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We report a case of urothelial carcinoma (UC) associated with a blind-ending bifid ureter. A 76-year-old man presented with asymptomatic, intermittent gross hematuria. Computed tomography revealed a mass in the left middle ureter at the level of the pelvic rim, which appeared to be the cause of hydronephrosis. A pouch of the ureter was also detected, and it was closely associated with the dilated main ureter along its entire length. Retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy with open excision of the bladder cuff was performed. Pathological examination of the surgical specimen revealed two papillary UCs. The main tumor of dimension 30 × 15 × 15 mm was mainly located at the proximal end of the blind-ending branch and a solitary daughter tumor of dimension 5 × 5 × 5 mm was within the pouch. The main tumor was thought to originate from the blind-ending ureter and invade the adjacent main ureter, thereby causing the dilatations of the main and blind-ending bifid ureter. This is the second reported case of UC associated with a blind-ending bifid ureter. A long-term adverse effect of the blind-ending branch on the urothelial microenvironment may have important implications in the pathogenesis of malignancy.

Despite improved diagnostic modalities for psoas abscesses, the optimum management strategy is not uniform. A 67-year-old man presented with bilateral psoas abscesses secondary to L1-L2 pyogenic discitis. On contrast-enhanced CT, the largest of these abscesses measured 13 × 14 × 33 mm on the right. The patient developed sepsis caused by Klebsiella pneumonia. There were no signs of improvement after 3 weeks of systematic antibiotic administration. We performed surgical drainage of bilateral psoas abscesses by retroperitoneoscopy. Intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasound was useful to determine abscess location in the muscles prior to drainage and confirm no residual abscesses after drainage. The patient was afebrile 3 days later, and his clinical symptoms resolved. Retroperitoneoscopic drainage may represent a feasible minimally invasive therapeutic option for psoas abscess, and intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasound has the potential to increase the safety and efficacy of this surgical procedure.

Venous stasis is generally accepted to be a predisposing factor for venous thrombosis. However, benign causes of inferior vena cava (IVC) obstruction with associated thrombus formation have not been well described. We herein present a case of IVC compression caused by a distended ileal neobladder measuring 2,000 mL in capacity that led to IVC thrombosis. Following transurethral drainage for six weeks and anticoagulation therapy with warfarin for six months, the thrombus completely disappeared. The patient was considered to have a hypercoagulable state resulting from an acute urinary tract infection, a condition that may be associated with an increased risk of thrombosis.

Renal calculi in patients with renal angiomyolipomas are difficult to treat because of the hemorrhagic potential of these tumors. We describe the case of a 65-year-old man having tuberous sclerosis complex-associated multifocal renal angiomyolipomas with a large renal calculus. The patient presented with left flank dullness and a previous history of spontaneous angiomyolipoma rupture. Intravenous pyelography revealed a 43 × 16 mm calculus in the pelvis and lower calyx of the left kidney. The calculus was successfully removed by retrograde flexible ureterorenoscopy and holmium-YAG lithotripsy. Flexible ureterorenoscopy is an effective, minimally invasive therapy for patients at high risk of renal hemorrhage.

Despite improved diagnostic modalities for psoas abscesses, the optimum management strategy is not uniform. A 67-year-old man presented with bilateral psoas abscesses secondary to L1-L2 pyogenic discitis. On contrast-enhanced CT, the largest of these abscesses measured 13 × 14 × 33 mm on the right. The patient developed sepsis caused by Klebsiella pneumonia. There were no signs of improvement after 3 weeks of systematic antibiotic administration. We performed surgical drainage of bilateral psoas abscesses by retroperitoneoscopy. Intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasound was useful to determine abscess location in the muscles prior to drainage and confirm no residual abscesses after drainage. The patient was afebrile 3 days later, and his clinical symptoms resolved. Retroperitoneoscopic drainage may represent a feasible minimally invasive therapeutic option for psoas abscess, and intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasound has the potential to increase the safety and efficacy of this surgical procedure.

Malignant lymphomas may originate from any area of the body and cause a variety of symptoms. However, a malignant lymphoma causing urinary symptoms is uncommon. We report a unique case of a 77-year-old woman who presented with a persistent pollakiuria. Radiographic imaging showed a large pelvic mass ( cm) remarkably compressing and invading the bladder wall and accompanied with bilateral hydronephrosis. Urinary cytology revealed malignant lymphoma, and a final diagnosis of malignant lymphoma was made on the basis of transvaginal needle biopsy. Urinary cytology facilitated the definite diagnosis, following which we initiated a rapid and successful treatment with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone with rituximab.

The treatment of sialolithiasis is discussed in this report. Generally, stones within the distal salivary duct are easily removed by transoral ductotomy, although proximal stones are usually treated by excision of the salivary gland and its duct. Since 1980, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has been in clinical use for the treatment of renal and gallbladder stones. We used this technique as a treatment for sialolithiasis. We undertook ESWL on 14 submandibular gland stone patients, 1 parotid gland stone patient, and 3 submandibular duct stone patients. In 10 of 14 submandibular gland stone patients and 1 parotid gland stone patient, clinical symptoms such as pain and swelling disappeared without excision of the affected salivary gland. Stones larger than 10 mm seem to have a tendency to form Steinstrassen. Although computed tomography findings correlate with success in breaking up gallstones, they did not predict success for salivary stones. We conclude that sialolithiasis is treated successfully without adverse effects by ESWL in selected patients.

