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Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a worldwide health problem. Oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5I) are used in its first-line treatment. This study aimed to compare the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment with PDE5I treatment and determine the patient-dependent factors affecting the efficacy of the HBO treatment and duration of action of HBO treatment., Methods: Adult male patients who presented to the HBO unit for HBO treatment with non-urological indications and had ED based on the International Index for Erectile Function (IIEF-5) constituted the target population of this study. Participants were given HBO treatment (Group 1), no treatment (Group 2), or daily oral tadalafil 5 mg treatment (Group 3). The treatment duration was 1 month. Patients were assessed by IIEF-5 both initially and after the completion of 1 month., Results: There were significant increases in the mean IIEF-5 scores of the patients in Group 1 and Group 3 (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). However, there was no significant improvement in Group 2 (p = 0.496). Also, the post-treatment IIEF-5 scores of Group 1 and Group 3 were significantly higher than Group 2 (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the IIEF-5 scores and ∆IIEF-5 values of Group 1 and Group 3 (p = 0.166, p = 0.093). Evaluation regarding comorbidities revealed that patients with the peripheral vascular disease did not improve with HBO treatment (p = 0.285)., Conclusion: HBO can improve erectile functions, and it can be a reasonable alternative for patients who cannot use PDE5Is due to comorbidities or treatment side effects., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate current urologic practice regarding the management of priapism in Turkey and compare with international guidelines., Methods: Urologists and urology residents were invited to an online survey consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions on priapism-related clinical practices that were consid- ered most important and relevant to practices by using Google Forms., Results: Total number of responses was 340. Respondents reported that they recorded a detailed patient's medical history and physical examination findings (n = 340, 100%) and laboratory testing, which includes corporal blood gas analysis (n=323, 95%). Participants announced that they performed Doppler ultrasound for 1/4 cases (n = 106, 31%), but 22% of the participants (n=75) replied that they performed in >75% of cases. Participants (n=311, 91%) responded that the first-line treatment of ischemic priapism is decompression of the corpus cavernosum. Moreover, most respondents (n = 320, 94%) stated that sympathomimetic injection drugs should be applied as the second step. About three-quarters of respondents (n = 247, 73%) indicated adrenaline as their drug of choice. Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors seems to be the most pre- ferred drug for stuttering priapism (n=141, 41%). Participants (n=284, 84%) replied that corpora-glanular shunts should be preferred as the first. A large number of par- ticipants (n = 239, 70%) declared that magnetic resonance imaging can be performed in cases with delayed (>24 hours) priapism to diagnose corporal necrosis. Most of the participants (84%) responded that penile prosthesis should be preferred to shunts in cases with delayed (>48 hours) priapism., Conclusion: It would be appropriate to improve the training offered by professional associations and to give more training time to the management of priapism during residency.

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the factors of prolonged urinary leakage (PUL) after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and develop a new and simple scoring system to predict it., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with renal stones who underwent PCNL at the University of Health Sciences Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital between April 2011 and January 2020. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of PUL, and their preoperative and perioperative data were compared. A multivariate regression analysis was applied to examine the relationship between perioperative descriptors and PUL, and a nomogram was developed using significant predictors. Then, the individual components of the nomogram were assigned points to form a scoring system., Results: There were 92 and 840 patients in the groups with and without PUL, respectively. The results of the univariate logistic regression analysis showed that hydronephrosis grade, parenchymal thickness, duration of nephroscopy, and duration of nephrostomy catheter were significantly associated with PUL. Subsequently, a multivariate regression analysis was carried out with these four factors as possible independent risk factors of PUL after PCNL. Based on the results of this analysis, a nomogram prediction model was developed with an area under the curve value of 0.811, which was consequently used to develop a new simple score system consisting of three characteristics: parenchymal thickness (1-5 points), duration of nephroscopy (1-3 points), and hydronephrosis grade (1-3 points)., Conclusion: A novel scoring system is a useful tool for predicting PUL in patients who have undergone percutaneous nephrolithotomy., Competing Interests: None declared., (Copyright® by the International Brazilian Journal of Urology.)

Introduction and Hypothesis: We aimed to compare on-demand and continuous use of fesoterodine 4 mg concerning efficacy and adverse effects., Methods: A total of 100 patients who were diagnosed with non-neurogenic overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome were included in the study. All patients were evaluated with MMSE, ICIQ-SF, SEAPI quality of health and OAB-V8 questionnaires, at the beginning, 1st month and 4th month. Fesoterodine 4 mg was started for treatment. At the end of the 1st month, patients who obtained benefit from the treatment were 1:1 randomized into two groups. In group 1, fesoterodine 4 mg was given 1 × 1 in a standard manner whereas in group 2 patients took the pills on demand. Both groups were evaluated for efficacy and adverse events at 4 months., Results: Final analyses included 69 patients. At 4-month follow-up, OAB-V8 scores were significantly improved compared to 1 month in both groups. Again at h months, no difference was detected between the two groups for MMSE, ICIQ-SF and SEAPI scores. In continuous usage group, 4th month MMSE scores were significantly lower than 1st month scores. At 4 months, dry mouth and constipation were lower in the on-demand group compared to continuous usage group., Conclusions: Compared to standard continuous usage, on-demand usage of fesoterodine showed similar efficacy with fewer adverse events., (© 2022. The International Urogynecological Association.)

