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Purpose Functional neuroimaging is a powerful and versatile tool to investigate central lower urinary tract (LUT) control. Despite the increasing body of literature there is a lack of comprehensive overviews on LUT control. Thus, we aimed to execute a coordinate based meta-Analysis of all PET and fMRI evidence on descending central LUT control, i.e. pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC) and micturition. Materials and methods A systematic literature search of all relevant libraries was performed in August 2020. Coordinates of activity were extracted from eligible studies to perform an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) using a threshold of uncorrected p 0.001. Results 20 of 6858 identified studies, published between 1997 and 2020, were included. Twelve studies investigated PFMC (1xPET, 11xfMRI) and eight micturition (3xPET, 5xfMRI). The PFMC ALE analysis (n = 181, 133 foci) showed clusters in the primary motor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, cingulate gyrus, frontal gyrus, thalamus, supramarginal gyrus, and cerebellum. The micturition ALE analysis (n = 107, 98 foci) showed active clusters in the dorsal pons, including the pontine micturition center, the periaqueductal gray, cingulate gyrus, frontal gyrus, insula and ventral pons. Overlap of PFMC and micturition was found in the cingulate gyrus and thalamus. Conclusions For the first time the involved core brain areas of LUT motor control were determined using ALE. Furthermore, the involved brain areas for PFMC and micturition are partially distinct. Further neuroimaging studies are required to extend this ALE analysis and determine the differences between a healthy and a dysfunctional LUT. This requires standardization of protocols and task-execution.

Doel van het onderzoek was de evaluatie van de resultaten van ProACT™-ballonnen voor de behandeling van post-prostatectomie urine-incontinentie (PPI). Tussen 2007 en 2016 werden bij 143 niet-bestraalde patiënten ProACT™-ballonnen geïmplanteerd. De mate van urine-incontinentie is bepaald, waarbij geen inlegger of één dunne inlegger voor de zekerheid werd gedefinieerd als succesvol. De preoperatieve mate van urine-incontinentie was mild (1–2 inleggers) bij 25%, matig (3–4 inleggers) bij 40% en ernstig (≥5 inleggers) bij 35% van de patiënten. Na een mediane follow-up van 56 maanden bleek de behandeling succesvol bij 46% van de patiënten en ervoer 64% van de patiënten een verbetering van het inlegg, This study aimed to evaluate outcomes of ProACT™ balloons for the treatment of male stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Included were 143 patients without a history of radiotherapy in whom these balloons were implanted between 2007 and 2016. Outcome was urinary continence: no pad or just one security pad per day was defined as successful. Preoperative incontinence was mild in 25%, moderate in 40%, and severe in 35% of patients. The Clavien-Dindo classification <30 days were: 6% grade I, 2% grade II, 2% grade IIIb. 90% of patients had no complication. After median 56 months of follow-up, 64% of patients were improved, including the 46% who were successfully treated. The ProACT™ device showed a clear beneficial continence outcome in patients with stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. The majority of patients was satisfied and perceived improvement ≥50% on daily pad use on the long term.

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the acute effects of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) on various urodynamic parameters. Methods: Patients with overactive bladder and detrusor overactivity (DO) who were planned for percutaneous nerve evaluation (PNE) were included. Directly after the PNE, a urodynamic study (UDS) was performed. The stimulation was turned off during the first UDS (UDS 1), and during the second filling cycle, stimulation was turned on (UDS 2). The UDS was followed by a test phase of 1 week and the bladder diaries were evaluated during an outpatient clinic visit. Primary outcome measures were the differences in UDS parameter values with SNM off and on. Results: Ten female patients were included in the study and completed the study protocol. Eight patients showed ≥50% improvement of symptoms following a test phase. There were no differences between UDS 1 and UDS 2 in the UDS parameters; bladder volume at first sensation, bladder volume at first DO, highest DO pressure, bladder capacity, maximum flow rate, and pressure at maximum flow rate. Discussion: None of the aforementioned urodynamic parameters was influenced by acute SNM in patients who responded to SNM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the acu

