Urology Journal

Purpose: To compare results of studies on supine and prone percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) techniques to find the best position for treating kidney stones.

Materials and Methods: A systematic literature review was done in April 2016 using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases to identify the relevant studies. Article selection was based on the preferred reporting elements of systematic reviews and meta-analysis criteria. A subgroup analysis was done comparing standard prone and supine PCNLs separately.

Results: Twenty studies were selected for the analysis including 7733 PCNL cases: 2110 cases were (27.3%) in supine and 5623 cases were (72.7%) in prone position. Supine and prone PCNL had a similar stone-free rate (OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 070-1.27; P = 0.73), operation time (difference in means = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.07 to 0.03; P = .53), hospital stay (differencein means = 0.01, 95% CI: -0.07 to 0.03; P = .52), complication rate (OR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.76-1.02; P = .09) and urinary leakage (OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.50-2.59; P = .75). However, patients received less blood transfusion (OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.55-0.94; P = .01) and had less fever rates (OR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.52-0.80; P < 0.001) in supine PCNL.

Conclusion: Supine PCNL has similar stone-free rate, operation time, and hospital stay relative to prone PCNL. However, the supine position has the advantage of less fever and need for blood transfusion. Although both prone and supine PCNLs are suggested for treatment, supine PCNL may have advantages especially in patients with comorbidity.

Purpose: Pediatric stone disease is an important clinical problem in pediatric urology practice. We aimed to compare mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (miniperc) and micro-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (microperc) in pediatric patients who underwent unsuccesful SWL procedure.

Materials and methods: A number of 43 pediatric patients, aged 17 years or younger, were treated with miniperc or microperc procedures due to renal calculi by a single surgeon. In group 1, there were 27 patients who underwent miniperc procedure. In group 2, 16 patients were treated by microperc.

Results: Mean age of the patients were 9.5 (3-17) years in group 1 and 7.9 (2-16) years in group 2 (P = .25). Stone burden was similar between the two groups. Mean operation duration was 74.1 (40-110) minutes in miniperc group and 37.2 (20-55) minutes in microperc group (P < .01). Patients who underwent microperc were discharged from clinic earlier. Hyperthermia without bacteraemia was observed in 2 children in the miniperc group and was treated by using a single dose of paracetamol and also 2 children in the same group needed blood transfusion. There was a tendency for low haemoglobin decrease in microperc group compared to miniperc (P > .05).

Conclusion: The management of pediatric stone disease has evolved with improvements in techniques and minimalisation of surgical instruments and thus, it can be effectively and safely used in children by experienced surgeons.

Purpose: To compare outcomes of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) for stones ≤ 2 cm.

Materials and Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with kidney stones of ≤ 2 cm underwent RIRS or SWL in a parallel group randomized clinical trial with balanced randomization [1:1] from 2011 to 2014. The primary outcome of interest was stone free rate after a single session intervention. Patients were evaluated by ultrasonography and KUB at 1 and 3 months after the intervention for the presence of residual stone by a radiologist who was blinded to the study.

Results: The stone free rate one month after a single session intervention in the RIRS group was higher than the SWL group (90% versus 75%, P = .03). The success rates after two sessions of RIRS versus SWL were 96.7% versus 88.3% respectively. (P = .08) Patients in the RIRS group had significantly lower postoperative visual analogue pain score compared to the SWL group (5.2 ± 2.8 versus 3.1 ± 2.7, P < .001). Steinstrasse formation and renal hematoma were observed in 4 and one patient in the SWL group versus no patient in the RIRS group. Postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the SWL group (6.7 ± 1.3 versus18.9 ± 4.3 hours, P < .001).

Conclusion: The RIRS procedure is a safe treatment option for renal stones of ≤2cm with less pain and higher success rate at first session compared to SWL.

Purpose: To report and discuss the treatment of ipsilateral upper ureteral and renal stones by laparoscopic ureterolithotomy with concomitant pyelolithotomy using flexible cystoscope.

Materials and Methods: A total of 19 patients (14 men and 5 women) underwent laparoscopic retroperitoneal ureterolithotomy with concomitant pyelolithotomy using flexible cystoscope through the ureterotomy site. The mean age of the patients was 37.9 (22-61) years. Stones were on the right side in 12, on the left side in 7, and multiple in 6 patients. All ureteral stones were located in the upper ureter. Most renal stones were in the pelvis or in the calices.

Results: All procedures were completed laparoscopically without conversion to open surgery. Mean operation duration was 86.5 (range: 80-93) minutes, thus operation duration was prolonged by a mean of 24.4 minutes in patients with concomitant stone extraction. Fifteen cases were treated using flexible cystoscope and a nitinol basket; in the remaining four cases holmium laser lithotripsy was performed. Complete stone clearance was confirmed by postoperative imaging in all patients.

