at penetration, 35% during intercourse, 9% at orgasm, and 48% during a combination of these. Women with CUI at penetration had a higher prevalence of SUI, women with CUI during intercourse had higher prevalence of MUI with predominant SUI, and women with CUI at orgasm had higher prevalence of UUI and MUI with predominant UUI component. Previous hysterectomy was a risk factor for CUI during any phase, while cesarean delivery was a protective factor. Previous failed anti-UI surgery was a risk factor for CUI during penetration and intercourse, and body mass index >25 kg/m2 was a risk factor for CUI at intercourse. According to International Consultation on Incontinence questionnaire scores, increased severity of UI positively correlated with CUI, and had a negative impact on the quality and frequency of sexual activity. Clinical Implications This study should encourage physicians to evaluate the CUI; in fact, it is an underestimated clinical problem, but with a negative impact on quality of life. Strengths & Limitations The strength of this study is the large number of women enrolled, while the limitation is its observational design. Conclusion CUI is a symptom that can affect sexual life and should be investigated during counseling in all patients who are referred to urogynecological centers.

Serous borderline tumors are rare neoplasms. Herein we report our conservative approach, whose rationale is neoplasm low-malignant potential. Tumor was removed under general anesthesia, and frozen section ruled out a germinal malignancy or a stromal tumor such as rhabdomyosarcoma. Ultrasound evaluation was initially performed every 3 months during the first 2 years, every 6 months during the next 3 years, and annually thereafter. After 8 years, the patient has not experienced any relapse, either clinical or ultrasonographical. In our opinion, conservative approach, whose final decision relies on intraoperative frozen section, represents the best option and does not jeopardize long-term oncological outcome.

Objective: Prevention may improve the quality of life and sexual and reproductive health. To improve prevention require a comprehensive research approach that examines the frequency and risk factors for urologic conditions. In June 2016 the Italian Urologic Society coordinated a preventive initiative : the 1st Week of Male Urologic Prevention ”#Controllati”. Material and methods: During the 1st Week of Male Urologic Prevention “#Controllati”, men aged 18 years or more were invited to attend participating urologic centers for a free of charge visit for counseling about urologic or andrologic conditions. Each participating man underwent a physical examination. Further he was asked about his a medical history and about his urologic symptoms, sexual activity and possible related problems. Results: Data were collected in 81 centers: 2380 men answered the questionnaire. A total of 1226 subjects participating in the study reported one or more urinary symptom [51.5% (IC 95% 48.9%-54.5%)]. The risk of any urinary symptoms increased with age: in comparison with men aged < = 30 years or less the risk of any urinary symptoms was 2.31, 2.92, 5.12, 7.82 and 17.02 respectively in the class age 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70 and > = 71. Overweight/obese men were at increased risk of any urinary symptoms [OR1.35 (95% CI 1.12-1.64)]. 27.2% (IC 95% overall 25.2% -29.3%) of the subjects had at least a sexual disorder (erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, hypoactive sexual desire). The erectile dysfunction and hypoactive sexual desire increased with age, but premature ejaculation tended to be higher among younger aged men aged 40 years or more. Current any urinary symptoms [OR 1.85 (CI 1.40-2.43)], hypertension [OR 1.66 (95% CI 1.21-2.26) and diabetes (OR 2.37 (95% CI 1.45-3.88)] increased the risk of erectile dysfunction. Conclusions: This large survey gives a picture of the burden of the more frequent urologic conditions offering useful information in order to focus preventive campaign.

