Resumo em Inglês:

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The management of urolithiasis in patients on anticoagulants presents a challenge to the endourologist. Due to multiple comorbidities, it may be impossible to safely discontinue the anticoagulant treatment. Other modalities such as shock wave lithotripsy and PCNL are contraindicated in these patients, so ureteroscopic treatment may be the only option. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to look at the safety and efficacy of ureteroscopic management in these patients. METHODS: Systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis was performed using studies identified by a systematic electronic literature search from January 1990 to August 2011. All articles reporting on treatment for stones in patients with a bleeding diathesis using ureteroscopy and a Holmium:YAG laser were included. Two reviewers independently extracted the data from each study. The data was included into a meta-analysis and discussed. RESULTS: Three studies were identified reporting on 70 patients (73 procedures). All patients had stone fragmentation using Holmium laser. The mean stone size was 13.2mm with a range of 5-35mm. The quality of the included studies was modest. Stone free status was achieved in sixty-four patients (87.7%). There were no major complications and only 11% of the patients developed minor complications with only 4% rate of minor bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Retrograde stone treatment using ureteroscopy and holmium laser lithotripsy can be safely performed in patients with bleeding diathesis with a low complication rate.

Resumo em Inglês:

We performed an overview of the surgical techniques suggested for the treatment of anterior urethral strictures using MEDLINE. In applying the MEDLINE search, we used the "MeSH" (Medical Subject Heading) and "free text" protocols. The MeSH search was conducted by combining the following terms: "urethral stricture", "flap", "graft", "oral mucosa", "urethroplasty", "urethrotomy" and "failed hypospadias". Multiple "free text" searches were performed individually applying the following terms through all fields of the records: "reconstructive urethral surgery", "end-to-end anastomosis", "one-stage", "two stage". Descriptive statistics of the articles were provided. Meta-analyses were not employed. Seventy-eight articles were determined to be germane in this review. Six main topics were identified as controversial in anterior urethra surgery: the use of oral mucosa vs penile skin; the use of free grafts vs pedicled flaps in penile urethroplasty; the use of grafts vs anastomotic repair in bulbar urethral strictures; the use of dorsal vs ventral placement of the graft in bulbar urethroplasty; the use of definitive perineal urethrostomy vs one-stage repair in complex urethral strictures; the surgical options for patients with failed hypospadias repair. Different points of view are documented and presented in the literature by various authors from different countries. The aim of this clinical overview is to survey the main controversial issues in surgical reconstruction of the anterior urethra focusing on the use of flap or graft, substitute material, type of surgery and challenging situations, such as failed hypospadias or complex urethral stricture repair.

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PURPOSE:A detailed analysis in the iconography and pictorial appearance of the scene of the "Prophet Jonah" painted by the artist Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between the years 1508 and 1512. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Literature review on the Italian Renaissance period and the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti and analysis of historical aspects of the evolution of studies of human anatomy in this period and the works of the artist. RESULTS:A comparative analysis of the representation of the figure of the fish on the left thigh of "Jonah" with a cross section of penis shows a curious similarity. The pictorial and iconographic analysis reveals an intensity of light on the pubic area and the position of the prophet with the legs spread apart and left hand placed on this region. A tube-shaped cloth covers the region and the angel at the side seems to be looking at this anatomical region of "Jonah". In fact, sets of iconographic and pictorial relate to the deciphered code. CONCLUSIONS: This description helps to confirm the relationship of the Renaissance art with the human anatomy; science has been much studied in this period. The design of a cross section of the penis is revealed with the two cavernous bodies with the septum between them and the spongy body. Considering the circumstances in which Michelangelo had painted, subjectivity was fundamental due to religious motivations added to the vigorous implications of a limited scientific knowledge typical of that era.

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PURPOSE:Our first 91 consecutive cases undergoing a robotic assisted cystectomy were analyzed regarding perioperative outcomes, pathological stages and surgical complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2007 and 2010 a total of 91 patients (76 male and 15 female), 86 with clinically localized bladder cancer and 5 with non-urothelial tumors underwent a radical robotic assisted cystectomy. We analyzed the perioperative factors, length of hospital stay, pathological outcomes and complication rates. RESULTS: Mean age was 65.6 years (range 28 to 82). Among the 91 patients, 68 were submitted to an ileal conduit and 23 to a neobladder procedure for urinary diversion. Mean operating time was 412 min (range: 243-618 min.) and mean blood loss was 294 mL (range: 50-2000 mL). In 29% of the cases with urothelial carcinoma the T-stage was pT1 or less, 38% were pT2; 26% and 7% were classified as pT3 and pT4, respectively. 14% of cases had lymph node positive disease. Mean number of lymph nodes removed was 15 (range 4 to 33). Positive surgical margins occurred in 2 cases (2.1%). Mean days to flatus were 2.13, bowel movement 2.88 and inpatient stay 18.8 (range: 10-33). There were 45 postoperative complications with 11% major (Clavien grade 3 or higher). At a mean follow-up of 15 months 10 patients had disease recurrence and 6 died of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience demonstrates that robotic assisted radical cystectomies for the treatment of bladder cancers seems to be very promising regarding surgical and oncological outcomes.

