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Introduction: Placing ureteral stents at the uretero-ileal anastomosis for radical cystectomy with ileal conduit (RCIC) has long been common practice. Recently, some providers have begun omitting stents. We sought to investigate differences in perioperative and 30-day outcomes between patients who underwent radical cystectomy with ileal conduit (RCIC) with and without stents placed at the uretero-ileal anastomosis., Methods: We identified RCICs performed between 2019 to 2021 in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database and corresponding Cystectomy-Targeted Participant Use File. Baseline demographics, comorbidities, and operative parameters were compared via Pearson's chi-square and t -tests between stented and stent-less RCICs. Outcomes of interest, including rates of urinary tract infections (UTIs), acute kidney injury (AKI), renal failure requiring dialysis, ileoileal anastomotic leaks, ureteral obstruction, urinary leak or fistula formation, reoperations, and 30-day hospital readmissions were compared using Pearson's chi-square. All statistical tests were 2 tailed with P < .05 considered significant., Results: Five Thousand Four Hundred Eighteen RCICs were identified. Four hundred ninety-eight (9.2%) were stent-less. There were no differences in baseline demographics or comorbidities. Significantly fewer stented patients had robotic-assisted operations (23% vs 29%, P < .01). Stented patients had lower rates of urinary leak or fistula formation (3.1% vs 4.8%, P = .04). There was no significant difference in 30-day rates of UTIs, AKIs, renal failure, ileoileal anastomotic leaks, ureteral obstruction, reoperations, and readmissions. Limitations include retrospective design and lack of longitudinal tracking past 30 days., Conclusions: Stent-less patients had non-inferior outcomes compared to stented patients in most important 30-day outcomes. Our analysis suggests that stents may not be necessary in ileal conduit urinary diversion procedures.

Background: Over 25,000 men undergo inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) placement yearly to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). Although various comorbidities are hypothesized risk factors for complications, this remains incompletely understood. Our objective was to utilize multi-institutional data to characterize risk for reintervention, complications, and infections in patients with common suspected risk factors undergoing IPP placement., Methods: We queried the TriNetX database for adult men who underwent IPP placement from 2003-2023 utilizing Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. We examined the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), nicotine use, radiation therapy (RT), radical prostatectomy (RP), and urethral surgery [urethroplasty, artificial urinary sphincter (AUS), male urethral sling (MS)] on clinical outcomes defined by International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes. Our primary outcome was need for reintervention based on CPT codes. Secondary outcomes included overall rates of complication and infection utilizing ICD-10 codes. Analytics were performed using TriNetX to calculate risk ratios (RRs) and Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival. We evaluated outcomes overall and for each individual comparison cohort using the remaining demographic variables to perform propensity score matching (PSM)., Results: In a total of 11,026 patients there was an overall 13.5% risk of undergoing at least one reintervention, with some undergoing multiple based on CPT codes. KM analysis showed a median IPP survival of 18.2 years and a projected 10- and 20-year survival probability at 70.6% and 48.4% respectively. Overall complication rate was 19.3% with a 5.2% rate of infection based on ICD codes. Patients with history of urethral surgery were at higher risk of both IPP complication and re-intervention. When further analyzing type of re-intervention, patients with a history of smoking, prior RP, and prior AUS/MS placement had higher rates of device removal. Patients with a history of diabetes were less likely to undergo IPP replacement at the time of explant. There were no identified risk factors for IPP infection., Conclusions: This is the largest cohort of patients ever evaluated and can help guide patient selection and counseling. There was a higher rate of IPP complications than previously reported, but this may be due to different reporting parameters. History of prior urethral surgery conferred a higher risk of complications and re-intervention. These results can help guide patient selection and counseling., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tau.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tau-23-412/coif). The series “Genitourinary Prosthesis Infection” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. P.H.C. served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series and serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Translational Andrology and Urology from December 2023 to November 2025. P.H.C. consults for and receives research support from Coloplast and Boston Scientific. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 Translational Andrology and Urology. All rights reserved.)

