Heterophilic antibodies are human immunoglobulins directed against various animal antigens. They can produce false-positive results in the analysis of different tumor markers, including prostate-specific antigen. This interference can lead to misdiagnosis, unnecessary tests, and overtreatment in some cases. We present herein the case of a 52-year-old man with repeated spurious elevation of prostate-specific antigen, reaching levels of 108.7 ng/mL, that were suspected to be caused by heterophilic antibodies. The interference was solved by changing the analysis technique. Real values of prostate-specific antigen were less than 1 ng/mL.
Antibodies, Heterophile/*immunology ; False Positive Reactions ; Humans ; Luminescence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/*blood ; Prostatic Neoplasms/blood/*diagnosis/immunology

PURPOSE: We review the literature and describe our technique for laparoendoscopic single-site orchidopexy using a glove port and rigid instruments. We assessed the feasibility and outcomes of this procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the case records of all children who had undergone laparoendoscopic single-site orchidopexy by use of a surgical glove port and conventional rigid instruments for a nonpalpable intraabdominal testis between January 2013 and September 2014. RESULTS: Data from a total of 20 patients were collected. The patients' mean age was 18 months. All cases had a nonpalpable unilateral undescended testis. Fourteen patients (70%) had an undescended testis on the right side and six patients (30%) had an undescended testis on the left side. Seventeen patients underwent primary orchidopexy. Three patients underwent single-port laparoscopic Fowler-Stephens orchidopexy for the first and the second stage. Average operating time was 57 minutes (range, 40 to 80 minutes). No patient was lost to follow-up. At follow-up, 2 testes were found to have retracted out of the scrotum and these were successfully dealt with in a second operation. One testis was hypoplastic in the scrotal pouch. There were no signs of umbilical hernia. CONCLUSIONS: Single-port laparoscopic orchidopexy using a glove port and rigid instruments is technically feasible and safe for various nonpalpable intraabdominal testes. However, surgical experience and long-term follow-up are needed to confirm the superiority of this technique.
Cryptorchidism/pathology/*surgery ; Equipment Design ; Feasibility Studies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gloves, Surgical ; Humans ; Infant ; Laparoscopy/instrumentation/methods ; Male ; Orchiopexy/*instrumentation/methods ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and patient satisfaction outcomes following low intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LiESWT) in men with Peyronie's disease (PD) using a standardised protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this open-label single arm prospective study, patients with PD were enrolled following informed consent. Patient demographics, change in penile curvature and plaque hardness, International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 score, and overall satisfaction score (on a 5-point scale) were recorded. Treatment template consists of 3000 shock waves to the Peyronie's plaque over 20 minutes, twice weekly for 6 weeks. RESULTS: The majority of patients have PD history longer than 6 months (mean, 12.8 months; range, 6-28 months). Two thirds of patients have received and failed oral medical therapy. There were improvements in penile curvature (more than 15 degrees in 33% of men), plaque hardness (60% of men) and penile pain (4 out of 6 men) following LiESWT. There was a moderate improvement in IIEF-5 score (>5 points reported in 20% of men). No complication was reported and the majority of patients were satisfied (rated 4 out of 5; 70% of men) and would recommend this therapy to others. CONCLUSIONS: In a carefully selected group of men with PD, LiESWT appears to be safe, has moderate efficacy and is associated with high patient satisfaction rate in the short term.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Feasibility Studies ; Humans ; Lithotripsy/adverse effects/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain/prevention & control ; *Patient Satisfaction ; Penile Induration/pathology/*surgery ; Prospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: The thulium laser is the most recently introduced technology for the surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Until recently, most thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP) was performed by use of the three-lobe technique. We introduce a novel one-lobe enucleation technique for ThuLEP called the "All-in-One" technique. We report our initial experiences here. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2013 to May 2014, a total of 47 patients underwent the All-in-One technique of ThuLEP for symptomatic BPH performed by a single surgeon. All patients were assessed with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), transrectal ultrasonography, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), maximal urine flow rate (Qmax), and postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) before and 1 month after surgery. We reassessed IPSS, Qmax, and PVR 3 months after surgery. To assess the efficacy of the All-in-One technique, we checked the PSA reduction ratio, transitional zone volume reduction ratio, and enucleation failure rate. RESULTS: The mean operative time was 82.1+/-33.3 minutes. The mean enucleation time and morcellation time were 52.7+/-21.7 minutes and 8.2+/-7.0 minutes, respectively. The mean resected tissue weight and decrease in hemoglobin were 36.9+/-24.6 g and 0.4+/-0.8 g/dL, respectively. All perioperative parameters showed significant improvement (p<0.05). No major complications were observed. The PSA reduction ratio, transitional zone volume reduction ratio, and enucleation failure rate were 0.81, 0.92, and 4.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The All-in-One technique of ThuLEP showed efficacy and effectiveness comparable to that of other techniques. We expect that this new technique could reduce the operation time and the bleeding and improve the effectiveness of enucleation.