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OBJECTIVE: We aim to evaluate our experience and results with laparoscopic radical cystectomy and conduct a systematic review of studies reporting on 50 or more procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 2006 and March 2011, a prospective study in a single institute on patients with bladder cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical cystectomy was conducted. A search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Medline, and Scopus databases was conducted for studies reporting on 50 or more laparoscopic radical cystectomy procedures to compare with our results. RESULTS: Sixty men and five women underwent laparoscopic radical cystectomy during the 5-year study period. Thirty-nine patients were submitted to ileal conduits, 24 to neobladders, and two patients to ureterocutaneostomies. The mean operative time was 294 ± 27 minutes, the mean blood loss was 249.69 ± 95.59 millilitres, the mean length of hospital stay was 9.42 ± 2 days, the mean morphine requirement was 3.69 ± 0.8 days. The overall complication rate was 44.6% (29/65). However, the majority of the patients with complications (90% (26/29)) had minor complications treated conservatively with no further surgical intervention needed. The literature search found seven studies, which reported on their institutions' laparoscopic radical cystectomy results of 50 or more patients. Generally, our results were similar to other reported studies of the same calibre. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic radical cystectomy is a safe and efficient modality of treatment of bladder cancer. However, it comes with a steep learning curve, once overcome, can provide an alternative to open radical cystectomy.

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PURPOSE: To evaluate if the expression of metalloproteinase, collagen I and III are related to Gleason score, preoperative PSA and pathological stage in prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study group included radical prostatectomy specimens of 33 patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma who underwent surgery from 2001 to 2009. Patients were divided into 3 groups: Gleason score=6 (13 patients), Gleason score=7 (10 patients), Gleason score>8 (10 patients). The control group included prostates of patients submitted to cystoprostatectomy and benign prostatic tissues adjacent to the cancer area. Specific areas of tissues were selected under microscope and further processed for collagen I and III analysis by real time PCR. In addition, 10 deparaffined sections of each group were used to evaluate collagen I, III and metalloproteinase immune expression. The results were correlated with Gleason score, preoperative PSA and pathological stage. RESULTS: We found significant difference in both collagen I and III gene expression between benign and tumoral areas in the prostate samples from Gleason score=6 (collagen I=0.4±0.2 vs 5±2.4, p<0.05; collagen III=0.2±0.06 vs 0.7±0.1, p<0.05) and Gleason score>8 (collagen I=8±3.4 vs 1.4±0.8, p<0.07; collagen III=1.8±0.5 vs 0.6±0.1, p<0.05). There was no correlation of collagen expression with Gleason score, preoperative PSA or pathological stage. There was a positive correlation between metalloproteinase expression and Gleason score (r²=0.47). CONCLUSIONS: The positive correlation between metalloproteinase expression and Gleason score suggests that metalloproteinase could be a promising factor to improve Gleason score evaluation. Its expression and regulation do not seem to be related with collagen degradation.

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OBJECTIVE: Partial nephrectomy for small kidney tumors has increased in the last decades, and the approach to non-palpable endophytic tumors became a challenge, with larger chances of positive margins or complications. The aim of this study is to describe an alternative nephron-sparing approach for small endophytic kidney tumors through anatrophic nephrotomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing partial nephrectomy at our institution was performed and the subjects with endophytic tumors treated with anatrophic nephrotomy were identified. Patient demographics, perioperative outcomes and oncological results were evaluated. RESULTS: Among the partial nephrectomies performed for intraparenchymal tumors between 06/2006 and 06/2010, ten patients were submitted to anatrophic nephrotomy. The mean patient age was 42 yrs, and the mean tumor size was 2.3 cm. Mean warm ischemia time was 22.4 min and the histopathological analysis showed 80% of clear cell carcinomas. At a mean follow-up of 36 months, no significant creatinine changes or local or systemic recurrences were observed. CONCLUSION: The operative technique described is a safe and effective nephron-sparing option for complete removal of endophytic renal tumors.