Background: To classify intraoperative and postoperative complications using the modified Clavien classification system (MCCS) and modified Satava classification system (SCS) and to evaluate the parameters associated with complications in patients undergoing retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for renal and proximal ureteral stones. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 949 patients who underwent RIRS for renal stones and proximal ureteral stones at two institutions between March 2015 and June 2020. Intraoperative complications were assessed using the SCS, and postoperative complications were graded according to the MCCS. Univariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken to determine predictive factors affecting complication rates. Results: The median stone size was determined as 13 mm (range 10-20 mm). The stone-free rate was 83.6% after the first intervention. Reprocedure was applied to 89 of the patients with residual stones and the final stone-free rate was 94.4% after reprocedure. According to SCS, the number of intraoperative events and complication incidences was 153 (16.1%). MCCS revealed postoperative complications in 121 (12.8%) patients. Major complications were observed in 18 (1.9%) patients. The rate of complications was higher in patients with renal anomalies (9.9% vs 3.4%, p  = 0.001). Stone location, stone size, stone burden, stone number, stone density, and residual fragments were determined to be associated with the development of complications ( p  < 0.001, p  < 0.001, p  < 0.001, p  < 0.001, p  = 0.002, and p  < 0.001, respectively). In addition, the multivariate analysis revealed that only the presence of residual fragments was a significant predictor of complication development for the patients with Grade ≥3 complications according to MCCS ( p  = 0.032). However, significant predictors were stone burden ( p  < 0.001), stone density ( p  = 0.002), and fluoroscopy time ( p  < 0.001) for those with Grade ≥2b complications according to SCS. Conclusion: This study showed that abnormal kidney anatomy, operation time, stone burden, and residual fragments were reliable predictors of complication development during and after RIRS. Appropriate preoperative management should be planned according to these predictors to prevent intraoperative and postoperative complications.

Objective: To comparatively investigate the efficacy, safety and complications of flexible ureterorenoscopy (f-URS) in the treatment of patients of different age groups (<60, 60-74 and ≥75 years) with proximal ureteral and kidney stones., Study Design: Descriptive study., Place and Duration of Study: Department of Urology, HSU Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, HSU Ankara Diskapi Training, Research Hospital, and Mustafa Kemal University Faculty of Medicine, between March 2014 and June 2020., Methodology: Nine hundred and fifty-six patients, who underwent f-URS due to proximal ureteral and kidney stones, were divided into three age groups as <60 years (Group 1), 60-74 years (Group 2) and ≥75 year (Group 3). The patients' American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), anticoagulant use, stone-free rates and surgical and medical complication rates were examined for each group., Results: There were 688 patients in Group 1, 230 in Group 2, and 38 in Group 3. A significant difference was observed between the age groups in terms of CCI and anticoagulant use (p<0.001 for both). The highest rate of medical complications was observed in Group 3 at 42.1%, followed by Group 2 at 17.8%, while the lowest rate was observed in Group 1 at 2.3% (p<0.001). As a result of the multivariate analysis, receiving anticoagulant treatment (p=0.002) and having a high CCI (p=0.005) were independent predictors of medical complication development., Conclusion: It was clearly demonstrated that f-URS could be used as a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of moderate-size kidney stones in all age groups. Key Words: Elderly, Geriatric patients, RIRS, Holmium laser lithotripsy, Urolithiasis, Safety, Efficacy.

Objectives: To externally validate and compare Resorlu-Unsal stone score (RUSS), modified Seoul National University Renal Stone Complexity Score(S-ReSC), Ito's nomogram, and Retrograde Intra-Renal Surgery (R.I.R.S.) scoring systems for predicting capabilities of both the stone-free status and complications in a multi-institutional study., Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 949 patients who underwent flexible ureterorenoscopy (f-URS) and laser lithotripsy for renal stones in two institutions between March-2015 and June-2020. The RUSS, modified S-ReSC, Ito's nomogram, and R.I.R.S. scores were calculated for each patient by the same surgeon on imaging methods. Results were compared for their predictive capability of stone-free status and complications., Results: Of 949 patients 603 were male and 346 were female with a mean age of 47.2 ± 14.3 (range 2-84 years). Mean stone burden was 102.6 ± 42.2 (48-270 mm 2 ). All nomograms predicted stone-free status (Area Under Curve (AUC) were 0.689, 0.657, 0.303, and 0.690, respectively). All four scoring systems predicted complications with AUC values of 0.689, 0.646, 0.286, and 0.664 for RUSS, modified S-ReSC, Ito's nomogram, and R.I.R.S., respectively. Although all scoring systems were able to predict complications only Ito's nomogram was able to predict Clavien ≥2 complications., Conclusion: All four scoring systems (RUSS, modified S-ReSC, Ito's nomogram, and R.I.R.S.) could predict stone-free status after f-URS, however, the AUC values are not satisfactory in our large patient cohort. Although these scoring systems were not developed for predicting post-operative complications, they were associated with complications in our study. However, these four scoring systems have some significant limitations. The ideal scoring system is yet to be developed., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and reliability of Guy's (GSS), S.T.O.N.E., and CROES scoring systems developed to predict percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) outcomes in aged patients. Study Design: Descriptive study., Place and Duration of Study: Department of Urology, Ministry of Health University Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital and Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Amasya University, Turkey, from April 2011 to January 2020., Methodology: Patients aged 65 years and over, who underwent PCNL for kidney stones, were retrospectively analysed. The patients' clinical and perioperative characteristics and the radiological features of the stones were obtained from the prospectively recorded data. GSS, S.T.O.N.E. and CROES nephrolithometry scores were calculated for each patient and their relation with stone-free status, complications, and perioperative findings were analysed., Results: A total of 147 patients were included in the study. Stone-free status was achieved in 76.0% of the patients, and complications developed in 27.2%. All three scoring systems were associated with stone-free status and complication development. GSS (OR=0.213,p=0.005) and S.T.O.N.E. (OR=0.601, p=0.042) scores were detected as independent markers for stone-free status, while the CROES score was not an independent marker. Only diabetes mellitus was determined to be an independent marker for the development of complications (OR=2.375, p=0.045)., Conclusion: PCNL is an effective and safe treatment method with high stone-free rates in the treatment of large renal stones, but care should be taken in terms of cardiac risks. The results of this study showed that GSS and S.T.O.N.E. scoring systems were effective and reliable in predicting stone-free status. Key Words: Aged, Nephrolithotomy, Percutaneous, Comorbidity, Stone-free status, Treatment outcome, Complications, Scoring systems.