Introduction Although several new measurements for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) have recently been developed, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) remains the gold standard for screening and one of the most widely used questionnaires. The Italian translation of the FSFI has been used in several studies conducted in Italy, but a linguistic validation of the Italian version does not exist. Aim The aim of this study was to perform a linguistic validation of the Italian version of the FSFI. Methods A multicenter cross‐sectional study conducted in 14 urological and gynecological clinics, uniformly distributed over Italian territory. We performed all steps necessary to determine the reliability and the test–retest reliability of the Italian version of the FSFI. The study population was a convenience sample of 409 Italian women. Main Outcome Measures The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using Cronbach's alpha, which was considered weak, moderate, or high if its value was found less than 0.6, between 0.6 and 0.8, or equal to or greater than 0.8, respectively. The test–retest reliability was assessed for all women in the sample by calculating Pearson's concordance correlation coefficient for each domain and for the total score, both at baseline and after 15 days (r range between −1.00 to +1.00, where +1.00 indicates the strongest positive association). Results Cronbach's alpha coefficents for total and domain score were sufficiently high, ranging from 0.92 to 0.97 for the total sample. The test–retest procedure revealed that the concordance correlation coefficient was very high both for FSFI‐I total score (Pearson's P = 0.93) and for each domain (Pearson's P always >0.92). Conclusion For the first time in the literature, our study has produced a validated and reliable Italian version of the FSFI questionnaire. Consequently, the Italian FSFI can be used as a reliable tool for preliminary screening for female sexual dysfunction for Italian women. Filocamo MT, Serati M, Li Marzi V, Costantini E, Milanesi M, Pietropaolo A, Polledro P, Gentile B, Maruccia S, Fornia S, Lauri I, Alei R, Arcangeli P, Sighinolfi MC, Manassero F, Andretta E, Palazzetti A, Bertelli E, Del Popolo G, and Villari D. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI): Linguistic validation of the Italian version. J Sex Med 2014;11:447–453.

Background To identify molecular biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression, several noninvasive tests on liquid biopsy have been proposed for different cancers including those of urogenital origin. Among biomarkers, carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) has gained attention as it regulates extracellular pH and induces cytoplasmic alkalization contributing to malignant progression and poor treatment outcome. Works on tissues suggested the potential use of CAIX as a tumor biomarker for urogenital malignancies, but only few studies have been performed on its detection in urine. Scope The aim of the present study is the measurement of CAIX messenger RNA (mRNA) in urine sediments of patients affected by kidney, prostate, and bladder cancers to evaluate the clinical sensitivity and specificity of the test. Procedures The quantification of the total CAIX mRNA concentration and of its full-length isoform (CAIX FL) have been performed by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) on RNA extracted from urine sediments of patients affected by urogenital cancers. Results Urinary total CAIX mRNA expression resulted to be lower in patients with kidney and prostate cancer in comparison with the control group, but no statistically significant difference could be evidenced for bladder cancer. The evaluation of the relative percentage of FL isoform mRNA (FL%) showed a significant increase of FL% in urine from patients with cancer (median = 70.8%) in comparison with the healthy subjects (median = 2.6%) and this finding was confirmed for each cancer type separately. The comparison among receiver operating characteristic curves for total CAIX mRNA, CAIX FL mRNA, and FL% indicated that FL% shows the best diagnostic performance with 90% sensitivity and 72% specificity. Comparison of the results obtained in urine with those found in the corresponding tissues indicated 80% concordance. Conclusions The CAIX mRNA expression in urine sediments can be considered a surrogate marker of CAIX expression in tumor tissues of urogenital origin. In particular, the analysis of FL% possesses the best characteristics to be a suitable noninvasive biomarker for urogenital cancer diagnosis.

In human cancers, carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) influences cell proliferation and tumor progression, maintaining intracellular and extracellular pH under hypoxic conditions. An alternative CAIX isoform, lacking of exons 8-9 (AS) and independent from the levels of hypoxia, was recently demonstrated in cancer cells. AS-CAIX competes with the full-length (FL) isoform in the regulation of the extracellular pH, mainly in a mild hypoxic status. In the present study, we evaluated mRNA expression of the 2 CAIX isoforms and their clinical relevance in bladder cancers and urine sediments.We measured mRNA expression of FL- and AS-CAIX isoforms in tumor tissues and benign mucosa from 45 patients with bladder transitional cell carcinoma. The expression of the 2 isoforms was also measured in urine sediment of 81 bladder cancer patients and 93 control subjects.Expression of FL-CAIX mRNA was lower than AS-CAIX in benign mucosa (P = 0.006) whereas in paired bladder cancers FL-CAIX mRNA was higher (P = 0.007). Consequently, the percentage of FL-CAIX in bladder cancers [median: 62.6%] was significantly higher than in benign mucosa [15.0%] (P0.0001). In the urinary sediments of bladder cancer patients FL-CAIX mRNA was significantly higher in comparison with normal controls (P = 0.003). FL-CAIX percentage appeared dramatically higher in urine sediments of bladder cancer patients [64.5%] in comparison with controls [7.5%] (P0.0001). In addition, FL-CAIX% was significantly different in sediments from pTa-pT1 and ≥ pT2 patients [51.5% and 91.7%, respectively] (P = 0.016). Stratification according tumor grade indicated that FL-CAIX% was significantly lower in G1 bladder cancers [33.3%] in comparison with G2-G3 [88.6%] (P = 0.005) The clinical sensitivity for FL-CAIX% in urine sediments was 0.93, with a 0.76 specificity. Using the same cut-off positive predictive value (PPV) was 0.78, whereas negative predictive value (NPV) was 0.93.Our results seem to indicate that in bladder cancers and related urine sediments, FL-CAIX is the prevalent and is the most accurate clinically relevant variant surrogate of hypoxic stress.

