Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE: To describe the technique of ultrasound urethrogram for the diagnosis of anterior urethral stricture performed in an ambulatory setting without any adjunctive imaging. METHODS: Between September 2013 and September 2015, thirty-five consecutive adult men (>18 years old) presenting for anterior urethral reconstruction underwent outpatient ultrasound urethrogram prior to definitive management. No alternative imaging test was performed. Lengths of the strictures as determined by outpatient ultrasound urethrogram and via direct intra-operative measurements were compared by a paired t-test. RESULTS: Strictures were in the bulbar urethra in 24 men and the penile urethra in 11 men. The differences between the outpatient ultrasound urethrogram length measurements (mean=1.86 cm) and the intra-operative stricture length measurements (mean=2.02 cm) were not significantly different (p=0.10). Additionally, the correlation coefficient between these length measurements was 0.84 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative ultrasound urethrogram performed in the ambulatory setting for the diagnosis and characterization of anterior urethral strictures is safe and feasible. This outpatient imaging modality offers an alternative to retrograde urethrogram.

OBJECTIVE: To review the guidelines released in the last decade by several organisations for the optimal evaluation and management of genitourinary injuries (renal, ureteric, bladder, urethral and genital). METHODS: This is a review of the genitourinary trauma guidelines from the European Association of Urology (EAU) and the American Urological Association (AUA), and renal trauma guidelines from the Societe Internationale d'Urologie (SIU). RESULTS: Most recommendations are guided by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) organ injury severity system. Grade A evidence is rare in genitourinary trauma, and most recommendations are based on Grade B or C evidence. The findings of the most recent urological trauma guidelines are summarised. All guidelines recommend conservative management for low-grade injuries. The major difference is for haemodynamically stable patients who have high-grade renal trauma; the SIU guidelines recommend exploratory laparotomy, the EAU guidelines recommend renal exploration only if the injury is vascular, and the AUA guidelines recommend initial conservative management. CONCLUSION: There is generally consensus among the three guidelines. Recommendations are based on observational or retrospective studies, as well as clinical principles and expert opinions. Multi-institutional collaborative research can improve the quality of evidence and direct more effective evaluation and management of urological trauma.

Patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) are at increased risk of bleeding. We reviewed our institutional experience with bleeding in the urinary tract following CF-LVAD implantation andquantified the impact on hospital resource utilization in comparison to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, the most commonly reportedmucosal site of bleeding following LVAD implantation. Records were retrospectively reviewed for patients undergoing CF-LVAD implantation at our institution between October 2011 and April 2015. Major adverse events of gross hematuria and gastrointestinal bleeding were identified, and patient demographics and hospital course were reviewed.

Tissue transfer techniques are an essential part of the reconstructive urologist's armamentarium. Flaps and graft techniques are widely used in genital and urethral reconstruction. A graft is tissue that is moved from a donor site to a recipient site without its native blood supply. The main types of grafts used in urology are full thickness grafts, split thickness skin grafts and buccal mucosa grafts. Flaps are transferred from the donor site to the recipient site on a pedicle containing its native blood supply. Flaps can be classified based on blood supply, elevation methods or the method of transfer. The most used flaps in urology include penile, preputial, and scrotal skin. We review the various techniques used in reconstructive urology and the outcomes of these techniques.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the technique of robotic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty as a minimally invasive alternative method of ureteral reconstruction for proximal or multifocal ureteral strictures not amenable to primary anastomosis. METHODS: Between October 2013 and May 2014, we performed robotic assisted ureteral reconstruction using buccal mucosa grafts in four patients (mean age 41.5, range 23-67). The indication for surgery was a proximal or multifocal stricture not amenable to ureteroureterostomy or ureteropyelostomy. Buccal mucosa grafts were harvested to be the length of the strictured segment and 1cm in width and placed in the ureter as an anterior or posterior onlay. Follow up was performed with diuretic renogram at least 3 months post operatively and renal ultrasound as well as clinical assessment of symptoms. RESULTS: All four patients underwent successful robotic assisted reconstruction of the ureter using buccal mucosa graft. There were no intraoperative complications. At a median follow up of 15.5 months (range 10.7 to 18.6), there has been 100% success. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty is a feasible option for reconstruction of proximal or multifocal ureteral strictures that are not amenable to primary anastomosis, and it avoids the morbidity of alternative procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To determine a nationwide contemporary description of surgical Fournier gangrene (FG) and necrotizing fasciitis of the genitalia (NFG) outcomes because historically reported mortality rates for FG and NFG are based on small single-institution studies from the 1980s and the 1990s. METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program is a risk-adjusted surgical database used by nearly 400 hospitals nationwide, which tracks preoperative, intraoperative, and 30-day postoperative clinical variables. Data are extracted from patient charts by an independent surgical clinical reviewer at each hospital. Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data from 2005 to 2009, we calculated 30-day mortality rates and identified preoperative factors associated with increased mortality. RESULTS: A total of 650 patients were identified with surgery for FG or NFG. Fourteen patients with do not resuscitate orders placed preoperatively were excluded from analyses. For the remaining 636 patients, the overall 30-day mortality was 10.1% (64 of 636). Fifty-seven percent of patients (360 of 636) were men, 70% (446 of 636) were white, and 13% (81 of 636) were African American. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that increased age (odds ratio [OR], 1.041; P = .004), body mass index (OR, 1.045; P <.001), and preoperative white blood cell count (OR, 1.061; P = .001), and decreased platelet count (OR, 0.993; P <.001) were all associated with increased risk of death. CONCLUSION: We determined a surgical mortality rate for FG-NFG of 10.1%. This rate is about half of historically published estimates and similar to recent studies. The lower rate may indicate improvements in therapy. Increased age, body mass index, and white blood cell count, and decreased platelet count were all associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality.

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