Cuaj-Canadian Urological Association Journal最新文献

Introduction: We aimed to validate the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) within a kidney stone disease (KSD) population, determine the variability of patient activation within this population, and characterize relationships between activation and variables such as health literacy, quality of life, and demographics.

Methods: This cross-sectional study includes individuals 18 years or older followed for KSD at University of Montreal Hospital Center. Demographic data and responses for the PAM, Wisconsin Stone Quality of Life scale, and health literacy questionnaire (HLQ) were acquired.

Results: Females and those with poor medication adherence were found to have significantly lower activation. The HLQ dimensions "Actively managing my health," "Navigating the healthcare system," and "Understand health information well enough to know what to do" were associated with significantly higher activation. Rasch analysis revealed an item reliability of 0.81, a person reliability of 0.98, and a Cronbach's alpha of 0.88. Regarding item fit, only item 1 (When all is said and done, I am the person who is responsible for taking care of my health) fit poorly with the model. Principle component analysis revealed evidence of a second dimension, accounting for 9.0% of the variation in observed responses.

Conclusions: Female sex and poor medication adherence were associated with significantly lower activation. Aspects of health literacy concurring with the precise definition of "activation" were associated with significantly higher PAM scores. The PAM was found to have good person and item reliability, and good internal consistency; however, principal component analysis revealed that construct validity is possibly threatened by multidimensionality.

Introduction: In 2018, competency-based medical education (CBME) was introduced to Canadian urology residency training. We examined learner and faculty experiences with CBME five years post-implementation.

Methods: Two online surveys were developed from a scoping review of CBME literature and expert consultation. They covered aspects including unintended consequences, satisfaction, and challenges. They were distributed to Canadian urology residency program directors, faculty, and senior residents from January to June 2023. Respondents rated agreement/satisfaction using a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive analyses considered scores of 4-5 as agreement/satisfaction and 1-2 as disagreement/dissatisfaction.

Results: Twenty-nine faculty members (including 10/13 [77%] program directors) and 33/63 (53%) senior residents responded. Overall, 69% of respondents are unsatisfied with CBME, 19% are neutral, and 11% are satisfied. Anxiety and/or fatigue with CBME are reported by 76% of faculty and 66% of residents. CBME is seen as burdensome: 61% of residents frequently trigger assessment requests, while 66% of faculty feel overwhelmed by the volume of requested assessments. Faculty members (83%) and residents (73%) find CBME time-consuming. Over 50% of respondents believe CBME failed to de-emphasize time-based learning, individualize progression, rapidly identify struggling residents, or improve feedback quality. Over 60% agree that CBME has clarified learning expectations and training stages.

Conclusions: There is prevailing dissatisfaction with CBME within Canadian urology training programs, impacting the well-being of both faculty and residents while falling short of delivering personalized training; however, CBME has provided a structured and transparent framework for trainee advancement. Improvements to CBME are needed beyond its initial five years.

Introduction: Despite kidney stone disease (KSD) guidelines, high-quality evidence for KSD management in Canada is lacking. We aimed to assess Canadian urologists' practice patterns, preferences, and barriers in managing KSD.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to Canadian urologists via the Canadian Urological Association (CUA), Quebec Urological Association (QUA), and Canadian Endourology Group (CEG), as well as directly to urology departments nationwide. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results.

Result: Of 93 respondents, 47% were from academic centers, 43% from community hospitals, and 10% from mixed/private settings. Most performed over 75 ureteroscopies and fewer than 25 percutaneous nephrolithotomies (PCNLs) annually (67% and 58%, respectively). Holmium:YAG (Ho:YAG) lasers were available in 85% of hospitals, thulium fiber laser (TFL) in 70%, and Ho:YAG with Moses effect lasers in 28%. Preferred surgical devices included the TFL (74.5%), followed by the Ho:YAG laser (24.2%) and Ho:YAG with Moses effect laser (21.7%). Endourology fellowship-trained urologists (53%) were more likely to perform their own PCNL access (90% vs. 23%, p<0.001), metabolic workup (73% vs. 48%, p=0.02), and felt more comfortable prescribing prophylactic and medical treatment for KSD (86% vs. 50%, p<0.01) compared to non-endourology fellowship-trained colleagues. Metabolic workup was delegated to nephrologists or specialized clinics by 38%, mainly due to lack of time (25%) and expertise (25%). Additionally, 71% lacked access to multidisciplinary KSD clinics, with 76% believing such clinics would be beneficial.

Conclusions: The study highlights variability in KSD management practices and barriers. Addressing these issues could improve KSD care in Canada and inform future guidelines.

Introduction: We sought to develop a model that predicts lymph node invasion (LNI) in patients with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer incorporating preoperative clinical and ⁶⁸Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PSMA PET/CT) parameters.