Objectives Urinary hypermethylation of BCL2, hTERT, and DAPK promoters has been previously demonstrated as an accurate biomarker for the detection of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. In the present study, we investigated with a validation intent the frequency and levels of methylation of the same 3 genes in tumor tissue and urine sediment of patients undergoing transurethral resection (TUR) for non-muscle-invasive (NMI) UCB. Materials and methods A total of 108 consecutive patients with NMI UCB and 105 controls with no genitourinary malignancies were enrolled in this prospective study conducted in 2 tertiary referral academic urological departments with an advanced molecular laboratory. The frequency and levels of methylated BCL2, hTERT, and DAPK promoters were evaluated with quantitative methylation-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction in DNA extracted from tumor tissue and paired normal bladder mucosa retrieved at the time of TUR in patients, and from urine in patients and controls. Results In tumor tissue, at least 1 gene was hypermethylated in 91% patients (BCL2 in 62%, hTERT in 53%, DAPK in 48%). Methylation of hTERT was significantly correlated with tumor grade ( P = 0.026). In urine sediment sensitivity and specificity were 76% and 98%, respectively, using BCL2 and hTERT. The number of methylated genes was highly correlated with tumor grade ( P = 0.005). Methylated BCL2 and hTERT in urine sediment were highly correlated with those of the corresponding bladder tumor qualitatively ( P P = 0.005). Methylation levels of BCL2 and hTERT were variably associated with tumor grade and stage, but were significantly correlated with patient age ( P = 0.004 and P = 0.027, respectively). Conclusions These findings suggest that quantitative methylation analysis of BCL2 and hTERT, but not DAPK, in urine sediment may be a useful tool in the diagnosis of NMI UCB, deserving future applicability studies.

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 OBJECTIVE To report the oncological outcome of 106 patients who had locally advanced prostate cancer with microscopic bladder neck invasion, identified in a series of 1129 patients surgically treated with retropubic radical prostatectomy over a 12-year period. PATIENTS AND METHODS All specimens were reviewed. Microscopic bladder neck invasion was defined as the presence of neoplastic cells within the smooth muscle bundles of the bladder neck, with no accompanying prostatic glandular tissue on the corresponding slide. Survival was analysed for different subgroups in relation to several variables. RESULTS The follow-up (median 7.2 years, mean 6.68, range 0.3–14) was available for 106 patients with microscopic bladder neck invasion. Seminal vesicle invasion was present in 69.8% of the cases, lymph node involvement in 29.2%, apex infiltration in 31.8%, and positive surgical margins in 23.6%. Biochemical progression occurred in 61 (57.5%) patients, and 25 of them died from cancer. The mean (sd) biochemical progression-free survival was 0.68 (0.05), 0.59 (0.05), 0.40 (0.05) and 0.38 (0.05) at 1, 2, 5 and 10 years, respectively. Age, Gleason score and lymph node invasion were independent prognostic factors on multivariate analysis. Overall and cancer-specific survival rates were 0.75 (0.04) and 0.80 (0.04) at 5 years and 0.57 (0.04) and 0.75 (0.04) at 10 years, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that seminal vesicle invasion, lymph node involvement and surgical Gleason score ≥8 significantly increased the risk of death. On multivariate analysis only the surgical Gleason score had an independent prognostic role with regard to overall survival (P = 0.01; odds ratio 2.82, 95% confidence interval 1.2–6.4) and cancer-specific survival (P

A vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) is a fistulous tract that connects bladder and vagina, causing urine leakage via the vagina. In the developed world, iatrogenic postoperative VVF is the most common case. Classically, when treating a VVF via the abdominal route, an abdominal flap is mobilized and interposed between the bladder and the vagina.In our video, we describe a robotic VVF repair technique with no omental flap interpositioning for a vaginal vault-located fistula.Duration of surgery was 95 min, estimated blood loss was50 ml. The postoperative course was uneventful. At the 6-month follow-up, which included clinical and cystographic examinations, the patient had not experienced any recurrence.In our opinion, a two-layered suturing technique using two semi-continuous sutures for vaginal closure and perpendicular interrupted stitches for bladder closure does not require omental flap mobilization, reducing operating time and possible complications related to accidental peritoneal injuries.