Introduction: Almost half of the cystic renal lesions are still overdiagnosed and overtreated. New clinical and radiological parameters are needed to distinguish the malignant Bosniak 3 lesions from the benign ones. We aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological parameters that may be related to malignancy risk for Bosniak category 3 renal cysts., Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent surgical resection of a histopathologically confirmed Bosniak 3 renal cyst between March 2007 and September 2019 were evaluated. Two experienced uro-radiologists have reevaluated the last preoperative computed tomography and/or MRI images of the patients and reclassified the lesions according to the Bosniak classification. They also reported cystic features such as nodularity, septation, focal thickening, enhancement, and calcification. Clinical, pathological, and oncological outcomes were recorded. Then patients were divided into 2 groups as Group 1 (benign pathology) and Group 2 (malignant pathology) according to final histopathological report., Results: A total of 79 patients were included in this study. Mean follow-up time was 47 ± 34 months. There were 30 patients in Group 1 and 49 patients in Group 2. Hypertension (p = 0.001) and smoking history (p = 0.008) were more common in malignant group. Among the radiological findings, lower tumor diameter (p = 0.024), presence of cyst wall enhancement (p = 0.025), presence of nodularity (p = 0.002), and presence of focal thickening (p = 0.031) were found to be statistically significant for malignancy. Most of the tumors were at pathological T1 stage and Fuhrmann Grade 1-2. Only nodularity was found to be independent predictive factor for malignancy in multivariate analysis., Conclusion: Clinical factors including hypertension and smoking, radiological factors including lower lesion size, cyst wall enhancement, nodularity, and focal thickening were predictors for malignancy of Bosniak 3 cysts., (© 2020 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To investigate the clinical and pathological predictive factors affecting biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with positive and negative surgical margin (SM)., Methods: Patients who underwent RP were retrospectively reviewed for the study. Demographic, clinical, pathological and oncological data were evaluated. All data were compared between patients with positive SM and negative SM to detect factors associated with SM status. Later, patients were divided into two groups as BCR-negative and BCR-positive groups. Data were separately compared between BCR groups for all patients, SM-negative and SM-positive patients, respectively., Results: A total of 254 patients with a mean age of 63.5 years and the mean prostate-specific antigen of 10.9 ng/ml were evaluated in the study. SM positivity was found to be an independent prognostic factor for BCR (p = 0.013, Odds Ratio (OR): 0.267, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.094-0.755). In SM-positive patients, biopsy Gleason Score and International Society of Urological Pathology grade were found to be independent predictive factors for BCR (p < 0.05). However, only tumor to SM distance (TSMD) was found to be an independent risk factor for BCR (p = 0.024) in SM-negative patients. The predictive cutoff value of the TSMD was found to be 75 μm for BCR (100% sensitivity and 63.9% specificity) (AUC = 0.803, p = 0.024). Although all of 46 patients with >75 μm TSMD were recurrence free, 5 of 31 patients with <75 μm TSMD had BCR (p = 0.009; OR: 0.839 CI: 0.719-0.979)., Conclusion: High Gleason Score and International Society of Urological Pathology grade of biopsy were found to be associated with BCR in SM-positive patients. For SM-negative patients, only TSMD was found to be associated with BCR after RP., Competing Interests: All authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (© 2020 Asian Pacific Prostate Society. Publishing by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of preoperative renal function on survival outcomes in patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) with non-continent urinary diversion (UD)., Materials and Methods: A total of 132 patients with bladder cancer who underwent RC with non-continent UD due to urothelial carcinoma from January 2006 toMarch 2017 at our tertiary referral center were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were divided into 2 groups as those with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)<60mL/min/1.73 m2 and ≥60mL/min/1.73 m2 according to preoperative eGFR levels. Patients' characteristics, preoperative clinical data, operative data, pathologic data, oncologic data and complications were compared between the groups., Results: The mean age was 64.5±8.7 (range: 32 - 83) years and the median follow-up was 30.9±31.7 (range: 1-113) months. There were 46 patients in Group 1 and 86 patients in Group 2. There was no difference in cancer-specific mortality (45.6% for group 1 and 30.2% for group 2, p=0.078) and survival (56.8±8.3 months for group 1 and 70.5±5.9 months for group 2, p=0.087) between the groups. Overall mortality was higher (63% for group 1 and 40.7% for group 2, p=0.014) and overall survival (43.6±6.9 months for group 1 and 62.2±5.8 months for group 2, p=0.03) was lower in Group 1 compared to Group 2., Conclusions: Overall mortality was higher and overall survival was lower in patients with preoperative eGFR<60mL/s. More patients had preoperative hydronephrosis with eGFR<60mL/s., Competing Interests: None declared., (Copyright® by the International Brazilian Journal of Urology.)