Aim: The primary aim of this study is to demonstrate that 7-tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (7T-fMRI) can visualize the neural representations of the male pelvic floor in the whole brain of a single subject. Methods: In total, 17 healthy male volunteers (age 20-47) were scanned in a 7T-MRI scanner (Philips Achieva). The scanning protocol consisted of two functional runs using a multiband echo planar imaging sequence and a T1-weighted scan. The subjects executed two motor tasks, one involving consecutive pelvic floor muscle contractions (PFMC) and a control task with tongue movements. Results: In single subjects, results of both tasks were visualized in the cortex, putamen, thalamus, and the cerebellum. Activation was seen during PFMC in the superomedial and inferolateral primary motor cortex (M1), supplementary motor area (SMA), insula, midcingulate gyrus (MCG), putamen, thalamus, and in the anterior and posterior lobes of the cerebellum. During tongue movement, activation was seen in the inferolateral M1, SMA, MCG, putamen, thalamus, and anterior and posterior lobes of the cerebellum. Tongue activation was found in the proximity of, but not overlapping with, the PFMC activation. Connectivity analysis demonstrated differences in neural networks involved in PFMC and tongue movement. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that 7T-fMRI can be used to visualize brain areas involved in pelvic floor control in the whole brain of single subjects and defined the specific brain areas involved in PFMC. Distinct differences between brain mechanisms controlling the pelvic floor and tongue movements were demonstrated using connectivity analysis.

The objective was to evaluate the long-term results after the construction of a continent catheterizable urinary conduit in adults. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 41 adults who received a continent catheterizable urinary conduit and extracted indications and complications (29/41 women, average age 32, median follow-up durations 52 months, 48% ≥1 reoperation). Patients who were still using the conduit during this research (n = 32) were sent a questionnaire about their impression of improvement, continence and catheterization problems. 24 patients completed the questionnaire and on average reported a ‘much better’ situation. In conclusion, the construction of a continent catheterizable urinary conduit in adults is associated with a high complication and reoperation rate. Nevertheless, patients perceive improvement compared to before the construction of the stoma.

Aim: To evaluate the outcome of adjustable continence balloons in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Methods: In two tertiary centers, adjustable continence balloons were implanted in 29 patients with post‐TURP SUI between 2007 and 2018. Endpoints of this retrospective multicenter study were patient‐reported changes in pad count and complications. Dry was defined as no pad or one security

Aims: We sought to establish the responsiveness of the Dutch Vancouver Symptom Score for Dysfunctional Elimination Syndrome (VSSDES) and Pediatric urinary incontinence Quality of life (PinQ) questionnaires. Secondary, we evaluated the outcome of urotherapy extended for children with dysfunctional voiding (DV). Methods: This cross-sectional multicenter study was done in one tertiary and two community hospitals. Children with DV were included, also when refractory to previous urotherapeutic treatment. The questionnaires were completed before and after urotherapy. The primary outcome measure was the responsiveness of the Dutch VSDESS and PinQ. Secondary outcome was the initial success (defined by the International Children's Continence Society) of extended urotherapy. Results: Between June 2014 and May 2016, 64 children (median age 7 years, IQR 6-10) received urotherapy (median 18 weeks, IQR 11-28). In contrast to the VSSDES, the PinQ showed good responsiveness. For children and parents, respectively, the area under the ROC-curve was 0.79 (P = 0.01) and 0.72 (P = 0.03) for the PinQ and 0.50 (P = 0.98) and 0.55 (P = 0.62) for the VSSDES. Fifty children received extended urotherapy, 27 had complete, and 14 had partial response. Sixteen children had been refractory to previous treatment; four showed complete, and six showed partial response. Conclusion: The PinQ is able to detect clinically important changes in continence-specific quality of life after treatment. We support the use of the VSSDES questionnaire in addition to the current diagnostics for the diagnosis of DV. Extended urotherapy showed to be a successful treatment for children with DV, also for those who had received previous unsuccessful treatment.

Aims: The Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire (MSISQ-15) evaluates symptoms of sexual dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The objective of this study was to provide and validate a Dutch version of the MSISQ-15 in patients with neurological disease such as MS and spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: The linguistic validation process of the original English MSISQ-15 into Dutch was performed according to standardized guidelines. Sexually active patients with MS or spinal cord disorders, including

