Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate our long-term outcomes of robotic assisted laparoscopic (RAL) upper urinary tract (UUT) reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 250 consecutive patients undergoing RAL UUT reconstruction including pyeloplasty with or without stone extraction, ureterolysis, ureteroureterostomy, ureterocalicostomy, ureteropyelostomy, ureteral reimplantation and buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty was collected at a tertiary referral center between March 2003 and December 2013. The primary outcomes were symptomatic and radiographic improvement of obstruction and complication rate. The mean follow-up was 17.1 months. RESULTS: Radiographic and symptomatic success rates ranged from 85% to 100% for each procedure with a 98% radiographic success rate and 97% symptomatic success rate for the entire series. There were a total of 34 complications; none greater than Clavien grade 3. CONCLUSION: RAL UUT can be performed with few complications, with durable long-term success, and is a reasonable alternative to the open procedure in experienced robotic surgeons

BACKGROUND: Using a selective alpha-blocker for medical expulsive therapy (MET) is a cost-effective treatment approach widely used for ureteral stones. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of silodosin, a selective alpha-1a receptor antagonist, in this setting. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a multicenter, phase 2 study conducted in adult patients with a unilateral ureteral calculus of 4-10mm. Of 239 patients in the safety population, six discontinued due to adverse events. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive silodosin 8mg or placebo for up to 4 wk. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The primary outcome was spontaneous stone passage, analyzed using logistic regression. Secondary outcomes included time to stone passage, emergency room (ER) visits, hospital admissions, analgesic use, and incidence and severity of pain. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: No significant differences between the silodosin and placebo groups were observed for passage rate of all stones (52% vs 44%, respectively; p=0.2). However, silodosin achieved a significantly greater rate of distal ureter stone passage than placebo (p=0.01). Significant differences were not observed for ER visits, hospital admission, or use of analgesics. The number of patients in the intent-to-treat population was slightly below the calculated sample size (232 vs 240) and sample sizes were not calculated for subgroup analyses. CONCLUSIONS: This is among the first prospective, randomized, multi-institutional trials to examine the efficacy of a selective alpha-1a antagonist as MET in patients with ureteral calculi and did not demonstrate a benefit to the entire ureter. However, silodosin was found to be well tolerated and beneficial in facilitating the passage of distal ureteral stones, warranting additional future studies on distal stone elimination. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this report, we looked at the efficacy of silodosin for the treatment of ureteral stones. We found that silodosin increased passage of distal ureteral stones.

PURPOSE: Delivering the recommended care is an important quality measure that has been insufficiently studied in urology. Obstructive pyelonephritis is a suitable case study for this focus because many patients do not receive such care, although guidelines advocate decompression. We determined the influence of hospital factors, particularly familiarity with urolithiasis, on the likelihood of decompression in such patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the NIS from 2002 to 2011 to retrospectively identify patients admitted to community hospitals with severe infection and ureteral calculi. Hospital familiarity with nephrolithiasis was estimated by calculating hospital stone volume (divided into quartiles) and hospital treatment intensity (the decompression rate in patients with ureteral calculi and no infection). After calculating national estimates we performed logistic regression to determine the association between the receipt of decompression and hospital stone volume, controlling for treatment intensity and other covariates thought to be associated with receiving recommended care. RESULTS: Of an estimated 107,848 patients with obstructive pyelonephritis 27.4% failed to undergo decompression. Discrepancies were greatest between hospitals with the highest and lowest stone volumes (76% vs 25%, OR 2.77, 95% CI 1.94-3.96, p <0.01) as well as high and low treatment intensity (78% vs 37%, p <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: High hospital stone volume and treatment intensity were associated with an increased likelihood of receiving decompression. Such findings might be useful to identify hospitals and regions where access to quality urological care should be augmented.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the local antimicrobial resistance pattern in patients with obstructing ureteral stones and fever, compare this with our local antibiograms, and guide recommendations for empiric antibiotic regimens. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of patients who underwent ureteroscopic intervention for the management of ureteral stones at a neighboring private hospital and a public hospital to identify those patients who had undergone prior decompression for obstructing ureteral stones and fever between 2004 and 2011. Urine culture results were captured to identify uropathogens and sensitivity patterns to antibiotics. These were compared with respective hospital antibiograms. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were identified, of which 35 had positive urine culture results. More than 25% of the voided urine and upper urinary tract urine cultures differed. Antimicrobial resistance patterns were higher for patients at the public hospital than the hospital antibiogram. The opposite was true at the private hospital. The public hospital demonstrated an overall higher resistance pattern than the private hospital. CONCLUSION: Antimicrobial resistance makes the selection of empiric antibiotic treatment challenging in patients with obstructive pyelonephritis secondary to ureteral stones. Because of discordance between voided urine cultures and those captured at the time of decompression, it is imperative to obtain both voided urine and urine from the kidney to ensure adequate antibiotic coverage. Local population-specific antimicrobial guidelines that are frequently updated are essential to ensure adequate coverage and treatment of obstructive pyelonephritis, and condition-specific antibiograms would be recommended in the future.