Objectives: To prospectively investigate the alterations and normal ranges of ureteral jet dynamics after double-J-stent (DJS) removal in patients who underwent renal transplantation (RTx)., Methods: Patients who underwent RTx were prospectively evaluated between November 2017 and June 2018. After RTx, Doppler ultrasonography (D-US) was performed on all patients after DJS removal. Renal artery resistive index (RA-Ri), renal pelvis anterior-posterior diameter (RP-APD), pelvicalyceal system dilation (PCSD), and ureteral jet flow dynamics (maximum and average velocity; JETmax and JETave) were measured by D-US. Also, patients' demographics, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels, and acute rejection were investigated in the study. Patients were assessed two different times by D-US, about 6 and 12 weeks after DJS removal, and the two different measurements were compared with the Wilcoxon test and Chi-square test., Results: A total of 25 patients were evaluated in the study. Nonobstructive PCSD rate (12% vs 8%), JETave (18.8 vs 12.9 cm/sec), and JETmax (29.2 vs 20 cm/sec) levels were significantly decreased (p values are 0.01, 0.010 and 0.014, respectively). In addition, monophasic and square pattern rates were significantly observed to increase over time (p=0.035); however, ureteral jet patterns were correlated between the two different D-US measurements (R=0.225, p=0.032)., Conclusion: After RTx, dilation rate and ureteral jet flow velocities were significantly decreased, and monophasic and square JETpattern rates were significantly increased over time. Ureteral jet dynamics can provide useful information about the follow-up of peristaltic activity in the pelvic-ureteric system.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of alpha-blocker treatment prior to transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TRUS-Bx) on voiding functions, pain scores and health-related quality-of-life outcomes., Materials and Methods: From January 2018 to April 2019, a total of 112 patients underwent TRUS-Bx due to elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or abnormal digital rectal examination findings. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on whether they received pharmacological treatment before biopsy. Group 1 consisted of patients with no alpha-blocker treatment prior to biopsy and Group 2 consisted of patients who received Tamsulosin for one week before biopsy continuing for one week after biopsy. Voiding function was evaluated three times using the validated International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and uroflowmetry (maximal flow rate (Qmax) and residual volume (PVR)). The Turkish version of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-item Questionnaire (SF-36) was used to assess health-related quality of life. Pain scores were rated according to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) just after the biopsy procedure., Results: Mean IPSS and Qmax on the post-biopsy 7 day were significantly in favor of Group 2 (P<0.001, P=0.004). Although post-biopsy day 7 PVR was similar between the groups, Δ1 PVR was significantly in favor of Group 2 (P=0.004). Mean VAS score was 2.7±2.3 for the Tamsulosin group and 4.2±2.2 for the control group (P=0.001). There was no significant difference between two groups according to baseline and postoperative 1 st month SF-36 scores., Conclusion: Alpha-blocker therapy prior to TRUS-Bx is effective in preventing voiding dysfunction and biopsy-related pain in patients undergoing TRUS-Bx., Level of Evidence: 2., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of preoperative hydronephrosis and ureteral orifice involvement (UOI) on survival of patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer (BC)., Material and Methods: A total of 162 patients with BC underwent RC between January 2006 and March 2017. Patients were divided into two groups for both presences of preoperative hydronephrosis and orifice involvement at final pathology. Additionally, tumors with orifice involvement were subgrouped histopathologically after RC as those with only UOI and those with invasive to the ureter with an additional concurrent site at final pathology., Results: Preoperative hydronephrosis was detected in 57 patients. Preoperative and postoperative creatinine on month 3 were higher in the preoperative hydronephrosis (+) group (p<0.001). In addition, postoperative T stage, surgical margin positivity, invasion of urethra, and pathological upstaging were higher in this group. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were better in the hydronephrosis (-) group than in the hydronephrosis (+) group (p=0.001 and p=0.001, respectively). Preoperative hydronephrosis was found to be an independent factor in pathological upstaging. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of UOI. Group 1 consisted of patients without UOI, and group 2 with UOI. Preoperative hydronephrosis, hydronephrosis grade, and T stage were statistically higher in tumors with UOI. Moreover, CSS and OS were lower in group 2 than in group 1., Conclusion: Preoperative hydronephrosis and UOI are predicting factors on survival of patients undergoing RC for BC. Preoperative hydronephrosis was found to be an independent factor in pathological upstaging.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of transobturator tape (TOT) on overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms and quality of life., Materials and Methods: Patients with stress-predominant mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) who had undergone TOT procedures were considered candidates for this research. Preoperative assessment included anamnesis, pelvic examination, cough stress test (CST), and validated symptom severity and quality of life (QoL) questionnaires. The primary outcome, improvement and cure rates of OAB symptoms were determined based on the patient's baseline scores in symptom-related questions in OAB-V8. Secondary outcomes included the success rates of SUI, changes in the QoL score and patient satisfaction rates., Results: A total of 104 patients were included in the study. Sixty-two patients underwent TOT placement alone, and 42 patients underwent TOT placement along with prolapse surgery. The mean follow-up period of the patients was 30.47 months range: 13-52 months. At the fi rst-year follow-up, 52 patients (50.0%) and 59 patients (56.7%) reported cure in preoperative urgency and urgency incontinence, respectively. The objective and subjective cure rates were 96.2% and 56.7%, respectively. A total of 80.7% of the cases had a 15-point improvement in QoL scores., Conclusions: MUS is not only a gold standard treatment in SUI but also presents as a promising treatment modality in stress-dominant MUI. Although the improvement rates of OAB symptoms signifi cantly decrease over time, QoL and patient satisfaction rates remain higher than any other treatment in this patient group at the third-year follow-up., Competing Interests: None declared., (Copyright® by the International Brazilian Journal of Urology.)