Aims: To evaluate our outcomes of the adjustable continence balloons ProACT™ for the treatment of male stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Methods: Between May 2007-August 2016 the ProACT™ was implanted in 143 patients without a history of radiotherapy. Endpoints were patient-reported changes in pad counts and complications. Treatment was considered successful if no pad or just one “security” pad per day sufficed, and improved if daily pad use was reduced by ≥50%. Results: Incontinence before implantation was mild in 36 (25%), moderate in 57 (40%), and severe in 50 (35%) patients. Complications within 30 days were classified by the Clavien-Dindo classification; eight (5.6%) grade I, three (2.1%) grade II, three (2.1%) grade IIIb, and 129 (90.2%) patients had no complication. Revision was done in 43 (30%) patients. The IPSS quality of life item improved significantly from 5.0 (IQR 4.0-5.0) preoperative to 2.0 (IQR 1.0-4.0) and 1.0 (IQR 0.0-3.0) 6 and 12 months after implantation, respectively. After a median follow up of 56 months (range 28 to 79, n = 112), 72 (64%) patients were improved, including 51 (45%) patients were successful. Daily pad use decreased from 3.0 to 1.0 (67% reduction). The median outcome on the Patient Global Impression of Improvement scale was “much better,” and 97 (87%) patients perceived improvement. Conclusions: The minimally invasive ProACT™ device showed a clear beneficial continence outcome in patients with stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. The majority of the patients were satisfied and perceived improvement ≥50% on daily pad use on the long term.

Aims: To describe all outcome parameters and definitions of cure used to report on outcome of surgical interventions for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in neuro-urological (NU) patients. Methods: This systematic review was performed and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The study protocol was registered and published (CRD42016033303; http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO). Medline, Embase, Cochrane controlled trials databases, and clinicaltrial.gov were systematically searched for relevant publications until February 2017. Results

Background: Several studies have shown that the antimuscarinic treatment of overactive bladder is characterized by low long-term persistence rates. We have investigated the persistence of solifenacin in real life by means of telephonic interviews in a prospective cohort. We included both patients with idiopathic overactive bladder as well as neurogenic overactive bladder. Methods: From June 2009 until July 2012 patients with idiopathic or neurogenic overactive bladder who were newly prescribed solifenacin were included. In total 123 subjects were followed prospectively during one year by means of four telephonic interviews, which included questions about medication use and adverse events. Results: After one year 40% of all patients included was still using solifenacin, 50% discontinued and 10% was lost to follow-up. In the neurogenic group 58% was still using solifenacin versus 32% in the idiopathic group after one year (p < 0,05). The main reasons to stop solifenacin were lack of efficacy, side effects and a combination of both. Conclusions: This prospective cohort study showed a real life continuation rate of 40% after 12 months. This continuation rate is higher than found in most other studies. The use of regular telephonic evaluation might have improved medication persistence. The findings of this study also suggest that patients with neurogenic overactive bladder have a better persistence with this method of evaluation compared to patients with idiopathic overactive bladder. Trial registration: This study was retrospectively registered on march 17, 2017 at the ISRCTN registry with study ID ISRCTN13129226.

Aims: The SF-Qualiveen is a short questionnaire that measures the impact of urinary symptoms on the quality of life of patients with urological dysfunction due to neurological disorders. The aim of this study is to translate, culturally adapt and validate a Dutch version of the SF-Qualiveen for use in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation of the original English SF-Qualiveen into Dutch was performed according to standardized guidelines. Adult MS patients with symptomatic urinary disorders who visited the Urology or Rehabilitation outpatient clinic of the Erasmus Medical Center completed the SF-Qualiveen and the Urinary Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6), that evaluates bother caused by lower urinary tract symptoms and was used as a gold standard, at baseline and 1-2 weeks later. A control group recruited from the Otolaryngology outpatient clinic completed the questionnaires once. Reliability and validity were determined. Results: Fifty MS patients and 50 controls were included. SF-Qualiveen scores in patients were higher than in controls (on a scale of 0-4: 1.73 vs. 0.34; P < 0.001). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.8) and reproducibility (Intraclass correlation coefficients >0.8) were good for the total SF-Qualiveen. Content validity was adequate and a significant relationship between SF-Qualiveen and UDI-6 (r = 0.510-0.479, P < 0.0