Aged ; Humans ; Lasers, Solid-State/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Operative Time ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood ; Prostatic Hyperplasia/pathology/*surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Thulium ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate/adverse effects/*methods ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: To report the initial clinical outcomes of the newly devised sliding loop technique (SLT) used for renorrhaphy in patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RALPN) for small renal mass. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the surgical videos and medical charts of 31 patients who had undergone RALPN with the SLT renorrhaphy performed by two surgeons (CWJ and CK) between January 2014 and October 2014. SLT renorrhaphy was performed after tumor excision and renal parenchymal defect repair. Assessed outcomes included renorrhaphy time (RT), warm ischemic time, perioperative complications, and perioperative renal function change. RT was defined as interval from the end of bed suture to the renal artery declamping. RESULTS: In all patients, sliding loop renorrhaphy was successfully conducted without conversions to radical nephrectomy or open approaches. Mean renorrhaphy and warm ischemic time were 9.0 and 22.6 minutes, respectively. After completing renorrhaphy, there were no adverse events such as dehiscence of approximated renal parenchyma, renal parenchymal tearing, or significant bleeding. Furthermore, no postoperative complications or significant renal function decline were observed as of the last follow-up for all patients. The limitations of this study include the small volume case series, the retrospective nature of the study, and the heterogeneity of surgeons. CONCLUSIONS: From our initial clinical experience, SLT may be an efficient and safe renorrhaphy method in real clinical practice. Further large scale, prospective, long-term follow-up, and direct comparative studies with other techniques are required to confirm the clinical applicability of SLT.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hemostasis, Surgical/methods ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms/*surgery ; Laparoscopy/methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy/*methods ; Patient Positioning/methods ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/*methods ; *Suture Techniques ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: We previously described a new procedure specific module (Tube 3) to allow the practice of vesicourethral anastomosis after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. Herein, we report a predetermined proficiency level of Tube 3 and preliminary validation to explore whether this new module can lead to performance improvement in the da Vinci system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight urology residents and three urology fellows performed the Tube 3 module 1 hour daily for 7 days. The learning curve was depicted through a scatterplot and the stable point was identified through the cumulative sum chart. Concurrent and predictive validations were performed with the da Vinci system. The mean time to complete the task and end product rating score between Tube 3 training group and no Tube 3 training group were compared. RESULTS: Concerning the learning curve, about 41 repetitions comprising about 5 hours were needed to achieve this stable point when the mean time to complete Tube of 384 seconds was set as a target. With regarding to the concurrent and predictive validation, there significant differences were evident in the mean time to complete 16 needle passages and the vesicourethral anastomosis and the end product rating score. CONCLUSIONS: The virtual reality (VR) simulator can yield sufficient improvement in technical performance in Tube 3 within 5 hours. The acquired proficiency can be transferable to the vesicourethral anastomosis using the da Vinci system.