Renal transplant recipients are a population usually considered at a higher risk of malignancies, mostly skin cancer and lymphoproliferative disorder. In recent years, prostate cancer in renal transplant recipients has been becoming more frequent. This is probably due to the growing age and the longer survival of the transplanted patients. We report the case of a 50-year-old man with prostate cancer and renal allograft, who received radiotherapy after prostatectomy at the Institute of Radiotherapy of the University of Florence. Radiotherapy is part of the standard treatment for many cases of prostate cancer. According to the few series reported in the literature and also to our experience, radiation therapy is feasible also in renal transplant recipients with accurate treatment planning.

Actinomycosis of the urinary bladder is rare, mostly subsequent to abdomino-pelvic infection, and usually affects women with long-term use of an intrauterine device. We describe a case of vesical actinomycosis mimicking a papillary bladder tumour in a 56-year-old woman with primary manifestation of the disease in the genital tract, subjected to two transurethral resections after relapse of a polypoid mass in the bladder. Urological procedures are necessary to differentiate actinomycosis from bladder cancer and the diagnosis is often made histologically.

OBJECTIVE To determine, in a multicentre prospective study, the accuracy of the tissue‐resonance interaction method (TRIMprob, new technology developed for the noninvasive analysis of electromagnetic anisotropy in biological tissues) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two hundred patients (mean age 67.4 years) scheduled to have prostatic biopsies (because of a prostate‐specific, PSA, antigen level of ≥4 ng/mL or a suspicious digital rectal examination, DRE) were preliminarily examined while unaware of their clinical details using TRIMprob in five different centres. The final diagnosis obtained with TRIMprob was compared with the final histological diagnosis after extended biopsies. RESULTS Of the 188 evaluable patients (mean PSA level 9.3 ng/mL, sd 8.8; mean prostate volume 62.0 mL, sd 32.4), 61 (32.4%) had a positive biopsy for adenocarcinoma of the prostate. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of TRIMprob were 80%, 51%, 44%, 84% and 60%, respectively. The prostate cancer detection rate after biopsy was significantly higher in patients with a positive examination (49/111, 44%) than in patients with a negative TRIMprob (12/77, 15%; P

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess efficacy and safety of association of duloxetine and rehabilitation compared with rehabilitation alone in men with SUI after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP), and to compare continence rate even after planned duloxetine suspension. Methods After catheter removal, 112 patients were randomized to receive rehabilitation and duloxetine (group A) or rehabilitation alone (group B), for 16 wk. Inclusion criteria: postprostatectomy SUI with daily incontinent episodes frequency (IEF) of four or greater. After 16 wk both groups suspended duloxetine/placebo and continued rehabilitation. All patients completed incontinence quality of life (I-QoL) questionnaire and bladder diary. Wilcoxon test was used to analyse changes in IEF and in I-QoL score; Fisher exact test was used to compare continent patients between the groups. Results Adverse events for duloxetine was 15.2%. 102 men completed the study. There was a significant decrease in pad use in group A. After 16 wk, 39 patients versus 27 were dry ( p =0.007). At 20 wk, 4 wk after planned interruption of duloxetine, we observed a U-turn, 23 patients were completely dry in group A versus 38 in group B ( p =0.008). Whereas, after 24 wk, 31 in group A versus 41 in group B were dry ( p =0.08). The decrease in IEF and improvements in I-QoL scores were significantly greater in group A for the first 16 wk. Conclusions The data suggest that combination therapy might provide another treatment option for SUI in men that might increase the percentage of early postsurgery continence.

