Archivio Italiano di Urologia e Andrologia最新文献

Objective: Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a rare, life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis primarily affecting the perineal, genital, and perianal regions. This rapidly progressing bacterial infection predominantly affects middleaged and elderly men. This multicenter study aims to describe the management in a wide cohort of Fournier's gangrene cases that presented to three tertiary centers with early extensive surgical debridement.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively collect data from patients with FG who were referred to the Urology Clinic of the Department of Medicine and Surgery (Perugia), the Urological Andrological Surgery and Minimally Invasive Techniques Unit (Terni) of the University of Perugia, and the Urology Unit of the Surgery Department of the Macerata Civic Hospital between January 2019 and March 2024 for onset of classic signs and symptoms of FG. Extensive surgical debridement was immediately performed under general anesthesia to reach normochromic and vascularized tissue in wide and depth extension, assuring vital and healthy margins. For all patients, intravenous daptomycin plus piperacillin/tazobactam were administered.

Results: 28 male patients with FG underwent early surgical debridement. In two cases, orchidectomy and partial penectomy were required during surgical debridement due to extensive necrosis. Colon diversion and urinary diversion were not necessary for any of the patients. 32.1% complications were recorded according to the Clavien Dindo classification; 6 patients died in the perioperative. Excluding death data, the average duration of antibiotic therapy was 22.0±9.1 days, and the average length of stay was 17.6±11.8 days.

Conclusions: Fournier's gangrene has high mortality rates. It requires timely surgical debridement and antibiotic therapy to achieve positive outcomes. This study shows that a primary extensive debridement can help reduce the need for further intervention and shorten the hospital stay.

Introduction: Excision and primary anastomosis (EPA) urethroplasty is the standard treatment for traumatic urethral strictures, but managing them remains challenging for urologists. Identifying factors leading to EPA urethroplasty failure benefits both patients and surgeons. This study aims to analyze risk factors for urethral stricture recurrence after one-year follow-up of EPA urethroplasty.

Materials and methods: Data on male patients undergoing EPA urethroplasty at the Urology Department of Saiful Anwar General Hospital from January 2013 until December 2023 were prospectively recorded. Successful urethroplasty, defined as the absence of additional treatment necessity, was assessed until 12 months follow-up. Demographic data, time to surgery, stricture etiology, comorbidities, prior urethral interventions, and operation steps were recorded. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 21.

Result: Total 95 patients were observed, and 89 patients were included, averaging 41.2 ± 15.59 years old. EPA urethroplasty succeeded in 91% of cases over a median follow-up of 16.3 months. Pelvic fracture urethral injury (PFUI) was the predominant etiology in 74% of cases, with an average stricture length of 25.4 ± 16.3 mm. The average time to surgery was performed on average 6.67 ± 4.07 months after diagnosis. In univariate analysis, body mass index (BMI), time to surgery, and stricture length were associated with urethral stricture recurrence. However, only time to surgery showed a significant association in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: Obesity, the length of the stricture, and delayed surgical intervention are associated with an increased risk of urethral stricture recurrence in patients following EPA. EPA urethroplasty demonstrates a high success rate in managing traumatic urethral strictures.

Objectives: This research aimed to compare the prostate cancer (PCa) features, survival rate, and functional outcomes after open suprapubic Radical Prostatectomy (RP) between younger men (≤ 55 years) and older men (> 55 years).

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we studied 134 patients with clinically localized PCa who underwent RP at our centers between 2011 and 2019, with 26 (19.40%) patients aged ≤ 55. Pathological parameters, survival rate (at 5 and 10 years), and functional outcomes such as erectile function and continence rate (at two years from RP) were evaluated retrospectively, and the two groups were compared. The Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox proportional hazards method were used for statistical analysis.