PURPOSE: Flexible ureteroscopy is rapidly becoming a first line therapy for many patients with renal and ureteral stones. However, current understanding of treatment outcomes in patients with isolated proximal ureteral stones is limited. Therefore, we performed a prospective, multi-institutional study of ureteroscopic management of proximal ureteral stones smaller than 2 cm to better define clinical outcomes associated with this approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult patients with proximal ureteral calculi smaller than 2 cm were prospectively identified. Patients with concomitant ipsilateral renal calculi or prior ureteral stenting were excluded from study. Flexible ureteroscopy, holmium laser lithotripsy and ureteral stent placement was performed. Ureteral access sheath use, laser settings and other details of perioperative and postoperative management were based on individual surgeon preference. Stone clearance was determined by the results of renal ultrasound and plain x-ray of the kidneys, ureters and bladder 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: Of 71 patients 44 (62%) were male and 27 (38%) were female. Mean age was 48.2 years. ASA((R)) score was 1 in 12 cases (16%), 2 in 41 (58%), 3 in 16 (23%) and 4 in 2 (3%). Mean body mass index was 31.8 kg/m(2), mean stone size was 7.4 mm (range 5 to 15) and mean operative time was 60.3 minutes (range 15 to 148). Intraoperative complications occurred in 2 patients (2.8%), including mild ureteral trauma. Postoperative complications developed in 6 patients (8.7%), including urinary tract infection in 3, urinary retention in 2 and flash pulmonary edema in 1. The stone-free rate was 95% and for stones smaller than 1 cm it was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Flexible ureteroscopy is associated with excellent clinical outcomes and acceptable morbidity when applied to patients with proximal ureteral stones smaller than 2 cm.

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) are among the most common medical issues for aging men. Population-based studies suggest that 13.8% of men in their 40s and more than 40% of men over age 60 have BPH. When LUTS are refractory to medical therapy and bothersome enough to warrant surgical intervention, transurethral resection of the prostate and open simple prostatectomy have been the historical reference-standard procedures for decades. Both procedures are highly effective and offer durable improvements in urinary functional outcomes. However, they also have the potential for considerable perioperative complications and morbidity. In an effort to limit surgical morbidity, a variety of minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat BPH have been introduced. Herein we present a comprehensive, evidence-based review of the efficacy and safety profile of modern minimally invasive treatments for large-gland BPH.

This review consolidates knowledge regarding the extensive genitourinary pathology experienced by taxi cab drivers. Taxi cab, livery, truck, and other drivers all objectively and subjectively may have more voiding dysfunction, infertility, urolithiasis, bladder cancer, and urinary infections as compared with nonprofessional drivers; this is called taxi cab syndrome. Together with governmental and medical assistance, simple interventions-such as education, the addition of taxi relief stations, and possibly the use of sanitary urinary collection devices-to curb the progression of genitourinary disease in taxi drivers should be prospectively studied. It is postulated that many of these interventions may also benefit other groups of occupationally related infrequent voiders.

INTRODUCTION: To determine whether a simplified approach to estimate renal function based on preoperative computerized tomography (CT) imaging correlates with nuclear renography (NR) following surgical treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the charts of 47 patients who underwent robotic assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RALP) for UPJO who had performed preoperative and postoperative NR and preoperative CT imaging. Twenty patients satisfied our inclusion criteria. We calculated differential renal function by measuring parenchymal thickness at the upper pole, midpole and lower pole regions of the kidney on the preoperative CT. Distances were measured from the edge of the collecting system to the capsule at the midpoint of the kidney in the coronal plane. After parenchymal thickness measurements were calculated bilaterally, a differential parenchymal thickness was obtained, and the ratio of parenchymal area was compared to the observed function on NR. Measurements were taken by three blinded observers and compared to preop and postop differential renal function as measured by NR to assess if preoperative CT renal parenchymal thickness correlates well with differential function of the affected and contralateral kidneys. RESULTS: Estimated renal function was predicted with excellent accuracy and minimal interobserver variability. Pearson correlation coefficients for Observers 1, 2 and 3 were 0.89, 0.88 and 0.91, respectively when compared to the postoperative differential function on NR. The interclass correlation coefficient between the three observers was 0.957, which indicates an almost perfect correlation and reproducibility of the formula. CONCLUSIONS: Estimating differential renal function based on renal parenchymal thickness on preoperative CT imaging correlates very well with observed postoperative differential renal function on NR following RALP.

Ectopic ureters are rare congenital mesonephric duct malformations with a higher prevalence in women than men. In women, ectopic ureters are often associated with a duplicated collecting system, whereas in men, ectopic ureters usually drain a single system and are associated with renal dysplasia and obstruction. Presentation and diagnosis generally occurs in the pediatric age group. Herein, we present an unusual case of delayed diagnosis of ectopic insertion of the upper pole ureter in a completely duplicated left kidney causing massive hydroureteronephrosis in an adult man.

PURPOSE: The combination of sepsis and ureteral calculus is a urological emergency. Traditional teaching advocates urgent decompression with nephrostomy tube or ureteral stent placement, although published outcomes validating this treatment are lacking. National practice patterns for such scenarios are currently undefined. Using a retrospective study design, we defined the surgical decompression rate in patients admitted to the hospital with severe infection and ureteral calculi. We determined whether a mortality benefit is associated with this intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient demographics and hospital characteristics were extracted from the 2007 to 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. We identified 1,712 patients with ureteral calculi and sepsis. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine the association between mortality and surgical decompression. RESULTS: Of the patients 78% underwent surgical decompression. Mortality was higher in those not treated with surgical decompression (19.2% vs 8.82%, p <0.001). Lack of surgical decompression was independently associated with an increased OR of mortality even when adjusting for patient demographics, comorbidities and geographic region of treatment (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.9-3.7). CONCLUSIONS: Absent surgical decompression is associated with higher odds of mortality in patients with sepsis and ureteral calculi. Further research to determine predictors of surgical decompression is necessary to ensure that all patients have access to this life saving therapy.