Methods: A cohort of 413 consecutive patients diagnosed with prostate cancer who underwent ⁶⁸Ga- PSMA PET/CT prior to radical prostatectomy from 2015-2020 was used to develop and validate the model. The cohort was split into a learning (70%) and a validation group (30%). The former was used to identify clinical and ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA PET/CT parameters (number and diameter of PET-positive lymph nodes) for prediction of pathologic LNI by applying multivariable logistic regression analyses. The discrimination ability of the model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and internal validation was performed using the validation cohort.

Results: One-hundred sixty-three men (39%) were categorized as high-risk, 168 (41%) as unfavorable-intermediate-risk, and 82 (20%) as favorable-intermediate-risk. Thirty-one patients (7.5%) had LNI on final pathology. All underwent extended lymph node dissection. Clinical stage, the presence of PET-positive lymph nodes, and diameter of the largest PET-positive node were included in the final predictive model. Four different categories were defined for estimating the risk for LNI. Internal validation was completed after applying the four-tire classification on both the learning and validation groups and achieving similar results. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the model were 97%, 54%, 15%, and 99%, respectively, and area under the ROC curve was 0.906 (95% confidence interval 0.83-0.95, p<0.001). Using a 5% cutoff as a threshold for performing lymph node dissection, only one patient with LNI on final pathology would have been classified erroneously as node negative, while 206 (50%) men would have been spared an unwarranted lymph node dissection.

Conclusions: We present a novel prediction model for LNI that incorporates clinical staging and molecular imaging data. Pending further validation, this model may improve the risk stratification and patient selection for lymph node dissection at time of radical prostatectomy.

Introduction: Vasectomy is a form of permanent contraception in men that is safe and effective. Complications are relatively uncommon, although patients may experience postoperative pain. Current literature quotes a broad range in the incidence of chronic orchialgia following no-scalpel vasectomy from 0.6-26%, while pain negatively affecting quality of life is about 1-2%. We sought to evaluate our incidence of post-vasectomy pain and surgical management for this pain.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all men who underwent a vasectomy at Men's Health Clinic Manitoba during a 22-month period. The presence of pain or complications was collected at a three-month followup appointment. Patients with pain were then followed every 6-8 weeks for continued assessment and management.

Results: A total of 350 men underwent elective no-scalpel vasectomy during this period. The majority of patients had no previous history of orchialgia (98%) or history of previous scrotal surgery (93%). At three months post-vasectomy, 38/350 (11%) of patients had ongoing pain and one patient required surgery (epididymectomy) for management of post-vasectomy pain syndrome three months following vasectomy.

Conclusions: Our retrospective analysis of 350 men who underwent no scalpel vasectomy shows a significant proportion of post-vasectomy pain at the three-month followup appointment, although most cases are resolving or minor and only one patient has required surgical management. This highlights the importance of counseling men undergoing vasectomy regarding the risks of post-procedure orchialgia and the small proportion of men who will require additional surgical intervention.

Introduction: This systematic review and meta-analysis provides estimates of major complications and blood loss for open partial nephrectomy, conventional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy. Additionally, it outlines the incidence of major complications associated with percutaneous thermal ablation in patients with small renal masses.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL from inception to the end of July 2023. We supplemented the electronic search with a hand search of references in the included studies and suggestions from two content experts. We used random effect meta-analysis to obtain pooled estimates of major complications and blood loss. We used the QUIPS tool for risk of bias assessment and applied a prognosis approach to rate the quality of evidence using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework.

Results: We included 65 eligible studies that provided pooled estimates of major complications after open partial nephrectomy of 5.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9-9.9); after conventional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy of 4.7% (95% CI 2.6-8.3); after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy of 2.9% (95% CI 2.2-3.7); and after thermal ablation of 2.9% (95% CI 2.3-3.8). Pooled estimates demonstrating mean estimated blood loss of 262 ml (95% CI 200-324) for open partial nephrectomy; 224 ml (95% CI 193-254) for conventional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy; and 163 ml (95% CI 136-190) for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.

Conclusions: This review provides the best available estimates of major complications and mean blood loss after partial nephrectomy in patients with small renal masses.

Introduction: Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) is a vital modality in the armamentarium of minimally invasive surgeons. The HugoTM RAS system (Medtronic^®) is one of the newest platforms on the market and has little surgical outcomes data. We describe our early experience performing robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPNx) with the Hugo RAS platform.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent a RAPNx with the Hugo RAS platform between April and December 2023 at the University Health Network in Toronto, ON. One surgeon performed all procedures using a three-arm transperitoneal approach. Anesthetic, operative, and pathologic reports were assessed to collect pre-, intra- and postoperative variables.

Results: Eleven patients were included. The mean age was 51 years, 45.0% were female, and 63.6% had a right-sided mass. Mean tumor size was 2.9 cm. Mean warm ischemia time was 18.9 min (standard deviation [SD] 7.12) and mean estimated blood loss was 179 mL (SD 63.6). Mean robot docking time was 232 seconds (SD 106.5), mean total console time was 93 minutes (SD 21.4), and mean total operative time was 165.6 minutes (SD 34.1). There were no intraoperative complications. On pathology review, most tumors were a clear cell variant (72.7%) and staged pT1a (81.8%). All margins were negative. One patient sustained a port site infection.