We describe the management trends of patients suffering from any priapism and evaluate the risks of developing priapism after intracavernosal injections (ICI) performed in office. We queried TriNetX for two separate male adult cohorts - those presenting with any priapism based on International Classification of Disease code, N48.3 (priapism) and those who underwent ICI in office based on Current Procedural Terminology code, 54235 (injection of corpora cavernosa with pharmacologic agent[s]). We evaluated treatment options for these patients after any priapism and described demographic risks for developing priapism after ICI performed in office. There were 17,545 priapism encounters and 26,104 usages of ICI in the office. Most common treatment for any priapism was corporal irrigation/injection of medications (11.3%). Patients presenting with priapism after ICI were younger (age > 65 years, OR 0.44 [95% CI 0.38-0.51], p < 0.01) and had a higher prevalence of mood disorders (20% vs 14%), behavioral disorders (7% vs 2%) and sickle cell disease (6% vs <1%). They were less likely to have diabetes (14% vs 22%), hypertension (33% vs 40%), prostate cancer (13% vs 25%) or have taken sildenafil or tadalafil (29-30% vs 35-38%). For patients administering ICI, proper screening and counseling of priapism is important to reduce complications., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To determine the role of androgens in penile and urethral health, we sought to understand what impact hypogonadism may have on artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) and inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) outcomes. We hypothesize that patients with hypogonadism are at increased risk of reinterventions, complications, and infections., Methods: We queried the TriNetX Global Database in March 2023 for patients receiving an AUS or IPP, looking at lifetime reintervention, complication, and infection rates. We conducted multiple comparisons: (1) eugonadal patients against hypogonadal patients, (2) hypogonadal patients on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) against hypogonadal patients not on TRT, and (3) hypogonadal patients on TRT against eugonadal patients., Results: Hypogonadal patients undergoing AUS had more complications (33.5% vs 28.3%), higher reintervention rates (27.7% vs 24.3%) and higher infection rates (7.3% vs 6.8%), albeit none reaching significance. Hypogonadal patients undergoing IPP had significantly higher infection rates (6.3% vs 4.4%, RR 1.5 (1.04, 2.04)) and reintervention rates (14.9% vs 11.9%, RR 1.3 (1.04, 1.61)), but not complication rates (21.9% vs 18.9%). When comparing patients with hypogonadism on TRT vs off TRT, there was not a significant difference in reinterventions, or complications, in AUS and IPP patients, but there were significantly more infections in IPP patients (7.0% vs 3.9%, RR 1.9 (1.002, 3.5))., Conclusion: Hypogonadal patients have more reinterventions, complications, and infections following urologic implant surgery, to varying levels of significance. TRT may not be completely protective to improve tissue health but with many limitations that should be explored in further research., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We sought to evaluate the impact of Oxycodone prescriptions on short-term patient outcomes and long-term Oxycodone use following inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) placement. We queried the TriNetX research database for all adult patients undergoing IPP. Cohorts included opioid naïve patients prescribed postoperative Oxycodone against propensity score-matched patients without a prescription. We compared return visits to the emergency department (ED) within 14 and 90 days of surgery, a diagnosis of opioid abuse or dependence disorder 6 months or later after surgery and persistent Oxycodone use 9-15 months after surgery. After matching, there were 2433 patients in each group. There was an increase in 90-day ED visits based on receipt of Oxycodone (6.8% of patients vs 5.0%, risk ratio (RR) 1.4 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.1, 1.7]). Groups had similar 14-day ED visits (3.7% of patients vs 2.9%, RR 1.3, 95% CI [0.95, 1.7]). Patients prescribed Oxycodone (5.1% of patients vs 2.7%, RR 1.9, 95% CI [1.4, 2.6]) were more likely to have persistent Oxycodone use at 9-15 months. There were low instances of diagnosis of opioid dependence or abuse for both groups limiting comparison. Oxycodone prescription after IPP has risks of persistent use and withholding Oxycodone does not appear to increase postoperative healthcare utilization., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Introduction: Multidisciplinary tumor board meetings are useful sources of insight and collaboration when establishing treatment approaches for oncologic cases. However, such meetings can be time intensive and inconvenient. We implemented a virtual tumor board within the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative to discuss and improve the management of complicated renal masses., Methods: Urologists were invited to discuss decision-making for renal masses through voluntary engagement. Communication was performed exclusively through email. Case details were collected and responses were tabulated. All participants were surveyed about their perceptions of the virtual tumor board., Results: Fifty renal mass cases were reviewed in a virtual