Aims: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in one of the leading MS centers in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we evaluated the practice patterns of members of the Dutch Urological Association (DUA) with respect to FSD. Methods: A self-administered Web-based questionnaire for physicians was mailed to all 467 members of the DUA. The questions covered different topics in female sexuality. For the patient survey the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used. Results: The response rate of the physicians survey was 42% (n=194). Sixty-one percent of the responders reported to ask their female patients about their sexual function. Thirty-nine percent of the physicians did not ask their patients about sexuality. The majority indicated that they lacked knowledge on FSD or found discussing sexuality not relevant for their practice. The response rate of the patient survey was 28% (n=85). According to the FSFI questionnaire 32% of the sexually active MS patients experienced FSD. Women with FSD scored low on all subdomains of the FSFI questionnaire. In particular, desire, arousal, lubrication, and the ability to achieve orgasm were affected. Conclusions: The prevalence of FSD in MS patients in our center is about 32%. Overall, many members of the DUA do not screen for sexual dysfunction in female patients because of lack of knowledge on FSD. Better and more structured education of urologists and residents in urology on FSD in The Netherlands is urgently needed.

Background: Optimizing the patients' quality of life is one of the main goals in the urological management of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. In this study we validated the Dutch SF-Qualiveen, a short questionnaire that measures the urinary-specific quality of life, in SCI patients. No such measure is yet available for this patient group. Methods: In 2015-2016 SCI patients with urinary symptomatology who visited the outpatient clinics of Urology at the Erasmus Medical Centre and Rehabilitation at Rijndam Revalidation completed the SF-Qualiveen and UDI-6 during the visit and 1-2 weeks later. The UDI-6, a urinary tract symptom inventory, served as gold standard. Controls, recruited from the Otolaryngology outpatient clinic, completed the questionnaires once. Content-, construct-, and criterion validity and reliability (internal consistency and reproducibility) of the SF-Qualiveen were determined. Results: Fifty seven SCI patients and 50 controls were included. 12 SCI patients asserted that the SF-Qualiveen covered their bladder problems (good content validity). Patients' SF-Qualiveen scores being positively associated with severity of urinary symptoms and patients' scores being higher than those of controls indicated good construct validity. The positive association that was found between SF-Qualiveen and UDI-6 in patients (r = 0.66-0.67, P < 0.001) and controls (r = 0.63, P < 0.001) confirmed good criterion validity. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.89-0.92) and reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.94) of the SF-Qualiveen were good. Conclusions: The Dutch SF-Qualiveen is a valid and reliable tool to measure the urinary-specific quality of life in SCI patients.

Introduction An increased activity of the external urethral sphincter or pelvic floor muscles during voluntary voiding leads to dysfunctional voiding. Frequently reported symptoms are urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections and high post-void residuals. Dysfunctional voiding is a common problem in school-aged children and despite various treatment options, 10-40% of the children remain therapy-refractory. Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Onabotulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) injections in the external urethral sphincter in children with therapy-refractory dysfunctional voiding. Patients and methods Patients with therapy-refractory dysfunctional voiding who have received BTX-A injections in the external urethral sphincter from 2010 to 2013 were analysed. Children with known neuropsychiatric disorders were excluded. All children had abnormal flow patterns and increased pelvic floor tone during uroflowmetry/EMG studies. They had received at least five sessions of urotherapy and two sessions of pelvic floor physical therapy prior to treatment. A total of 100 IU of BTX-A was injected in the external urethral sphincter at the 3, 9 and 12 o'clock positions. Our main outcome measures were urinary incontinence, recurrent urinary tract infections and post-void residual. Results A total of twenty patients, of whom 16 girls, with a median age of 9 years (range 5-14) were treated with BTX-A. The median follow-up was 13 months (range 5-34). Post-void residual decreased by 75% after BTX-A, from a median of 47.5 ml (16.3-88.5 ml) to 0 ml (0.0-28.0 ml) (p = 0.001) Six patients had a post-void residual < 20 ml prior to treatment. After BTX-A sixteen patients had a post-void residual <20 ml (Figure). No significant changes in uroflowmetry results was seen. Sixteen children are no longer daily incontinent, of whom 9 became completely dry (p = 0.0001). Eleven patients suffered from recurrent urinary tract infections prior to treatment. After BTX-A five c