Results: Men aged ≤ 55 had greater rates of organ-confined tumors, lower D'Amico risk grouping, and pathologic Gleason grade than their older counterparts (all p<0.05). The median follow-up was 81 months. The overall survival rate at five and ten years in younger men vs older counterparts was 96.15% vs. 93.47% and 92.15% v. 82.13% but was not statistically significant (p=0.1539). Five-year biochemical recurrence-free and metastasis-free survival rates in younger men vs older counterparts were 96.2% vs 81.5% and 75.7% vs 51.5%. Men > 55 years were associated with worse BCR-free and metastasis-free survival in univariate analysis and worsening BCR in multivariate analysis. The continence rate was significantly improved in men aged ≤ 55 years compared to older counterparts (OR: 5.08; 95% CI: 1.61-22.61; p=0.013). However, erectile function was not statistically significant between groups [for moderate ED: (OR:1.08; 95% CI: 0.43-2.79, p=0.865), for severe ED (OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 0.35-11.50, p=0.579=)].

Conclusions: Our study showed that survival rates were similar in younger men (≤ 55 years) and their older counterparts. However, older patients who underwent RP had more advanced disease, worse BCR-free survival, and worse continence rate. For localized prostate cancer patients under 55 years of age, radical prostatectomy is an excellent treatment option with excellent long-term survival results. Given the relatively small number of patients younger than 55, a large cohort study with long-term postprocedural follow-up is needed to validate this observation.

Background: Varicocele (Vx) which is the most treatable cause of male infertility, is also associated with low sperm count, decreased sperm motility and increased sperm abnormal morphology. We aimed in the current study to evaluate the correlation between seminal α-Glycerylphosphorylcholine (αGPC) and semen parameters in infertile patients pre- and post- sub-inguinal micro-varicocelectomy.

Methods: The current comparative prospective study was carried out on 20 male patients who presented to Kasr Al-Ainy Hospitals from March 2022 to March 2023 as well as 20 healthy controls. The participants were divided into groups as follows: group (1) included fertile normozoospermic men (n = 20) who served as controls. Group (2) included infertile oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) men with varicocele (n = 20). Patients in group (2) were followed up to 3 months after microsurgical sub-inguinal Varicocelectomy. The examination included an assessment of Vx with scrotal Duplex. Semen analysis was done according to the 5th Edition of WHO manual for semen analysis.

Results: The study demonstrates that αGPC level was significantly higher among fertile normozoospermic control group and infertile OAT men post varicocelectomy when compared to infertile OAT men preoperative (p<0.001). Moreover, it demonstrates that on follow up of infertile OAT group 3 months after sub-inguinal micro-varicocelectomy, all semen parameters showed significant improvement compared to the corresponding semen parameters pre-operatively among Vxs grade II and grade III (p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). A significant positive correlation was found between αGPC level and semen parameters including sperm normal forms, sperm count and sperm motility. Using ROC curve, αGPC protein showed a sensitivity of (100%) and a specificity of (100%) at cut off value (≤ 1.975 pg/ml) in differentiation between infertile OAT patients with Vx and control fertile normozoospermic men (p<0.001).

Conclusions: αGPC may play an important role in infertility in men with Vx and correction of Vx improves the seminal αGPC level.

Objective: Prostate cancer is a significant health concern worldwide and ranks as the 4th most frequent cancer among men in Azerbaijan. While robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is the preferred surgical technique in many countries, open retropubic radical prostatectomy (ORP) remains the primary treatment option in Azerbaijan due to limited access to robotic surgical systems. This study aims to analyze the outcomes of ORP in patients with local and locally advanced prostate cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 95 men who underwent extraperitoneal retropubic ORP for prostate cancer at our center between May 2020 and December 2023. Comprehensive data on patient demographics, preoperative parameters, surgical details, and postoperative outcomes were collected. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 27.0 software.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.9 years. The median preoperative PSA level was 14.8 ng/mL, and lymph node enlargement was identified in 29.5% of patients. A rectal injury occurred in one patient (1.1%) as the only intraoperative complication. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 330 mL, and the median hospital stay was 6 days. A positive surgical margin was observed in 38.9% of cases. Diabetes mellitus and higher intraoperative blood loss were associated with prolonged hospital stays (≥ 7 days). Erectile dysfunction was reported in 52.6% of patients 6 months postoperatively, while urinary incontinence was observed in 2.2%.