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PURPOSE: To appraise the evaluation methods for learning curve and to analyze the non-mentor-aided learning curve and early complications following the holmium laser enucleation of the prostate. MATERIALS AND METHODS:One-hundred and forty (n=140) consecutive patients who underwent HoLEP from July 2008 to July 2010 by a single surgeon (SJO) were enrolled. Perioperative clinical variables, including enucleation time, morcellation time, enucleation ratio (enucleation weight/transitional zone volume), enucleation efficacy (enucleated weight/enucleation time), enucleation ratio efficacy (enucleation ratio/enucleation time), and early complication rate were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean prostate volume was 62.7 mL (range 21-162) and preoperative International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was 19.0 (4-35). Mean enucleation time and morcellation time were 49.9±23.8 (S.D.) min and 11.0±9.7 min, respectively. Median duration of postoperative indwelling catheter was 1 (1-7) day and median hospital stay was 1 (1-6) day. There were a total of 31 surgery-related complications in 27 patients (19.3%), and all were manageable. There was an increasing trend of enucleation efficacy in the first 50 cases. However, enucleation efficacy was linearly correlated with the prostate size (correlation coefficients, R=0.701, p<0.001). But, enucleation ratio efficacy could eliminate the confounding effect of the prostate size (R=-0.101, p=0.233). The plateau of enucleation ratio efficacy was reached around the twenty-fifth case. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that the operative learning curve plateau is reached after about 25 cases. We propose that a more appropriate parameter for estimating the operative learning curve is enucleation ratio efficacy, rather than enucleation efficacy.

Resumo em Inglês:

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a very frequent age-related proliferative abnormality in men. Polymorphic CAG repeat in the androgen receptor (AR) can alter transactivation of androgen-responsive genes and potentially influence BPH risk. We investigated the association between CAG repeat length and risk of BPH in a case-control study of a Brazilian population. We evaluated 214 patients; 126 with BPH and 88 healthy controls. DNA was extracted from peripheral leucocytes and the AR gene was analyzed using fragment analysis. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval were estimated using logistic regression models. Mean CAG length was not different between patients with BPH and controls. The CAG repeat length was examined as a categorical variable (CAG < 21 vs. CAG > 21 and CAG < 22 vs. CAG > 22) and did not differ between the control vs. the BPH group. We found no evidence for an association between AR CAG repeat length in BPH risk in a population-based sample of Brazilians.

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PURPOSE:To assess the use of sigmoid colon in vaginal reconstruction of some patients with disorders of sex development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 31 patients with disorders of sex development of various causes. All were reared as females. Female gender was decided for all cases after complete medical assessment. All patients underwent sigmoid vaginoplasty. Assessment of surgical and functional outcomes was carried out in a follow up period of up to 6 years. RESULTS: The preoperative diagnoses included mullerian aplasia (16 cases), androgen insensitivity syndrome (12 cases) and previous failed vaginoplasty (3 cases). Associated surgical procedures were gonadectomy in 5 cases and gonadectomy combined with clitoroplasty and vulvoplasty in 7 cases. No intra-operative or early postoperative complications occurred. A cosmetic neovagina with adequate size was achieved in all cases. Long term follow up showed introital stenosis in 4 cases (12.9 %). Two of them responded to vaginal dilatation. The third one needed y-v plasty while the fourth one presented by acute abdomen secondary to ruptured vagina and was submitted to urgent laparotomy. Mucosal prolapse occurred in 1 case (3.2%). Reoperation rate was 9.6%. Sexual satisfaction was achieved among 9 sexually active cases. The subjective satisfaction score of the surgical outcome was 8.03. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with disorders of sex development of various etiologies, sigmoid vaginoplasty is the preferred technique for vaginal replacement. It is a safe technique that provides the patient with a cosmetic neovagina of adequate caliber and a satisfactory functional outcome.

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PURPOSE: To analyze the outcome of deceased donor recipients given priority in allocation due to lack of access for dialysis and compare this data to the one obtained from non-prioritized deceased donor kidney transplant recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: we reviewed electronic charts of 31 patients submitted to kidney transplantation that were given priority in transplantation program due to lack of access for dialysis from January 2005 to December 2008. Immunological and surgical complications rates, and grafts and patients survival rates were analyzed. These data were compared to those obtained from 100 regular patients who underwent kidney transplantation without allocation priority during the same period. RESULTS: Overall surgical complication rate was 25.8% and 27% in the patients with priority in allocation and in the non-prioritized patients, respectively. There was no statistical significant difference for surgical complications (p = 1.0), immunological complications (p = 0.21) and graft survival (p = 0.19) rates between the groups. However, patient survival rate was statistically significant worse in prioritized patients (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: patients given priority in allocation owing to lack of access for dialysis have higher mortality rate when compared to those non-prioritized.