tumor board that included 53 urologists. Patients ranged from 20-90 years old and 94% had localized renal mass. The cases generated 355 messages, ranging from 2-16 (median 7) per case; 144 responses (40.6%) were sent via smartphone. All urologists (100%) who submitted to the virtual tumor board had their questions answered. The virtual tumor board provided suggestions to those with no stated treatment plan in 42% of cases, confirmed the physician's initial approach to their case in 36%, and offered alternative approaches in 16% of cases. Eighty-three percent of survey respondents felt the experience was "Beneficial" or "Very Beneficial," and 93% stated increased confidence in their case management., Conclusions: Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative's initial experience with a virtual tumor board showed good engagement. The format reduced barriers to multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary discussions and improved the quality of care for selected patients with complex renal masses.

Background: Artificial urinary sphincters (AUS) are the gold standard treatment for patients with stress urinary incontinence. However, risk factors for implant infection, complication, or re-intervention (removal, repair, replacement) are incompletely understood. We sought to understand the impact of various patient factors on the risk of device failure by leveraging a large, multi-national research database., Methods: We queried the TriNetX database for all adult patients undergoing AUS. We evaluated the impact of age, body mass index, race, ethnicity, diabetes (DM), smoking history, history of radiation therapy (RT), history of radical prostatectomy (RP) and history of urethroplasty on select clinical outcomes. Our primary outcome was the need for re-intervention defined by current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. Secondary outcomes included overall device complication rate and infection rate defined by international classification of diseases (ICD) codes. Analytics were performed on TriNetX which calculated risk ratios (RR) and Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival. We evaluated our outcomes first on the entire population and then repeated analyses for each individual comparison cohort using the remaining demographic variables to perform propensity score matching (PSM)., Results: The overall rates of AUS re-intervention, complication and infection were 23.4%, 24.1% and 6.4%, respectively. KM analysis showed median AUS survival (no need for re-intervention) at 10.6 years and projected 20-year survival probability at 31.3%. Patients with a history of smoking or urethroplasty were at higher risk of AUS complication and re-intervention. Patients with DM or a history of RT were at higher risk of AUS infection. Patients with a history of RT were at higher risk of AUS complication. All risk factors besides race showed a difference in device removal itself., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this represents the largest series to follow patients with an AUS. About one-quarter of AUS patients needed re-intervention. Multiple demographics place patients at increased risk of re-intervention, infection, or complication. These results can help guide patient selection and counseling with the goal of reducing complications., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tau.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tau-22-631/coif). The series “Surgical Management of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Men” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. PHC served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series and serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Translational Andrology and Urology from April 2019 to November 2023. PHC received grants, consulting fees and honoraria for lectures from Boston Scientific and Coloplast. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Translational Andrology and Urology. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) can occur due to a variety of etiologies. For male patients specifically, SUI is typically thought of as iatrogenic secondary to intrinsic sphincter deficiency occurring after prostate surgery. Given the noted negative impact that SUI can have on a man's quality of life, multiple treatment options have been developed to improve symptoms. However, there is no "One-Size-Fits-All" approach to management of male SUI. In this narrative review, we sought to highlight some of the various procedures and devices available to treat men with bothersome SUI., Methods: This narrative review gathered primary resources through Medline search, and secondary resources by cross-referencing citations used in articles of interest. We started our investigation by searching for previous systematic reviews on male SUI and treatments for male SUI. Furthermore, we reviewed societal guidelines, such as the American Urological Association and Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction guidelines and the recently published European Urological Association guidelines. Our review focused on English-language full-length manuscripts when available., Key Content and Findings: We present multiple surgical options for men with SUI. This review focuses on surgical options including 5 fixed male slings, 3 adjustable male slings, 4 artificial urinary sphincters (AUS), and an adjustable balloon device. This review includes treatment options from across the globe, although not all included devices are available in the United States., Conclusions: A great variety of treatment options exist for men with SUI, although not all Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved. Shared decision making is paramount to generate the greatest satisfaction for patients., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tau.