The residual fragments in patients with preoperative and intraoperative culture positivity may serve as an infection focus. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of residual fragments for developing SIRS in patients with stone culture and/or RPUC positivity. After obtaining institutional review board approval, a total of 729 patients who undergone PCNL for renal stones were included in this study. Residual fragments accepted to be positive if any fragment was detected irrespective of size. All patients were followed-up postoperatively for SIRS criteria. The patients were then followed-up for residual stone-related events and infectious complications. 94 of the 729 patients have developed SIRS postoperatively. SIRS positivity was more common among males and found to be associated with higher stone burden and presence of staghorn stone. Patients with residual fragments after PCNL also had higher rates of SIRS. In the subgroup analysis of 203 patients who had post-PCNL residual fragments, the peroperative stone and/or RPUC positivity was not found to be associated with the development of the SIRS. Although presence of residual fragments after PCNL is associated with SIRS development, stone culture and/or RPUC positivity has no additional risk for development of post-PCNL infectious complications in patients with residual fragments.

Objective: To evaluate the histopathologic correlation of recently described subclassification of Bosniak category 3 cysts (3s and 3n)., Materials and Methods: A total of 106 patients who underwent partial/radical nephrectomy due to a complex renal cyst (≥Bosniak 3) were retrospectively reviewed. All the scans of the patients were reevaluated by 2 experienced uroradiologists. Bosniak 3 cysts were reclassified as 3n (nodularity on the cyst wall/septae) and 3s (septated cysts without nodularity) as described in a recently published paper. Group 1 consisted of patients with Bosniak 3s, Group 2 consisted of patients with Bosniak 3n, and Group 3 consisted of patients with Bosniak 4 cysts. Three groups were compared according to patients' characteristics, radiological findings, histopathologic results, and survival outcomes., Results: There were 52 patients in Bosniak 3 group and 54 patients in Bosniak 4 group. Mean follow-up was 35.3 months. Among Bosniak 3 cysts, 37 lesions were classified in 3s and 15 were classified in 3n. Malignancy was higher in 3n group than 3s (86.7% vs 54.1%, P= .026). Lesion size was significantly lower for malignant cysts compared to benign ones in the patients with Bosniak 3 lesions (44.2 ± 27.5 vs 80 ± 55.9 P= .005). In the subgroups, malignant lesions were significantly smaller than benign lesions in 3s group similar to general Bosniak 3 group. Most of the Bosniak 3 lesions were organ confined and low grade., Conclusion: The subclassification of Bosniak 3 cysts as 3s and 3n can help to differentiate highly suspicious malignant lesions from the relatively less suspicious ones., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: We wanted to investigate the potential effect of additional telerounding system on postoperative outcomes, patient and surgeon satisfaction rates in the patients who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL)., Methods: Eighty patients who underwent PNL were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided to two groups. Group 1 included 40 patients who were followed-up with standard rounds and group 2 included 40 patients who were followed-up with telerounding in addition to standard rounds. Patient and surgeon satisfaction rates were assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS) where 0 point represents very dissatisfied and 100 points very satisfied., Results: Mean time of preoperative telerounding visit was 3.65±0.59 (2-4) minutes. Mean time of telerounding visits on the postoperative 1st and 2nd days was 3.80±0.62 and 2.9±0.91 minutes respectively. The VAS score evaluating the surgeon's satisfaction rate for telerounding was 91±11.2 and patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with 72.5%., Conclusion: The use of additional telerounding in urological patient care provides high satisfaction rates for both the patients and the surgeon. However the findings of the present study don't underestimate the importance of personal surgeon-patient interaction.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of variant histology on pathological and survival findings in patients undergoing radical cystectomy due to muscle invasive bladder cancer., Materials and Methods: Data from 146 patients with radical cystectomy performed due to muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma between January 2006 to November 2016 at our clinic were investigated. The preoperative and postoperative data of patients with variant histology were compared with nonvariant urothelial carcinoma patients. Then of patients with variant histology only those with squamous differentiation (SqD) were compared with nonvariant urothelial carcinoma patients in terms of preoperative, postoperative and survival data., Results: Of the 146 patients, 23 had carcinoma with variant histology. Of these, 17 had SqD, 4 had glandular differentiation, 1 patient had plasmocytoid variant and 1 patient had sarcomatoid variant. In patients with variant histology, postoperative T stage and upstaging was higher, with no difference observed in terms of overall and cancer-specific survival compared with nonvariant urothelial cancer patients. SqD patients were observed to have higher postoperative T stage compared to nonvariant urothelial cancer patients, with no significant difference observed in terms of survival., Conclusions: In cystectomy pathologies, patients with variant histology (especially SqD patients) were observed to have proportionally higher T stage compared to nonvariant urothelial carcinoma; however there were no significant differences for overall survival and cancer-specific survival.