Background: Blood oxygen saturation (BOS) is decreased in a low-compliant, overactive obstructed bladder. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of Sildenafil (SC) on bladder function and BOS) in an in vivo animal model of bladder outlet obstruction. Methods. Thirty-two guinea pigs; sham operated (n = 8), sham operated + SC (n = 8), urethrally obstructed (n = 8) and urethrally obstructed + SC (n = 8) were studied during an 8 week period. BOS of the bladder wall was measured by differential path-length spectroscopy (DPS) before obstruction, at day 0, and at week 8. The bladder function was evaluated by urodynamic studies every week. Results: Before surgery and after sham operation all study parameters were comparable. After sham operation, bladder function and BOS did not change. In the obstructed group the urodynamic parameters were deteriorated and BOS was decreased. In the group obstruction + SC, bladder compliance remained normal and overactivity occurred only sporadic. BOS remained unchanged compared to the sham group and was significantly higher compared to the obstruction group. Conclusions: In an obstructed bladder the loss of bladder function is accompanied by a significant decrease in BOS. Treatment of obstructed bladders with SC yields a situation of high saturation, high bladder compliance and almost no overactivity. Maintaining the microcirculation of the bladder wall might result in better bladder performance without significant loss of bladder function. Measurement of BOS and interventions focussing on tissue microcirculation may have a place in the evaluation / treatment of various bladder dysfunctions.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of propiverine-HCl (P4) and propiverine-N-oxide (P4NO), one of the major metabolites of P4, on bladder contraction in a standardized in vivo model. Additionally, salivary flow measurements enabled the evaluation of hyposalivation, one of the most predominant anticholinergic side effects. Materials and Methods: Ten male mini pigs were anesthetized. P4 (0.4 mg/kg b.w.) and P4NO (0.422 mg/kg b.w.) were administered intravenously. Bladder contractions were induced through sacral anterior root stimulation and cystometrogram evaluation was performed. For stimulation-induced salivary flow measurements, the lingual nerve was exposed for neurostimulation. The effects of P4 and P4NO on stimulation-induced bladder contraction and salivation were evaluated in 5 mini pigs, respectively. Results: In all experiments, for each animal reproducible intravesical pressure values (Pves) were elicited during sacral anterior root stimulation before administration of the study drug. After administration of P4, Pves decreased by 64% whereas P4NO decreased Pves by 28%. Inhibition of salivary flow with P4 and P4NO was 71 and 32%, respectively. Directly following intravenous administration of P4, a short-term and reversible period of mild fluctuations in heart rate was observed. Administration of P4NO revealed no changes in either heart rate, or blood pressure. Conclusion: All of the investigated parameters revealed less anticholinergic effects for P4NO compared to P4. Under the experimental conditions described above, it may be assumed that P4NO behaves as a substance with poor anticholinergic effects with respect to side effects. As expected, P4 showed anticholinergic effects on bladder contraction and salivation. Copyright

Background: Some patients from our radical prostatectomy (RPx) series with organ-confined (pT2) prostate cancer and negative surgical margins show a PSA (prostate specific antigen) relapse. Aim of the study was to analyze this cohort of patients that otherwise would have been considered to be cured. Patients and Methods: Since the introduction of PSA measurement in the follow-up after RPx, 475 pelvic lymph node dissections with subsequent RPx were performed in our department from 1988 to 1997. Of these, 227 were classified as pT2, 34 (15%) exhibited positive surgical margins, and 4 others were excluded due to an inadequate follow-up. Of the remaining 189 patients (study cohort), 19 (10%) developed a biochemical progression, defined as a minimum of 2 consecutive PSA measurements ≥ 0.1 ng/ml. Only in one of them a G3 tumor was present. Median follow-up was 19.1 months. Results: The Kaplan-Meier analysis of biochemical progression showed that after 1, 2 and 5 years, 95% (confidence interval (Cl) 91-99%), 91% (Cl 86-96%), and 77% (Cl 55-89%) of the patients were free of progression, respectively. This means that roughly one fourth of pT2 tumors will become progressive despite negative surgical margins. These 19 patients were subdivided into 4 groups: 1: biopsy-proven local recurrence (n = 2); 2: suspected local recurrence defined as slowly rising PSA ≤ 2 ng/ml, but negative biopsies (n = 12); 3: distant metastasis proven by radiologic imaging (n = 1); 4: suspected distant metastasis defined as rapidly rising PSA > 9 ng/ml without direct radiologic evidence (n = 4). Preoperatively all patients from groups 3 + 4 had negative bone scans and 4/5 had preoperative PSA values < 10 ng/ml. In total 7 patients with proven recurrence or with proven metastasis had positive biopsies. Conclusion: A pathological diagnosis of organ-confined prostate cancer (pT2) and a meticulous analysis of negative surgical margins do not exclude the occurrence of local relapses in 7% (14/189), and th