Anastomosis, Surgical/methods ; Clinical Competence ; Computer Simulation ; Education, Medical, Graduate/*methods ; Humans ; Learning Curve ; Male ; Prostatectomy/*education/methods ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/*education/methods ; Simulation Training/methods ; Urethra/surgery ; Urinary Bladder/surgery ; User-Computer Interface

PURPOSE: Inflammation-based prognostic scores including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) are associated with oncologic outcomes in diverse malignancies. We evaluated the predictive value of pretreatment prognostic scores in differentiating nonmuscle invasive (NMIBC) and muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) cases from January 2011 to December 2013 were analysed retrospectively. Patient demographics, tumour characteristics and prognostic scores results were recorded. Receiver operating characteristics curves were used to determine prognostic score cutoffs. Univariate and multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between variables and MIBC. RESULTS: A total of 226 patients were included, with 175 and 51 having NMIBC (stages Ta and T1) and MIBC (stage T2+) groups, respectively. Median age was 75 years and 174 patients were male. The NLR cutoff was 3.89 and had the greatest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.710, followed by LMR (cutoff<1.7; AUC, 0.650) and PLR (cutoff>218; AUC, 0.642). Full blood count samples were taken a median of 12 days prior to TURBT surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified tumour grade G3 (odds ration [OR], 32.848; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.818-109.902; p=0.000), tumour size> or =3 cm (OR, 3.353; 95% CI, 1.347-8.345; p=0.009) and NLR> or =3.89 (OR, 8.244; 95% CI, 2.488-27.316; p=0.001) as independent predictors of MIBC. CONCLUSIONS: NLR may provide a simple, cost-effective and easily measured marker for MIBC. It can be performed at the time of diagnostic flexible cystoscopy, thereby assisting in the planning of further treatment.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Platelets/pathology ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/complications/pathology/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation/diagnosis/*etiology ; Leukocyte Count ; Lymphocyte Count ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth/pathology ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutrophils/pathology ; Platelet Count ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/complications/pathology/*surgery

PURPOSE: Current clinical data support a safe warm ischemia time (WIT) limit of 30 minutes during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) or robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN). We evaluated independent factors predicting prolonged WIT (more than 30 minutes) after LPN or RPN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective data review was performed for 317 consecutive patients who underwent LPN or RPN performed by the same surgeon from October 2007 to May 2013. Patients were divided into two groups: group A was defined as prolonged WIT (> or =30 minutes) and group B as short WIT (<30 minutes). We compared clinical factors between the two groups to evaluate predictors of prolonged WIT. RESULTS: Among 317 consecutive patients, 80 were in the prolonged WIT group. Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the groups. In the univariable analysis, PADUA (preoperative aspects and dimensions used for an anatomical) score (p=0.001), approach method (transperitoneal or retroperitoneal approach; p<0.001), and surgeon experience (p<0.001) were significantly associated with prolonged WIT. In the multivariable analysis, PADUA score (p=0.032), tumor size (> or =25 mm; odds ratio, 2.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-5.96; p=0.002), and surgeon experience (p<0.001) were independent predictors of prolonged WIT. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeon experience, tumor size, and PADUA score predicted prolonged WIT after RPN or LPN. Among these factors, increasing surgical experience with LPN or RPN is the most important factor for preventing prolonged WIT.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology/*surgery ; Clinical Competence ; Female ; Humans ; Intraoperative Period ; Kidney Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery ; Laparoscopy/methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy/*methods ; Pneumoperitoneum, Artificial/*methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods ; Warm Ischemia/*methods

PURPOSE: To evaluate the oncologic outcomes between adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) and salvage radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer or with adverse pathologic factors including positive surgical margin and high Gleason score. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched the literature published from January 2000 until December 2014 at MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ProQuest, and Cochrane Library. To be specific, included were studies comparing ART and SRT settings if they followed up oncologic outcomes more than 5 years. RESULTS: Overall, 3 retrospective, nonrandomized, observational studies, 1 matched control analysis, and 3 prospective randomized controlled studies met our inclusion criteria including a total of 2,380 patients (1,192 ART vs. 1,188 SRT). Higher favorable results were found in ART than in SRT was seen in the 5-year and 10-year biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival (risk ratio [RR], 0.61 and 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54-0.69 and 0.63-0.76). ART had a significantly higher 5-year progression-free survival rate than that in SRT (RR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.51-0.80), but this was not the same for the 10-year progression-free survival rate (RR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.72-1.08). There was no significant difference for the 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates between ART and SRT (RR, 0.80 and 0.94; 95% CI, 0.59-1.07 and 0.80-1.11). CONCLUSIONS: ART showed favorable results in BCR-free survival during the 5-year follow-up period. However, the 10-year progression-free survival and overall survival did not show any difference between ART and SRT.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/*radiotherapy/surgery ; Publication Bias ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Salvage Therapy/*methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Evidence-Based Medicine/methods ; Humans ; Male ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures/methods ; Prostatectomy/*methods ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/*methods