Purpose: To investigate the utility of attenuation value (Hounsfield unit) of the filled bladder on computed tomography (CT) images and the association of these values with simultaneously obtained urine culture results., Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2017, retrospective data of 58 patients who were admitted to the emergency department for various symptoms were examined. All patients were evaluated with urine dipstick microscopy, urine culture, and abdominal CT simultaneously. Group 1 consisted of patients with positive urine culture (n = 28) and Group 2 consisted of patients with negative urine culture (n = 30). The attenuation value of urine in the bladder at the level of the bladder trigone was measured inside an elliptical drawing covering all the urine inside the bladder excluding the bladder wall on axial non-contrast CT images. The predictive value of this calculated attenuation value for urine culture positivity was evaluated., Results: The median attenuation value was - 6 (range - 17.8 to + 11) and 12 (range 0-32) in group 1 and group 2 (p < 0.001). According to cut-off value of - 1 attenuation value, sensitivity for predicting urine culture positivity was 92.9%, whereas specificity was 100% (AUC: 0.977 p < 0.001). Urine culture was positive in all of the 26 patients with attenuation value < - 1, whereas only two of the 32 patients with attenuation value > - 1 had urine culture positivity (p < 0.001 OR 14)., Conclusion: The attenuation value of the urine in the defined area of the bladder may aid in the diagnosis of urinary infection with high sensitivity and specificity and without any additional cost.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the predictive value of stone measurements by including a novel method on non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) images for stone composition., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients who had stone analysis, NCCT images, and underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy between 2013 and 2016. Patient characteristics, stone measurements on NCCT images, and stone analysis results were evaluated. Hounsfield unit (HU) values (maximum (HU max ), minimum (HU min ), and average (HU ave ) of HU values) were investigated on NCCT images. HU diff was calculated as the difference between the HU max and the HU min values. Patients were divided into seven stone groups and data were compared. Then patients were separately divided into two groups according to mineral complexity (mono-mineral and multi-mineral groups) and calcium-based (calcium and other stone groups) evaluation., Results: In the study, 115 patients were evaluated. Age, gender, HU min , HU max , and HU ave were significantly different between the stone groups. HU diff and HU ave were found to be 341.5 HU (AUC = 0.719, p = 0.017) and 1051.5 HU (AUC = 0.701, p = 0.029) as cut-off, respectively. Seventy of 72 > 341.5 HU diff patients and 64 of 67 > 1051.5 HU ave patients had multi-mineral stones (p = 0.001, OR 9.26, and p = 0.028, OR 4.27), respectively. In multivariate analysis, > 341.5 HU diff rate was significantly higher in multi-mineral and calcium stone groups; HU ave was also significantly higher in the calcium stone group., Conclusions: HU diff and HU ave were significant predictors of mineral complexity. HU diff of < 341.5 HU showed 81.8% sensitivity and 67.2% specificity for identification of mono-mineral stones.

Background: To validate and compare the stone scoring systems (stone size [S], tract length [T], obstruction [O], number of involved calices [N], and essence or stone density [E] [S.T.O.N.E.], Guy's Stone Score [GSS], Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society [CROES], and Seoul National University Renal Stone Complexity [S-ReSC]) used to predict postoperative stone-free status and complications after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL)., Methods: A total of 567 patients who underwent PCNL for renal stones between January 2012 and August 2015 were included in the recent retrospective study. Sixty-one patients who had not done preoperative CT were excluded from the study. GSS, S.T.O.N.E., S-ReSC, and CROES nephrolithometry scores were calculated for each patient, and their potential association with stone-free status, operative and fluoroscopy time, and length of stay (LOS) was evaluated. Postoperative complications were graded according to the modified Clavien classification, and the correlation of scoring systems with postoperative complications was also investigated., Results: The mean CROES, S.T.O.N.E., GSS, and S-ReSC scores were 203.7 ± 59.8, 7.52 ± 1.8, 2.08 ± 0.9, and 3.35 ± 2.2, respectively. The overall stone-free rate was 77.9%. All scoring systems were significantly correlated with stone-free status and operation time. While GSS, S.T.O.N.E., and CROES systems were significantly correlated with complication rates (CR), S-ReSC score failed to predict CR. All scoring systems except S.T.O.N.E. were significantly correlated with LOS. CROES and S-ReSC scores were predictive of estimated blood loss (EBL), while GSS and S.T.O.N.E. failed to predict EBL., Conclusions: Recent study demonstrated that S.T.O.N.E., GSS, CROES, and S-ReSC scoring systems could effectively predict postoperative stone-free status. Although S-ReSC scoring system failed to predict CR, the rest three scoring systems were significantly correlated with postoperative CR.

Paraurethral cysts are usually asymptomatic and frequently detected incidentally during routine pelvic examination however, patients can present with complaints of a palpable cyst or with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and also dyspareunia. In most cases, diagnosis can be made on physical examination but for more detailed evaluation and to differentiate from malign lesions ultrasonography (US), voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), computerized tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can also be used. Management of symptomatic paraurethral cyst is surgical excision. In this video our objective is to show the surgical management of female paraurethral cyst with concomitant stress urinary incontinence (SUI). A 37 year-old woman presented with an 8-year history of progressive urinary symptoms, consisting of dysuria, urinary frequency, urgency urinary incontinence, SUI and dyspareunia. Physical examination in the lithotomy position revealed a cystic lesion located in the left anterolateral vaginal wall. Also cough stress test for SUI was positive. Her preoperative ICI-Q, UDI-6, IIQ-7 and SEAPI scores were 16, 8, 9 and 18 respectively. Vaginal US revealed a solitary 2 cm paraurethral cyst, localized in the distal urethra. Pelvic MRI also revealed a benign cystic lesion in the distal urethra. The patient underwent surgical excision of the cyst and anterior colporrhaphy for SUI. At third month visit the patient was very satisfied. The ICI-Q, UDI-6, IIQ-7 and SEAPI scores were 0. Sometimes the LUTS concurring with the parauretral cyst can be dominant. Herein we want to show that extra surgical procedures can be necessary with paraurethral cyst excision for full patient satisfaction., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (Copyright® by the International Brazilian Journal of Urology.)