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tau-22-629/coif). The series “Surgical Management of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Men” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. PHC served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series and serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Translational Andrology and Urology from April 2019 to November 2023. PHC received grants, consulting fees and honoraria for lectures from Boston Scientific and Coloplast. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Translational Andrology and Urology. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To understand whether patients taking sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) would be at a similar risk of genitourinary device infection or failure as patients not taking these medications., Methods: We queried the TriNetX database for all adult male patients undergoing artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) or inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) and compared patients taking SGLT2i against those not. Cohorts and outcomes were defined using current procedural terminology and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes. We used Age, body mass index, diabetes, smoking history and history of prostatectomy to generate propensity score matching. Our primary outcome was need for reintervention after implantation based on current procedural terminology codes. Secondary outcomes included infection rate and overall complication rate based on ICD-10 codes. Analytics were performed via TriNetX which calculated risk ratios., Results: Analyses were run on November 28, 2022. After propensity score matching, there were 319 and 83 patients in each IPP and AUS cohort and comorbidity profiles were similar. Patients with an IPP on an SGLT2i were at a lower risk of overall complication (10.6% vs 16.1%, RR 0.66, P = .049). There was similar rates for AUS and risk of complication and for either implant on risk of infection or reintervention., Conclusion: Patients taking SGLT2is may be safely offered urologic implants. Patients taking an SGLT2 had a lower risk of complication for IPP, and there were similar rates of infection and reintervention for both IPP and AUS., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: How quickly providers adapt to new practice guidelines is not well known. The objective of this study was to evaluate temporal trends in the performance of urethral endoscopic management and urethroplasty surrounding the release of the American Urological Association (AUA) Male Urethral Stricture Guidelines in 2017. We also evaluate in parallel trends in female urethral stricture disease, where AUA guidelines are not present. We hypothesized that the ratio of urethroplasty versus urethral endoscopic management in both males and females is increasing and that guidelines do not result in immediate changes in management trends., Methods: Endoscopic management and urethroplasty data were collected from the TriNetX database on adult males and females five years before (starting 1 January 2012) and after (ending 31 December 2022) the 2017 AUA guidelines. Cohorts were built using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and grouped into urethral endoscopic management (Males: CPT 52275, 52281, 52282, 53600, 53601, 53620, 53621; Females: CPT 52270, 53660, 53661, 53665) or urethroplasty (Males: CPT 53000, 53010, 53400, 53410, 53415, 53420, 53450, 53460; Females: CPT 53430). Data on patient age, race, and geographic distribution were also collected., Results: In total, 27,623 (Males: 25,039; Females: 2584) endoscopic managements and 11,771 (Males: 11,105; Females: 666) urethroplasties were reviewed across 51 Health Care Organizations. The mean age of endoscopic management and urethroplasty patients was 67.1 and 55.7, respectively ( p < 0.01). The urethroplasty-to-endoscopic management ratio decreased for males between 2012 and 2013 and then steadily increased until 2017. The ratio steadily increased for females from 2012 to 2017. The urethroplasty-to-endoscopic management ratio showed a slight decline from 2017 to 2020 across both males and females before rising again through 2022 to a study high (Males: 0.62; Females: 0.63). Regional differences were identified, with the West having the highest urethroplasty-to-endoscopic management ratios for both males and females, the Northeast having the lowest urethroplasty-to-endoscopic management ratio for males, and the Midwest having the lowest ratio for females., Conclusions: The utilization of urethroplasty for males and females is increasing. An immediate benefit on post-guideline urethroplasty rates was not observed, and the utilization of female urethroplasty increased despite the absence of AUA guidelines. These illustrate that the impact of guideline dissemination takes time and supports the need for continued provider outreach and education on urethral stricture disease and management.