Conclusions: This is the first North American case series using the Hugo RAS platform for RAPNx. Our findings underscore that the platform is safe and effective for performing RAPNx with comparable outcomes to other robotic platforms.

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to explore whether a Y chromosome microdeletion (YCM) confers adverse effects on surgical sperm retrieval potential and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes in men with azoospermia and severe oligospermia.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study, which included infertile men with azoospermia or severe oligospermia who were evaluated for karyotype analysis and YCM testing at a university-affiliated hospital between 2010 and 2022. Outcomes of microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) for surgical sperm retrieval were compared between men diagnosed with YCM and the control group in which no YCM were found. Additionally, patients from each group who underwent in-vitro fertilization (IVF) - ICSI cycle using ejaculated sperm or surgically retrieved mature spermatozoa were compared regarding their IVF-ICSI cycle outcomes - fertilization rates, cleavage, and blastocyst formation and clinical pregnancy rates.

Results: A total of 116 azoospermic and oligospermic men who underwent Y chromosome microdeletion testing were included in the study: 19 men with YCM and 97 controls without YCM. Overall, nine mTESE procedures were performed for patients with YCM and 38 mTESE procedures were done on men from the control group. There were no significant differences between the YCM and control groups in mature sperm retrieval rates (11.1% vs. 26.3% p=0.663), though a trend towards higher rates of findings of elongated and round spermatids as the most mature germ cell was noted in the YCM group (66.7% vs. 28.9%, p=0.054). Out of the 13 men with mature sperm - either ejaculated or surgically retrieved (mTESE) - that had known ICSI cycle outcomes, three men had proven YCMs and 10 controls had no identified YCMs. Basic characteristics were similar between the groups, except for testosterone levels, which were higher in the YCM group (23.0±13.1 vs. 9.4±6.4 nmol/L, p=0.027). Fertilization rates and cleavage rates were similar between the YCM and control groups (42.3% vs. 49.7% and 42.3% vs. 39.3%, p=0.491 and 0.774, respectively). Blastocyst formation rates, and pregnancy rates, while not statistically significant, showed a trend for favorable outcomes in the control group compared to the YCM group (24.1% vs. 7.7%, 72.7% vs. 20.0%, p=0.078 and 0.106, respectively).

Conclusions: Y chromosome microdeletion does not affect sperm retrieval rates. Fertilization and cleavage rates are not impaired by microdeletions, while blastocyst formation rates and clinical pregnancy rates per embryo transfer follow a non-significant trend for unfavorable outcomes in the YCM group. Clinical and embryonic development results should be interpreted with caution, as these groups are relatively small.

Introduction: Management of adrenal disease requires a multidisciplinary approach often involving varied specialists. Surgical management has often overlapped between general surgeons, usually with an interest in surgical endocrinology, or urologists with minimally invasive surgical skills. The objectives of this study were to define perioperative outcomes of contemporary Canadian adrenal surgery, and determine whether those outcomes are impacted by surgical subspecialty. As a secondary outcome, an assessment of the variability in the indications for adrenal surgery was carried out between the two surgical subspecialties.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of all adrenalectomies performed at our center from August 2013 to August 2023 was conducted. The only exclusion criterion was when an adrenalectomy was performed secondary to the main procedure. Data was collected and grouped under four categories: patient characteristics, indications for an adrenalectomy, procedural statistics, and perioperative patient outcomes.

Results: A total of 121 adrenalectomies were performed in a period of just over 10 years. Of these, 103 were included in the analysis. Thirty-seven were performed by general surgery, whereas 66 were performed by urology. There were no significant differences in patients' age and Charlson comorbidity score between the two surgical specialties. The indications for the adrenalectomy were similar between the specialties, and were as follows: 32 (31.1%) for pheochromocytoma, 24 (23.3%) for a cortical functional lesion, 19 (18.4%) for a metastatectomy, 16 (15.5%) for size or growth, and 10 (9.7%) for adrenocortical carcinoma. There were no differences in overall operating room time or type of procedure. Most (89.3%) of the procedures were performed laparoscopically. Patients that were operated on by general surgeons were more likely to be readmitted within 30 days than those operated on by urologists (five patients [13.5%] vs. one patient [1.5%], respectively, p=0.04), and more likely to require intensive care unit (ICU)/stepdown ICU admission (19 patients [51.4%] vs. 19 [28.8%], respectively, p=0.04). There was no difference in length of stay or postoperative complications. There was, however, one Clavien-Dindo 5 complication after a procedure performed by general surgery.

Conclusions: Most adrenalectomies at this one Canadian center are performed by urology. Indications for adrenalectomy are similar between the specialties. Although postoperative complication rates are similar, rates of 30-day readmission and ICU/stepdown admission were decreased when urologists performed adrenalectomies. Adrenalectomies may be performed safely by either specialty, and factors such as local expertise and surgical volumes are likely important.