Objective: The study presents an original uterus sparing technique for transvaginal repair of total genitourinary prolapse. The technique employs a synthetic mesh of mixed polypropylene and 910 polyglactin fibers. Methods: The prosthesis creates a support for the cystocele, the cervix and the enterocele. It has four anchoring sites: two at the rear in the sacrospinous ligaments and two at the front in the arcus tendineous of the levator ani muscle. Between February 2001 and December 2004, 24 patients (mean age 66.9 years), presenting symptoms of uterine prolapse, cystocele and enterocele (POP-Q stage III-IV Aa associated to II-III-IV C), were treated with our procedure. Pre- and postoperative parameters were evaluated statistically. Results: No patient had any serious complications. The mean follow-up was 31.1 months (range 6–52). 19 patients (79.1%) have shown excellent results and have been completely cured. In 5 other cases (20.8%), the cystocele was completely cured and there was a significant improvement in the hysterocele and the enterocele. One patient required surgical treatment for postoperative stress incontinence. Statistical analysis of data regarding the pre- and postoperative prolapse stage demonstrated a high degree of objective cure rates (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: While hysterectomy remains the habitual treatment for severe uterine prolapse, our technique provides a promising alternative solution. It is also significant that there were no complications of erosion or infection associated with the prosthesis.

Circulating prostate cells can be detected in peripheral blood of patients with clinically localized or advanced prostate carcinoma. Traditionally, nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is used for this as a sensitive, but qualitative only, detection system. We developed a quantitative real-time RT-PCR method for measuring prostate-specific antigen (PSA) mRNA in peripheral blood of prostate cancer patients. A quantitative assay was developed using an external standard reference curve generated with RNA from the human prostate cell line LNCaP. Basal blood samples were collected from 44 patients without evidence of distant metastases and from 30 healthy controls. In 29 patients surgically treated with radical prostatectomy, the measurement of PSA mRNA was performed in blood samples collected before, at the end and 6 days after surgery. In 14 patients treated with radiotherapy, the measurements were repeated at 3-month intervals to evaluate time-related changes during therapy. The measurements were also performed for one year at 3-month intervals in one patient treated with anti-androgen therapy. We found detectable PSA mRNA in 14/44 (32%) basal blood samples. A wide range of values were observed in these patients, ranging from 0.5 to 1724 pg of total LNCaP RNA/ml blood. In patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, circulating PSA mRNA was detectable in eight patients in basal samples, and in seven of them also in blood specimens collected at the end of surgery, showing an increase in only two patients. In blood samples collected 6 days later, PSA mRNA was dramatically reduced in all patients, but still present in seven of them. In four patients, whose basal samples were negative, PSA mRNA was detectable in samples collected at the end of surgery and three of them were negative after 6 days. In patients who did not receive surgical treatment, a rapid decrease in PSA mRNA was demonstrated in five patients treated with radiotherapy and in one patient undergoing androgen deprivation. No detectable PSA mRNA was found in healthy controls. The levels of PSA mRNA in peripheral blood from patients with prostate carcinoma can be easily measured by this sensitive, quantitative and reliable procedure. This assay is a promising tool for the detection and follow-up of these patients.

We report our experience with endoluminal stent placement after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for the treatment of post-transplant renal artery stenosis.From October 1992 to September 1996, 8 stents were successfully implanted in 7 patients affected by resistant transplant renal artery stenosis. All transplanted kidneys were procured from cadaver donors. The patients were routinely evaluated with duplex sonography and the median interval between transplantation and stenosis detection was 7.4 months (range 0.5 to 17). When serious renal stenosis was diagnosed (greater than 50%), selected angiography and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty were performed. In 8 cases (7 patients) an endoluminal metallic Palmaz stent was placed in the site of the restenosis. One patient received 2 stents repeatedly positioned in different stenosis sites.No major complications occurred. Clinical outcome was positive in 5 patients (71.4%) and Stenosis recurred in 2 (28.5%) (less than 50% and less than 35%, respectively). Median followup after stent placement was 14.8 months (range 1 to 37).Percutaneous endoluminal stent procedures after resistant transplant renal artery stenosis or for ex novo treatment for severe anastomotic stenoses appears to be promising. Longer followup periods are necessary for true evaluation of this procedure.

A fifty-four-year-old woman presented with right renal colic and three months later a retroperitoneal tumor was diagnosed. After explorative laparotomy with biopsy, which showed a germ cell tumor, the patient received external beam radiotherapy, but died of metastatic diffusion nine months later. We believe this is a rare occurrence of a germ cell tumor in a postmenopausal woman.