Background: We queried a global database to understand re-intervention rates following urethroplasty with the goal of evaluating whether they align with previously published data., Methods: Using the TriNetX database and Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD) codes, we identified adult male patients with urethral stricture disease (ICD N35) who underwent one-stage anterior (CPT 53410) or posterior urethroplasty (CPT 53415), with or without (substitution urethroplasty) a tissue flap (CPT 15740) or buccal graft (CPT 15240 or 15241). We set urethroplasty as the index event and used descriptive statistics to report the incidence of secondary procedures (using CPT codes) within 10 years after the index event., Results: There were 6606 patients who underwent urethroplasty within the last 20 years, with 14.3% of patients undergoing a second procedure after index event. Upon subgroup analysis, reintervention rates were 14.5% for anterior urethroplasty vs. 12.4% of patients with an anterior substitution urethroplasty (RR 1.7, p = 0.09) and 13.3% for posterior urethroplasty vs. 8.2% for patients with a posterior substitution urethroplasty (RR 1.6, p < 0.01)., Conclusions: Most patients will not need any form of re-intervention following urethroplasty. These data align with previously described recurrence rates, which may help urologists counsel patients considering urethroplasty.

Objective: To understand perspectives on renal mass biopsy, a survey was distributed to urologists in the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative and Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative. Renal mass biopsy (RMB) may reduce treatment of benign renal neoplasms; however, utilization varies widely., Materials and Methods: Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative and Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative are two quality improvement collaboratives that include a "real-world" collection of urologists from academic- and community-based settings. A 12-item survey assessing current RMB utilization, patient- and tumor-specific factors, adverse events, impact on management, and simulated patient scenarios was distributed. Responses are reported using descriptive statistics., Results: Many responders (n = 54) indicated using RMB in less than 25% of cT1a (59%) and cT1b (85%) tumors. The most important patient-specific factors on the decision to recommend RMB were possible metastasis to the kidney (94%), patient comorbidity as a risk factor for active treatment (89%), and patient age (81%). The most important tumor-specific factors were the presence of bilateral tumors (81%), tumor size (70%) and perceived potential of performing nephron-sparing surgery (67%). Ten responders (19%) noted barriers to RMB in their practice, 23 (43%) recalled experiences with complications or poor outcomes, and 43 (80%) reported experiences where the results of RMB altered management. When presented with simulated patients, few urologists (9%-20%) recommended RMB in younger patients with any sized mass. Recommendations varied based on patient age, comorbidity, and tumor size., Conclusion: Understanding perspectives on RMB usage is essential prior to implementing quality improvement efforts. Most urologists participating in two statewide collaboratives infrequently recommend RMB. Optimizing RMB utilization may help reduce unnecessary treatments., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Few studies demonstrate the safety and efficacy of postoperative pain regimens that exclude opioids altogether in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). To reduce opioid use, we sought to develop an opioid-free regimen for RARP and determine perioperative outcomes before and after implementation. A retrospective, pre-post-interventional study was performed at a single institution between 8/2018 and 10/2019. An opioid-free pain regimen was developed and instituted on 3/7/2019, and all patients received preoperative counseling regarding pain expectations and management. Postoperative pain score was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included postoperative opioid use, length of stay, adverse events and unplanned health encounters within 30 days of discharge. Pearson's chi-squared and Student's t-tests were performed on categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Multivariable analysis was performed to determine risk factors for postoperative opioid use in the opioid-free cohort. A total of 89 patients were included for analysis; consisting of 47 (53%) pre-intervention and 42 (47%) post-intervention patients. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. A significantly lower proportion of patients in the post-intervention group were administered opioids postoperatively (5% vs 53%, p < 0.01), despite having similar postoperative pain scores (2.69 vs 3.11, p = 0.19) and length of stay (1.0 days vs 1.2 days, p = 0.07). The post-intervention group had a significantly lower rate of opioid discharge prescriptions (14% vs 96%, p < 0.01). The rate of ED visits (12% vs 15%, p = 0.68), pain-related phone calls (17% vs 19%, p = 0.76) or adverse events (19% vs 13%, p = 0.42) were similar between groups. Among the opioid-free group, older patients were less likely to be administered postoperative opioids (OR 0.84, p = 0.046). A structured opioid-free pain regimen following RARP is non-inferior compared to traditional opioid-based standard of care. Adoption of similar regimens can help address the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States and future work is needed to apply these principles broadly., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd. part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: The necessary transition to telehealth during COVID-19 generated new challenges for providers and patients, with the opportunity to exacerbate or mitigate standing care inequities. To better understand virtual medicine care delivery in urology, we sought to identify factors associated with appointment completion and use of telephone or video visits., Methods: We performed a retrospective, single-institutional cross-sectional analysis of all remote patient appointments from March 17, 2020-August 31, 2020. The primary outcome was appointment completion rate. Patients were determined to have not completed an appointment if they canceled, left before being seen or were a "no show." Secondary analysis evaluated factors associated with scheduling video vs telephone appointment. Various patient and appointment-specific factors were analyzed. Chi-squared tests and univariate logistic regression were used for analysis accordingly., Results: Of 3,769 appointments, 2,996 (79.5%) were completed while 773 (20.5%) were not, with 1,544 (41.0%) completed over telephone while 2,225 (59.0%) used video. Race, age, income, insurance, location, division and appointment length showed statistical significance (p <0.05) for appointment completion and visit modality. Females were more likely to use video (62.7% vs 58.0%, p=0.01). Patients were more likely to complete afternoon visits (81.1% vs 78.3%, p=0.04), visits with physicians (81.2% vs 75.4%, p <0.01) and phone calls (83.3% vs 76.9%, p <0.01)., Conclusions: Multiple factors were associated with both appointment completion rate and use of telephone or video. These factors may reflect disparities in social determinants of health and select patients may benefit from additional coordination of care to prevent missed appointments and deconstruct inequities.

Background: Accurate staging at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis is fundamental to risk stratification and management counseling. Digital rectal exam (DRE) is foundational in clinical staging of prostate cancer, even with a known limited interexaminer agreement and poor sensitivity for detecting extraprostatic disease. We sought to evaluate the prognostic value of DRE for the presence of advanced pathologic features (APFs) following radical prostatectomy (RP)., Methods: All patients undergoing RP as primary treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer in the National Cancer Database between 2008 and 2014 were identified. Patients with additional malignancies, prior treatment with radiation or systemic therapy, incongruent clinical staging and DRE findings or without fully evaluable clinical staging were excluded. The primary outcome was the presence of postsurgical APFs, defined as positive surgical margins, nodal disease, or pathologic stage T3 or greater. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to account for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), biopsy grade group, percent of positive biopsy cores, and clinical stage., Results: In total, 91,525 patients consisting of 69,182 cT1, 20,641 cT2, and 1702 cT3-T4 were included. The average age was 61.1 ± 7.0 years, and the average PSA was 8.6 ± 10.3 ng/ml. On multivariable analysis, cT3 and T4 were associated with the presence of APFs (odds ratio [OR] 11.12, p < .01 and 5.28, p = .04), however, cT2 was only slightly associated with the presence of APFs when compared with cT1 (OR 1.15, p < .01). Furthermore, cT2 was associated with more node-positive disease (OR 1.63, p < .01), positive margins (OR 1.06, p < .01), and more than or equal to pT3 disease (OR 1.22, p < .01)., Conclusions: Overall, advanced clinical stage as assessed by DRE was independently associated with an increasing risk of APFs. For individual APFs, the