The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of the CROES nephrolithometric nomogram and S.T.O.N.E. scoring system in predicting PCNL outcomes in terms of stone-free rate, estimated blood loss (EBL), operative time (OR), length of hospital stay (LOS), and complications. Patients who underwent PCNL for renal stones between May 2012 and January 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients' demographic characteristics and operational features were recorded prospectively in all patients postoperatively. S.T.O.N.E. and CROES nephrolithometry scores' correlation with stone-free status, operation and fluoroscopy time, length of hospital stay (LOS) and blood loss (BL) was evaluated. Patients were categorized according to S.T.O.N.E. nephrolithometry and CROES nephrolithometry scores. Postoperative complications were graded according to modified Clavien classification (Dindo et al. in Ann Surg 240:205-213, 2004) and the correlation of both scoring systems with postoperative complications was also evaluated. We identified 437 patients who underwent PCNL between May 2012 and January 2015. A total of 262 patients who are available data for the CROES and S.T.O.N.E. scoring systems were included in the recent study. The mean S.T.O.N.E score was 7.65 ± 1.56 and the mean CROES score was 191.13 ± 64.39. The overall stone-free rate was 71.4%. Of the 262 patients, 89 experienced postoperative complications. Stone-free patients had significantly lower BMI (<0.001) and stone burden (p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed that both scoring systems were significantly associated with stone-free rates and operation time. We demonstrated that S.T.O.N.E. and CROES scoring systems were useful for predicting post-PCNL stone-free status. But both scoring systems were not useful for predicting post-PCNL complications.

The aim of this study was validation and comparison of stone scoring systems (S.T.O.N.E, GUY, CROES, S-ReSC) used to predict postoperative stone-free status and complications after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for staghorn stones. A total of 160 patients who had staghorn renal stones and underwent PCNL between January 2012 and August 2015 were included in the current retrospective study. Guy, S.T.O.N.E., S-ReSC (Seoul National University Renal Stone Complexity) and CROES (Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society) nephrolithometry scores were calculated for each patient, and their potential association with stone-free status, operative and fluoroscopy time, and length of hospital stay (LOS) were evaluated. Postoperative complications were graded according to the modified Clavien classification, and the correlation of scoring systems with postoperative complications was also investigated. The mean CROES, S.T.O.N.E, Guy and S-ReSC scores were 143.5 ± 33.6, 9.7 ± 1.6, 3.5 ± 0.5 and 6.2 ± 2.0 respectively. The overall stone-free rate was 59%. All scoring systems were significantly correlated with stone-free status in univariate analysis. However, Guy and S-ReSC scores were the only significant independent predictor in multivariate analysis. And all four nomograms failed to predict complication rates. Current study demonstrated that Guy and S-ReSC scoring systems could effectively predict postoperative stone-free status for staghorn stones. However all four scoring systems failed to predict complication rates., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.)

We aimed to evaluate the use of twinkling artifact (TA) on color Doppler ultrasonography (USG) as an alternative imaging modality to non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in patients with ureteral stones in this prospective study. Totally, 106 consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with ureterolithiasis by CT were enrolled in this prospective study. A urinary system color Doppler ultrasonography was performed on the same day with CT by an experienced radiologist who was blinded to the CT scan. TA was graded as 0, 1 and 2. The overall specificity of TA was calculated according to the NCCT as a gold standard method. The size, side and localization of stone and the demographic characteristics of patients were compared with twinkling positivity. TA on color Doppler USG was detected in 92 (86.8 %) patients. Statistically significant difference was found between the TA and localization of ureteral stones (p = 0.044). When we sub-grouped the patients according to the TA grades as 0, 1 and 2, 14 patients were with TA grade 0, 55 with TA grade 1 and 37 with TA grade 2. The mean stone size of groups was significantly different (p = 0.012). Bigger and proximal ureteral stones tended to have more TA on color Doppler USG. TA on color Doppler USG could be a good and safe alternative imaging modality with comparable results between NCCT. It could be useful for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with ureterolithiasis.

Objective: We investigated the prognostic value of preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on germ cell testicular tumors (GCT)., Material and Methods: The data of 53 patients who underwent inguinal orchiectomy were analyzed retrospectively. NLR was calculated from the preoperative complete blood cell counts. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to find the threshold values for NLR. Correlations between cancer-specific survival (CSS) and progression-free survival (PFS) and NLR were evaluated., Results: The mean follow-up time was 23.55±18.06 months. The mean level of NLR was 3.08±1.81. Optimal threshold values of NLR was calculated as 3.55 for PFS (area under curve, AUC: 0.55) and 3.0 for CSS (AUC: 0.66). For patients with a NLR of <3.55 and NLR of ≥3.55, mean times-to-progression were 55.71 months (95% CI, 51.27-60.14) and 51.95 months (95% CI, 38.02-65.87, p=0.152), respectively. As well as, for patients with a NLR of <3.0 and NLR of ≥3.0, mean times-to-cancer specific death were 54.72 months (95% CI, 49.05-60.38) and 49.43 months (95% CI, 37.64-61.22, p=0.119), respectively., Conclusion: Preoperative NLR is not a useful tool to predict the prognosis of patients with GCT., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient's clinical health status. Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services using two-way video, email, smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of telecommunications technology. Starting out over forty years ago with demonstrations of hospitals extending care to patients in remote areas, the use of telemedicine has spread rapidly and is now becoming integrated into the ongoing operations of hospitals, specialty departments, home health agencies, private physician offices as well as consumer's homes and workplaces. There's also a current trend in the use of telemedicine in urology. In the present paper we aimed to review the recent literature about telemedicine and the use of telerounding and telementoring in urological procedures.