Conclusions: ORP outcomes in Azerbaijan are comparable to those reported for laparoscopic and robot-assisted techniques in terms of perioperative and oncological results. Despite the absence of advanced surgical technology, ORP remains an effective treatment option for prostate cancer when performed by experienced surgeons.

Background and objectives: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an independent and strong marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The Princeton Consensus aimed to evaluate and manage cardiovascular risk in men with ED and no known cardiovascular disease, focusing on identifying those requiring additional cardiologic work-up. It has recently been updated to the American population demographics, but European recommendations are needed.

Methods: It was developed a cross-sectional investigation including erectile dysfunction patients. Data were collected from hospital registries. Two risk stratification models were employed and compared: Princeton Consensus Criteria (PC) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) CVD Risk Criteria. The objective was to stress the importance of the changes in IV Princeton Consensus recommendations in stratifying CVD risk in men with erectile dysfunction using a model validated in European men.

Results: A total of 137 patients with ED, with a mean age of 57.1 years old, were included. According to the PC criteria, 39.7% of the patients were "Low Risk". When using ESC criteria, the proportion of "Low Risk" patients were significantly lower (12%, p < 0.05). Among "Low Risk" patients according to the PC, 52.5% and 20% were classified as High and Very high risk according to ESC criteria, respectively. One myocardial infarction was reported. The patient was classified as "Low Risk" according to the PC, but the ESC criteria categorized him as "high risk".

Conclusions: PC is less sensitive than ESC recommendations detecting CVD. It raises concerns that Urologists could be overlooking patients with undiagnosed CVD, consequently missing out on opportunities for prevention of major cardiovascular events (MACEs) and premature deaths.

Introduction: A model to predict the risk of surgical complications following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) could be a useful tool to guide clinical decision-making. The aim of this study was to develop a simple and widely applicable stratification tool to be used for patient counseling, surgical planning, evaluation of outcomes, and academic reporting.

Methods: Data of patients who underwent PCNL were retrieved from the database of the collaborating centers including demographics of patients, characteristics of their stones and urinary tracts, and perioperative data. The primary outcome was the development of postoperative complications. Data were randomly split into a training dataset (85%) and a validation dataset (15%). A univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of the training dataset was performed to identify independent predictors of postoperative complications. Model variables were used to construct a nomogram that was internally validated on the testing dataset by measuring calibration, discrimination, and plotting the decision curve.

Results: Six hundred thirty one patients (245 Males) with a median (IQR) age of 49 (37-56) years were included. Post-operative complications occurred in 147 (23.3%) patients. Significant predictors of complications included preoperative urine culture (p < 0.001), largest stone diameter (p = 0.02), and intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.002). A nomogram was developed from the predictors and applied to the validation dataset showing an area under the curve (95%CI) of 66.4% (52.2;80.6).

Conclusions: This new scoring system emphasized patient characteristics and operative details rather than stone characters to predict the morbidity of PCNL. Furthermore, it should facilitate risk adjustment, enabling physicians to better define the nephrolithiasis disease continuum and identify patients who should be referred to tertiary care centers.

Introduction and objectives: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. Cognitive fusion transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy is one of several modalities for diagnosing this disease. However, no existing studies have shown the clear superiority of one image-guided technique over another. This investigation aimed to evaluate the efficacy of targeted biopsy through cognitive guidance, as well as to assess the accuracy of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in the detection of PCa compared to the specimen obtained by radical prostatectomy (RP).

Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective observational single-center study approved by the ethical committee, including men with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels between 2-10 mg/ml who underwent RP and cognitive fusion biopsy (CFB) between 2017 January and 2022 January.