greatest effect is noticed between clinical stage and nodal positivity and less so between clinical stage and positive margins. DRE continues to hold value, particularly for patients with locally advanced disease and potential lymph node disease., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: A ≥50% subjective improvement in urinary symptoms during sacral neuromodulation testing (SNM-I) is currently used as the indication for progression to second-stage implantation (SNM-II). While most patients will have successful SNM-I and proceed to SNM-II, deterioration in efficacy over time has been reported. It remains unclear if the durability of efficacy is related to the initial symptom reduction. We sought to determine if the degree of improvement after SNM-I is sufficient to predict long-term success., Methods: The records of all patients who underwent sacral neuromodulation (SNM) for overactive bladder were reviewed. Subjects were divided into those who reported 50%-75% improvement (Group 1) and more than 75% improvement (Group 2) after SNM-I. Differences in clinical variables and long-term device efficacy were compared between groups., Results: Of 213 patients who underwent SNM-I, 137 underwent permanent device implantation. A total of 76 (55%) and 61 (45%) patients reported 50%-75% (Group 1) and more than 75% (Group 2) symptomatic improvement, respectively. With a mean follow-up of 46 months, 44% of Group 1 patients and 68% of Group 2 patients still had a functioning device providing the symptomatic benefit (p = 0.007). Univariate analyses identified the presence of stress urinary incontinence at baseline and having a more than 75% improvement after SNM-I as predictors of long-term functional success., Conclusions: Compared to patients reporting 50%-75% symptomatic reduction after SNM-I, individuals with a more than 75% improvement during SNM-I were more likely to maintain device efficacy over time. Additional study is warranted to determine if the improvement threshold for progression to SNM-II should be increased., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: Video assessment is an emerging tool for understanding surgical technique. Patient outcomes after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) may be linked to technical aspects of the procedure. In an effort to refine surgical approaches and improve outcomes, we sought to understand technical variation for the key steps of RARP in a surgical collaborative., Methods: The Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC) is a statewide quality improvement collaborative with the aim of improving prostate cancer care. MUSIC surgeons were invited to submit representative complete videos of nerve-sparing RARP for blinded analysis. We also analyzed peri-operative outcomes from these surgeons in the registry., Results: Surgical video data from 20 unique surgeons identified many variations in technique and time to complete different steps. Common to all surgeons was a transperitoneal approach and a running urethrovesical anastomosis. Prior to anastomosis, 25% surgeons undertook a posterior reconstruction and 30% employed urethral suspension. 65% surgeons approached the seminal vesicle anteriorly. For control of the dorsal vein complex, suture ligation was used in 60%, and vascular stapler was 15%. The majority (80%) of surgeons employed clips for managing pedicles. In examining patient outcomes for surgeons, peri-operative outcomes were not correlated with surgeon's operative time; however, surgeons with an EBL > 400 ml had significant difference among the five different techniques employed., Conclusions: Despite the worldwide popularity of RARP, the operation is still far from standardized. Correlating variation in technique with clinical outcomes may help provide objective data to support best practices with the goal to improve patient outcomes.

Interest is growing within the urological surgery community for objective assessments of technical skill. Surgical video review relies on the use of objective assessment tools to evaluate both global and procedure-specific skill. These evaluations provide structured feedback to surgeons with the aim of improving technique, which has been associated with patient outcomes. Currently, skill assessments can be performed by using expert peer-review, crowdsourcing or computer-based methods. Given the relationship between skill and patient outcomes, surgeons might be required in the future to provide empirical evidence of their technical skill for certification, employment, credentialing and quality improvement. Interventions such as coaching and skills workshops incorporating video review might help surgeons improve their skill, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.