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PURPOSE: Mouse kidney transplantation is a challenging technique for novice microsurgeons. Factors that affect transplant outcomes for a clinical surgeon starting microsurgery have not yet been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 110 consecutive mouse kidney transplants were performed over a 9-month period. Data were recorded, and surgical results and complication were analyzed. RESULTS: Three and thirty day survival rates improved from 0 (0/6) to 92.3% (12/13) between months 1 and 9. Bleeding, arterial thrombosis, kidney failure and hydronephrosis were the most common causes of transplant failure. From month 1 to month 7, using the same surgical technique, practice significantly decreased the incidence of bleeding and increased the 3-day survival rate; however, it didn't significantly decrease the incidence of thrombosis, kidney failure, but improved the 30-day survival rate. From month 8, when surgical technique used on artery anastomosis switched from continuous suture to interrupted suture, surgical survival rate at 3 and 30 days improved significantly. Interestingly, ischemia time was not a significant factor determining the success of transplantation in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Practice is essential for novice microsurgeons, and the choice of surgical techniques significantly affects surgical results. The use of interrupted arterial sutures can significantly improve mouse kidney transplantation outcomes compared with continuous sutures. Ischemic time was not a factor in determining successful of kidney transplantation in mice in this study.

Resumo em Inglês:

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Transrectal ultrasound biopsy of prostate is a painful procedure. The introduction of the rectal probe is one of the major contributors to the pain associated with this procedure. Drugs that relax the anal sphincter should theoretically decrease this pain. This study was done to compare the efficacy and safety of two topical medications that relax the anal sphincter, diltiazem and nitroglycerine, in decreasing the pain associated with transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 66 patients who were to undergo their first prostate biopsy were randomized to receive either 2 mL of 2% topical diltiazem or 2 mL of 0.2% topical nitroglycerine or placebo 20 minutes before prostate biopsy. All patients also received 15 mL of intrarectal lignocaine. A 10-point visual analogue score was used to record the pain immediately after the insertion of the probe, during biopsy and at the end of the procedure. RESULTS: The pain scores due to probe insertion, during biopsy and at the end of the procedure in patients who received topical diltiazem or nitroglycerine were significantly lower compared to the placebo group (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the pain scores between the patients receiving diltiazem compared to those receiving nitroglycerine. Higher incidence of headache and fall in blood pressure was noted in patients who received nitroglycerine compared to those receiving diltiazem. CONCLUSION:Topical diltiazem and nitroglycerine are equally effective in reducing the pain associated with transrectal prostatic biopsy. Diltiazem is safer compared to nitroglycerine.

Resumo em Inglês:

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of precursor lesions of penile cancer, to establish the concordance of diagnostic techniques (PCR, Hybrid Capture (HC) and peniscopy with acetic acid 5%) in the diagnosis of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) of the penis of men infected with HIV and to evaluate the influence of the immune status. PATIENTS, METHODS AND RESULTS: 276 men were studied, with a median age of 34.6 years. Prevalence of High Risk HPV, Low Risk HPV and infection with both, according to HC, was 43%, 32% and 22%, respectively. PCR showed 50% of positivity for HPV DNA. Peniscopy was positive in 27% of individuals. Peniscopy showed good specificity and low sensitivity for the detection of penile HPV, and low concordance with PCR. Men with white lesions had a 3.6 higher relative risk of positivity for HPV. The most common clinical lesion observed was vegetation, identified in 29% of patients. PCR and HC techniques showed high sensitivity for HPV DNA and there was an excellent correlation between them. Immunosuppressed individuals with CD4< 200 cells/mm3 had the highest prevalence of pre-malignant lesions that were observed in 10% of the studied individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Peniscopy was important for identification and treatment of subclinical lesions. PCR and HC techniques were sensitive methods for the detection of HPV DNA with high concordance. Severely immunosuppressed individuals showed a higher prevalence of pre-malignant lesions of the penis.

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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of castration on cell death rate of the adult rat prostates and to evaluate the benefic action of alpha tocopherol supplementation to avoid apoptosis post-orchiectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rats weighing 250-300g were divided into three groups: group I - they were subjected to bilateral orchiectomy and sacrificed eight weeks after the procedure; group II - subjected to bilateral orchiectomy and alpha-tocopherol supplementation for four weeks preceding the procedure; and group III - subjected to bilateral orchiectomy and alpha-tocopherol supplementation for four weeks preceding the procedure and for eight weeks afterwards. At the end of the experiment, the prostatectomy was performed in all rats. The presence of oxidative stress was determined by assaying the blood level of 8-isoprostane and the occurrence of apoptosis was evaluated by identification of active caspase-3 through immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: The statistic analysis of active caspase-3 showed that in the long-term castrated group the detection was higher than in groups were the alpha-tocopherol was supplemented (p=0.007). Analysis of 8-isoprostane levels showed higher concentrations of reactive oxygen species in group I compared to other groups (p<0.05). Groups II and III presented active caspase-3 lower than in group I (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our exploratory analyses demonstrate a method to study the aging process and its influence on oxidative stress of prostatic tissue and cells death rate. Based on our results we can suggest that alpha tocopherol supplementation can decrease the apoptotic process as well as the oxidative stress levels induced by androgen deprivation of the prostate gland.