Results: A total of 639 patients were analyzed, 83 of whom met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in this study. The overall rate of PCa detection with CFB was 79.5% (median of specific PCa detection was 100%), and the rate of detecting clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) was 74.7%. In addition, there was 42.2% agreement between the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) score of the CFB and the RP specimen, which increased to 56.6% when the systematic biopsy was added. Regarding the accuracy of mpMRI, several parameters were evaluated with respect to RP sample histology. Of these, tumor location had a total match rate of 39.8% and a partial match rate of 55.4%. Moreover, regarding extraprostatic extension (EPE), the present study found a significant association between the RP specimen and mpMRI (p = 0.002), with an agreement rate of 60% if it was present in the histology and 79.5% if it was not. Additionally, larger prostates and tumors located in the transition zone were significantly associated with a lower CFB accuracy (p = 0.001 and p = 0.030, respectively). After adjusting for all variables evaluated, only prostate volume remains statistically significant (p = 0.029).

Conclusions: In this study, we conclude that mpMRI is highly accurate, allowing good characterization of suspicious tumors and reasonably guiding cognitive biopsy. However, the use of both targeted biopsy through cognitive guidance and systematic biopsy increases the diagnostic accuracy for PCa. Although there is no recommendation in the current literature for one guiding technique over another, we believe that cognitive-guided biopsy should only be reserved for centers with no access to ultrasound or magnetic resonance fusion software.

Introduction: Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) is known to have a steep learning curve. The top-down technique was introduced to lessen the number of procedures required to master HoLEP. We aimed to present the experiences of two successive clinical fellows with the top-down HoLEP learning curve and compare their performance with the supervisor.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study of 40 patients who underwent top-down HoLEP performed by two successive fellows at our institution from September 2020 to November 2022. Before data collection, each learner observed three top-down HoLEP procedures and assisted with seven additional cases before independently performing top-down HoLEP under supervision. We collected data from each fellow's first 20 consecutive top-down HoLEP procedures. The learners' cases were grouped according to chronological order (Cases 1-10 and 11-20). The primary outcome was defined as the number of cases before the fellow could independently complete all steps of top-down HoLEP without any major intraoperative complications. The secondary outcomes included the intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of both groups. The fellows' 40 cumulative cases were then compared against retrospective data from 148 procedures conducted by their supervisor.

Results: There were no significant differences in patient demographics for both clinical fellows. Each learner performed the first 20 cases independently without needing the supervisor to intervene. No major intraoperative complications were recorded, and there were no statistically significant differences in intraoperative and postoperative outcomes between fellows' cases. There was a statistically significant difference between the fellows and their supervisor in terms of operative efficiency and enucleation efficiency (p < 0.001). We did not find a significant difference between the fellows and the supervisor regarding intraoperative complications, major postoperative complications, or postoperative subjective and objective parameters.

Conclusions: Top-down HoLEP shows promising and reproducible results in shortening HoLEP's learning curve. Larger comparative and multi-institutional studies are warranted.

Introduction: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disease that is strongly associated with the aging process and can lead to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). LUTS due to BPH can significantly affect the quality of life of many patients. Among the treatments available for BPH to improve symptoms and functional outcomes, drug therapy and surgical therapy are the options of choice. However, for most patients with symptomatic BPH, medical management remains the cornerstone of treatment. Pharmacologic interventions are often preferred as a first approach, being less invasive compared to surgery. Although the medical treatment of BPH is currently defined by the algorithms of international guidelines, the need for a more personalized approach is increasingly recognized given the wide and heterogeneous range of therapeutic options available.

Materials and methods: A review of medical therapy for BPH was conducted using relevant articles in PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. In this review, all drug treatments currently available on the international market whose efficacy is scientifically proven are reviewed and described (phytotherapy, alpha-blockers, muscarinic receptor antagonists, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, combination therapies, etc.).

Results: A total of 17 randomized clinical trials were selected for review. Further, 75 studies were included for analysis and discussion.

Conclusions: As the treatment landscape continues to evolve, tailoring therapy to individual patient needs and preferences is likely to become increasingly important to ensure that treatment strategies are both effective and meet patient expectations.