PURPOSE: We reviewed surgical results in a group of women after Raz bladder neck suspension using questionnaire based outcomes analysis. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Of 71 patients who underwent Raz bladder neck suspension 55 had completed the questionnaire. Interviewees mean age was 54 years(range: 41-72 years) and mean observation time was 26.2 months(range: 3-77 months). RESULTS: According to outcomes analysis 39 patients(70.9%) were cured, 4(7.2%) improved, 11(20%) same and 1(1.8%) became worse. Overall improvement was found to be 43 patients(78.2%). 40(72.7%) patients replied 'satisfactory' for the Raz bladder neck suspension. Overall 'success rate' was estimated as 74.5%. No significant statistical correlation was found between success rate of Raz bladder neck suspension and various factors such as patients age, urge incontinence or follow up length. Of the 55 patients 7(12.7%) reported daily pad use. CONCLUSIONS: With these questionnaire based outcome analysis there was an overall success rate of 74.5%. We strongly emphasize the need for standardized questionnaire based outcome analyses for the evaluation of incontience surgery.
Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neck* ; Surveys and Questionnaires* ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Incontinence* ; Urinary Incontinence, Urge

Bilateral fibroepithelial polyps of the ureter are scarcely seen benign mesodermal tumor that occurs most often at the proximal ureter. Most patients present with either hematuria due to necrosis at urethral polyp of flank pain secondary to partial ureteral obstruction. The Diagnosis may be established with intravenous pyelography, retrograde pyelography, ureteroscopy and CT. Local resection is the treatment of choice. We report a case of bilateral fibroepithelial polyps of the ureter with a brief review of literatures.
Diagnosis ; Flank Pain ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Mesoderm ; Necrosis ; Polyps* ; Ureter* ; Ureteral Obstruction ; Ureteroscopy ; Urography

PURPOSE: E-cadherin, a cell adhesive molecule that plays a diverse role in cell-cell and cell-matrix interaction, is essential for maintaining epithelial intercellular adhesion and acts particularly as a suppressor of invasive ability of cancer. To detennine the potential pro- gnostic values of membranous E-cadherin, we evaluated the correlation between the clin- ical outcome and its expression in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Membranous E-cadherin immunoreactivity was evaluated in 75 cases of transitional bladder cancer and 15 controls (5 cases of cystitis and 10 normal controls). The expression of membranous E-cadherin were compared with histological grade, T category of TNM stage, and survival. RESULTS: Abnonnal immunohistochemical expression of membranous E-cadherin was observed in 53 (70.7%) patients with bladder cancer and undetected in controis. Abnormal immunohistochemical expression of membranous E-cadherin was significantly correlated with grade (p<0.01) and T category of TNM stage (p<0.01) of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Progression to invasive cancer occurred in 6 patients with 45 superficial bladder cancer and 5 of them showed abnormal expression of E-cadherin, which had statistical significance (p<0.05) but not with recurrence. There was statistically significant correlation between the abnormal expression of E-cadherin and poor prognosis (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that abnormal expression of membranous E-cadherin is a useful prognostic marker in patients with transitional bladder cancer.
Adhesives ; Cadherins* ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell* ; Cystitis ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder*

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thrombectomy within 24 hours can improve outcomes in selected patients with a clinical-infarct mismatch. We devised an easy-to-use visual estimation tool that allows infarct volume estimation in centers with limited resources. METHODS: We identified 1,031 patients with cardioembolic or large-artery atherosclerosis infarction on diffusion-weighted images (DWIs) obtained before recanalization therapy and within 24 hours of onset, and occlusion of the internal carotid or middle cerebral artery. Acute DWIs were mapped onto a standard template and used to create visual reference maps with known lesion volumes, which were then used in a validation study (with 130 cases) against software estimates of infarct volume. RESULTS: The DWI reference map chart comprises 144 maps corresponding to 12 different infarct volumes (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 mL) in each of 12 template slices (Montreal Neurological Institute z-axis –15 to 51 mm). Infarct volume in a patient is estimated by selecting a slice with a similar infarct size at the corresponding z-axis level on the reference maps and then adding up over all slices. The method yielded good correlations to software volumetrics and was easily learned by both experienced and junior physicians, with approximately 1 to 2 minutes spent per case. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detecting threshold infarct volumes ( < 21, < 31, and < 51 mL) were very high (all about >90%). CONCLUSIONS: We developed easy-to-use reference maps that allow prompt and reliable visual estimation of infarct volumes for triaging patients to thrombectomy in acute stroke.
Atherosclerosis ; Cerebral Infarction ; Decision Making ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Humans ; Infarction ; Medical Staff, Hospital ; Methods ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stroke ; Thrombectomy