Conclusions: Laparoscopic ureterolithotomy with concomitant pyelolithotomy is a feasible and effective technique for patients with large ureteral stone and low renal stone burden.

Purpose: Treatment of pediatric urolithiasis is still on debate. This study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic pyelolithotomy in five children less than two years old.

Materials and Methods: Five children (less than two years old) with large kidney stones underwent laparoscopic pyelolithotomy. All patients underwent laparoscopic pyelolithotomy via a transperitoneal approach. After medial mobilization of colon and once renal pelvis and ureteropelvic junction were exposed, a longitudinal or circular incision was made on the renal pelvis, depending on the location and shape of the stone. Stones were extracted using an Endobag. Demographic data, size of stones, operation time, duration of hospital stay and stone free rate were assessed.

Results: Four boys and a one girl were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 17.6 (range: 13-22) months and the mean duration of operation was 130 (range: 115-145) minutes. The mean size of stone was 24.6 (range: 22-27) mm and the mean duration of hospital stay was 4.4 (range: 4-5) days. Stone free rate was 100%. There was no major complication.

Conclusion: Even with a small number of patients, our results seem to show that laparoscopic pyelolithotomy could be a treatment option for selected cases of young pediatric cases with large renal stones. We believe that transperitoneal laparoscopic pyelolithotomy is feasible and it introduces a novel approach for managing kidney stones in pediatric population.

Purpose: To investigate the proportion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) use in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer before radical cystectomy and the approach of urologists to this subject.

Materials and Methods: We invited 242 urologists during the 12^th International Urooncology Congress in Turkey to answer a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions related to radical cystectomy, lymph node dissection and neoadjuvant chemotherapy that had been performed in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer by the urologist.

Results: The median number of radical cystectomy operations was 20 per year. 122 (50.5 %) of 242 urologists had used neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer before radical cystectomy. The mean rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy use by these urologists (n=122) was 28.46 %. The most common reasons for not using neoadjuvant chemotherapy by urologists in Turkey were as follows: (i) neoadjuvant chemotherapy might lead to a decrease in the cure rate of radical cystectomy due to delayed surgery (ii) complication rate of radical cystectomy might be elevated and the surgery might be complicated by NAC use.

Conclusion: Although the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines panel on muscle invasive bladder cancer recommends using NAC in T2-T4a bladder, the rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy use was still found to be low in our country because urologists have concerns about adverse effects NAC on radical cystectomy.

Purpose: To investigate whether EPCA-2 (a prostate matrix nuclear protein) can be a more helpful marker in prostate cancer diagnosis.

Materials and Methods: 176 patients enrolled in this study had abnormal prostate specific antigen (PSA) or digital rectal examination and were candidates for prostate needle biopsy. Blood samples were obtained from each patient prior to biopsy and the samples were frozen for EPCA-2 measurement. Patients diagnosed with cancer were assigned to the case group and those with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) were included in the control group. Univariate and multivariable analyses were done to assess the relationship between different independent variables with cancer diagnosis. The diagnostic power of EPCA-2 for cancer was estimated at different levels of PSA according to the ROC curve.

Results: The mean(± SD) age of cancer cases was 70.33(± 9.02) years while it was 63.34(± 9.47) years for BPH cases (P < .01). EPCA-2 and PSA were also significantly different between cancer and BPH cases (P < .001). The multivariable logistic regression showed that EPCA-2 has a significant relationship with cancer diagnosis (OR=1.009, P = .021). After controlling other variables following stratification for PSA, it was shown that EPCA-2 and cancer were correlated just when PSA was >10 (P < .001). AUC was 0.694 for cancer prediction by EPCA-2 when PSA was >10 ng/mL.

Conclusion: EPCA-2 has the power of differentiating BPH from cancer in prostate cancer suspects. This suggests that EPCA-2 can be helpful in diagnosing prostate cancer and can be a preventive test to avoid unnecessary biopsies considering PSA and age of the patient.

Purpose: Systematic transrectal ultrasound biopsies have been the first-line biopsy strategy in men with suspected prostate cancer for over 30 years. Transperineal biopsy is an alternative approach but has been predominately reserved as a repeat biopsy strategy and not widely used as a first-line approach. This study evaluates the diagnostic and clinical outcomes of transperineal sector biopsy (TPSB) as a first-line biopsy strategy in the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer.