We evaluated the usefulness of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio (NLCR) in predicting postoperative sepsis after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). In total, 487 patients who underwent PCNL for renal stones were included in the present retrospective study. The stone burden, number of tracts and location, operation time, fluoroscopy time, presence of residual stones, and blood transfusion rates were postoperatively recorded in all patients. All patients were followed up for signs of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis. The association of sepsis/SIRS with the risk factors of infectious complications, including NLCR, was evaluated. SIRS was detected in 91 (18.7%) patients, 25 (5.1%) of whom were diagnosed with sepsis. Stone burden, operation time, irrigation rate, previous surgery, nephrostomy time, access number, blood transfusion, residual stone, postoperative urinary culture, renal pelvis urinary culture, and stone culture were found to be predictive factors for SIRS and sepsis development. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an NLCR cutoff of 2.50 for predicting the occurrence of SIRS/sepsis. We found that the incidence of sepsis was significantly higher in patients with NLCR ≥ 2.50 than in patients with NLCR < 2.50 (p = 0.006). Preoperative and postoperative urine culture positivity were associated with high NLCR (p = 0.039 and p = 0.003, respectively). We believe that preoperative NLCR may be a promising additive predictor of bacteremia and postoperative sepsis in patients who undergo PCNL for renal stones. This marker is simple, easily measured, and easy to use in daily practice without extra costs., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.)

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the postoperative outcomes and complications of transobturator tape (TOT) procedure in women with mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in long term follow-up., Methods: A group of 193 women, who underwent TOT procedure, was documented in the study. Patients were divided into two groups in terms of incontinence type. Group 1 consists of patients with SUI and group 2 with MUI. All patients were evaluated with pelvic examination, including cough stress test and international consultation on incontinence questionnaire-short form at 3 and 12 months and annually. Visual Analog Scale (VA S) was used to evaluate postoperative patient satisfaction. Two groups were retrospectively compared for postoperative complication, patient satisfaction, objective and subjective cure rates., Results: In this study, group 1 included 105 patients and 67 patients were in group 2. There was no significant difference between the objective cure rates in two groups; however subjective cure and patients satisfaction rates were significantly higher in SUI group (P<0.05). Complications were reported according to the Clavien-Dindo classification with Gr I 8.3%, Gr II 66.7%, Gr IIIa 8.3% and Gr IIIb 16.7% and Gr I 16.7%, Gr II 66.6%, Gr IIIa 16.7% and Gr IIIb 0% in group 1 and group 2, respectively., Conclusions: It is not easy to identify an ideal treatment modality for women with MUI but TOT procedure seems to be effective and safe in the surgical treatment of MUI after 5 years follow-up.

A 75-year-old male had failed to respond conservative therapy for erectile dysfunction and had undergone insertion of a malleable penile prosthesis in 1995. Twenty years after the initial implant he presented with right-sided prosthesis localized in the buttock. There was no infection. The prosthesis was extracted through an incision in the right hip. As in the recent case, mechanical failures in malleable penile prosthesis models, can occur. Penile implant migration back to the buttock without a curve deformity is an extremely rare complication. Clinicians should be alert about possible late complications of penile prosthesis., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

We aimed to evaluate the potential effect of age on the natural behavior of bladder cancer and to compare these findings between different age groups. The clinical and pathologic data of 239 patients treated at our institution between 1994 and 2014 were analyzed. The patients were classified into three groups according to age: ≤ 40 years (Group 1), 41-59 years (Group 2), and ≥ 60 years (Group 3). The following data were collected: characteristics of the patients, initial pathological findings after transurethral resection, tumor stage and grade, tumor size and multiplicity, and disease recurrence and progression. The mean age of the patients at initial diagnosis was 34.2±5.5 years, 53±5.1 years, and 71.1±7 years in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. There were 207 (86.6%) patients with nonmuscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer and 32 (13.4%) patients with muscle-invasive disease. Tumor recurrence was significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p=0.001) and Group 3 (p=0.001). Although the time to tumor recurrence was significantly different between the three groups (p=0.001), no significant difference was noted in the time to progression (p=0.349). Patients with urothelial cancer younger than 40 years tend to have single and small tumors. The tumor recurrence rate is lower in the younger age group, but tumor progression is similar in older and younger patients. Therefore, the findings indicate that clinicians should be careful when assessing the invasiveness of urothelial tumors in younger patients and start treatment as soon as possible., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.)

Laparoscopic treatment of large adrenal tumors is still questionable due to concern over the risk of malignancy as well as the technical difficulties. No exact dimensional cut-off has been described for laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA). In this study, we reviewed our experience with LA for masses ≥ 8 cm and tried to determine the limitations of this surgery in this group of patients. Sixteen patients with adrenal mass ≥ 8 cm (Group 1) and 19 patients with adrenal mass < 8 cm (Group 2) treated with transabdominal LA were included in this study. We analyzed operative time, intraoperative and postoperative complications and length of postoperative hospital stay with respect to tumor size and clinopathologic features. Mean maximum tumor diameters were 91.7 mm (range, 80-150 mm) and 52.4 mm (range, 35-73 mm) in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. Operation time and blood loss were higher in Group 1 compared to Group 2, but these differences did not reach significant levels (p>0.05). Conversion to an open procedure required in two patients, one from each group, because of the firm attachments of adrenal mass to the surrounding tissue. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that LA is a safe and feasible procedure for large lesions even up to 15 cm. The risk of finding incidental adrenal cortical cancer was significantly increased for large lesions in our series as in the literature; therefore, it is important to follow the strict oncological principles in these cases., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.)