We report a case of a pyogenous vesical abscess resulting from an ingested fish bone embedded in the bladder wall that was treated endoscopically in an asymptomatic man. Computed tomography of the abdomen showed a linear radiopaque structure in the thickened left anterolateral wall of the bladder. Cystoscopy revealed a protruding mass, covered with normal-appearing mucosa, with outflow of pus from a shallow recess. Histopathological findings indicated that the transurethrally removed linear structure, located in the submucosa, was compatible with fish bone. A high index of suspicion should be maintained for the correct diagnosis to be made.

A 77-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of general malaise, loss of appetite and hemoptysis. Chest X-ray film and computed tomography (CT) scan showed right-sided pleural effusion with lung tumor. Succeeding upper gastro-intestinal fiberscopy and cystoscopy revealed poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach and urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. Repeated treatment with 100 mg/body of S-1 on day 1 followed by 60 mg/m(2) of cisplatin on day 8 was effective in this patient.

A 64-year-old woman visited our hospital in December 2005 because of general malaise. Her hemoglobin level was 9.0 g/dl. Gastrointestinal fiberscopy detected a hemorrhagic gastric ulcer, which was considered as etiology of anemia. Abdominal ultrasonography showed bilateral hydronephroses and hydroureters. A urine test revealed pyuria and macroscopic hematuria, and urine culture revealed 10(8) colony-forming units of Escherichia coli per ml. Pelvic MRI showed thickening of the posterior wall and trigone of the urinary bladder. Transurethral resection was peformed, and biopsy of the mucous of the bladder gave a diagnosis of primary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma of the urinary bladder. Ann Arbor clinical stage was IEA. It was planned to administer irradiation at a total dose of 36 Gy to the whole bladder and part of the tumor; however, radiotherapy was discontinued at a dose of 26 Gy because of the development of pollakisuria. Pelvic MRI and pathologic examination of the urinary bladder after radiotherapy showed that the lymphoma was in complete remission; however, she received retuximab therapy at a dose of 375 mg/m2/week, 8 times additionally, because of the reduced radiotherapy. The patient has remained in complete remission for 14 months.

Artery–ureteral fistula (AUF) is a rare condition but there is an increase in the number of reported cases. It is frequently difficult to treat. A 63-year-old male who had undergone a Dacron Y-graft placement for an infrarenal aortic aneurysm 3 years earlier, presented with hematuria. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a fistula located between the right common iliac artery and the right ureter at graft anastomosis. Endovascular treatment using a covered stent was performed successfully.

We report a case of bile duct stones in which piezoelectric extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) was highly effective for the clearance of stones. A 16-year-old girl, who had undergone excision of a choledochal cyst when she was 3 years old, presented a spiking fever and colic abdominal pain. Radiological investigations showed two large stones incarcerating to the proximal end of hepatico-jejunostomy anastomosis. Massive debris was also present in intrahepatic bile duct proximal to the anastomosis. She underwent piezoelectric ESWL with an EDAP LT02 lithotripter. An average of 40 min ESWL session was repeated at intervals of 2 or 3 days. Neither anesthetic nor sedative treatment was required. By the end of the sixth session, the stones incarcerated were fragmented and the debris in the intrahepatic bile duct was completely eliminated. We conclude that piezoelectric ESWL is a less invasive, effective and repeatable method, therefore, it could be a treatment of choice for bile duct stone formation after choledochal cyst excision.

In multicystic renal diseases, cyst infection is a complex issue because of the absence of validated diagnostic methods. Unilateral renal cystic disease is a rare multicystic disease, believed to have an acquired maldevelopmental origin. Unilateral renal cystic disease is often confused with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease but has some distinguishing characteristics: unilateral localization, negative family history, and no progression to chronic renal failure. We describe a case of unilateral renal cystic disease with cyst infection that could be detected by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, but not by conventional imaging techniques. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging can be useful for detecting infected cysts, especially in multicystic renal diseases.

Biochemical analysis of renal cyst fluid was performed in 53 patients with simple renal cysts including 2 infected cases. The composition of noninfected cyst fluid tended to parallel that of serum. Additionally, the penetration of amikacin into cyst fluid was studied in 2 infected and in 11 noninfected patients following a single 200-mg intramuscular injection of amikacin. Drug levels in the fluid were below detection limit in the noninfected and approximately half or less of the serum values in the infected patients. These data may explain one of the reasons why infection of simple renal cysts is highly resistant to antimicrobial chemotherapy. The value of treatment by percutaneous aspiration and drainage of infected cysts is emphasized.

The pharmacokinetics of cefotaxime, a new semi-synthetic cephalosporin for injection, was studied in 30 subjects with various degrees of renal function after a single 1-gram intramuscular injection. Serum and urinary concentrations of cefotaxime and desacetyl cefotaxime were determined by high pressure liquid chromatography. The pharmacokinetic parameters of cefotaxime were obtained using a one-compartment open model. The mean serum half-life of the parent compound (cefotaxime), 0.87 h in normal subjects, was prolonged to 2.35 h in hemodialysis patients. There was a significant linear correlation between the elimination rate constant of cefotaxime and creatinine clearance. The mean cumulative urinary recovery of the administered dose in the 24-hour urine was 51.7% as cefotaxime and 25.6% as desacetyl cefotaxime in normal subjects.