Materials and Methods: A multi-institutional review of 402 consecutive patients who underwent primary transperineal sector biopsy. All patients had no prior history of prostate biopsy. TPSB was carried out as a day-case procedure under general or regional anaesthesia. The cancer detection rate, location and complications for all cases were evaluated.

Results: Prostate cancer was identified in 249 patients (61.9%) and was comparably sited across anterior, middle and posterior sectors. The disease was clinically significant (Gleason 3+4 or > 4mm maximum cancer length) in 187 patients (47%). Post biopsy urinary retention occurred in 6 patients (1.5%). Hematuria requiring overnight hospital admission occurred in 4 patients (1.0%). There were no cases of urosepsis.

Conclusions: As a primary diagnostic strategy, TPSB is a safe and effective technique with high cancer detection rates. It also offers an attractive compromise to more extensive transperineal protocols, which can be more time-consuming and associated with higher morbidity.

Purpose: To find answers to some catheter-related questions in hypospadias repair such as which type of catheter should be used, with which catheter balloon inflation volume, and when should the catheter be removed from the urethra? As catheter use and post-op retention time varies among surgeons in hypospadias repair.

Material and methods: Fifty-four 10 French all-silicone- and 54 latex Foley catheters were prepared and assigned to groups as senary. The catheter's balloons were inflated with 2, 3 and 5 mL of sterile water. The catheters were submerged in artificial human urine and then removed from the solution at 24, 72, and 168 h after submersion. The catheter balloon volume losses, increases in the transverse diameter of the catheters, and angulation of the catheter tips were measured to determine catheter degradation.

Results: The minimum balloon volume loss was 0.4 mL in the group of all-silicone catheters that were inflated with 2mL and deflated after 24h (2mL 24h). According to balloon volume and deflation time, there were no increases in transverse diameter of the four groups of all-silicone catheters; 2mL 24h, 3mL 24h, 5mL 24h, and 2mL 72h. With 1 mm expansion, the lowest increase on transverse diameter of the latex catheters occurred in five groups; 2mL 24h, 3mL 24h, 5mL 24h, 2mL 72h, and 2mL 168h.

Conclusion: An all-silicone catheter inflated with 2mL and removed from the urethra within 24-72 hours may be the ideal catheter use in hypospadias repair.

Purpose: Novel biomarkers have been investigated for various renal disorders, including urinary tract infection (UTI). The aim of this study was to assess whether urine neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocaline (NGAL), could represent a reliable biomarker for diagnosis and treatment of children with acute pyelonephritis (APN).

Materials and Methods: A total of 37 children (32 females, 5 males) with APN were included in this prospective study. Urine NGAL was measured before and 5-7 days after antibiotic treatment in the UTI group, using ELISA kit and compared with 26 (8 females, 18 males) control group children admitted for other bacterial infections.

Results: Mean age of the UTI group was 39 ± 28 months, compared to 43.6 ± 31.5 months for the control group with no statistically significant difference. Median urine NGAL level was significantly higher in patients with APN than the other subjects [0.48 (interquartile range (IQR): 0.15-0.72) vs. 0.065 (0.01-0.24), P = .001], and decreased significantly after antibiotic treatment (P = .002).

Using a cutoff of 0.20 ng/mL, sensitivity and specificity of urine NGAL were 76% and 77% for prediction of APN, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for urine NGAL was 0.75 (CI= 0.61-0.88), suggesting urine NGAL as a relatively good predictive biomarker of APN.

Conclusion: Urine NGAL is a good biomarker for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of APN in children.

Purpose: This study aimed to show the applicability of Polypropylene mesh (PM) grafting in blunt testicular ruptures.

Materials and Methods: Data of 16 patients treated for testicular rupture following blunt scrotal trauma between March 2007 and April 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. Eight primary repairs and eight PM graftings were performed to repair the tunica albuginea (TA). Postoperatively, patients underwent Doppler ultrasonography at 3 weeks and then at 3, 6, and 12 months, followed by annual scans. The measurement of plasma testosterone levels was performed 12 months after the surgery.

Results: The average follow-up time was 24.8 (range 12-48) and 42.8 (range 14-75) months for patients treated with PM grafting and primary repair, respectively. Differences in testicular size between treatment groups were only significant at 12 months postoperatively with the value of 26.5 mL (range 24-28) and 22.8 mL (range 13-27) in patients treated with a PM graft and primary repair, respectively (P = .045). There were no complications for those patients treated with the PM graft. Two patients who underwent primary repair developed testicular atrophy within 1 year postoperatively.

Conclusion: PM grafting is a safe alternative to primary closure of a TA defect following blunt testicular trauma.