Objective: To determine if intravesical protrusion of the prostate (IPP) is a predictor of acute urinary retention. Patients and Methods: In a prospective study, men (aged >50 years) with lower urinary tract symptoms were evaluated using the 1) international prostate symptoms score (IPSS), 2) prostate specific antigen (PSA), 3) prostate volume and age. The patient bladder was filled with 200 ml normal saline via foley catheter. IPP was measured using transabdominal ultrasound. The degree of protrusion was classified as Grade 1: 5 mm or less; Grade 2: 6 to 10 mm; and Grade 3: > 10 mm. Urine flow rate and post void residual urine were recorded after catheter removal. Urinary retention was established if the patient failed to establish satisfactory urination, post-void residual urine greater than 100 ml, and urine flow rate less than 10 ml/sec. Results: A total of 64 patients were enrolled in the study but only 56 patients were included in the study. Of the five parameters considered, only intravesical prostate protrusion (p = 0.01405914) and IPSS (p = 0.00578724) had a significant relationship with acute urinary retention. Conclusion: The IPP significantly predicts acute urinary retention; grade 3 IPP had more tendency to have acute urinary retention. The other contributing predictor of urinary retention is the IPSS.

Prostate-specific Antigen ; Prostate ; Urinary Retention ; Prospective Studies

A retrospective record review of the clinical characteristics and management of primary soft tissue sarcomas in patients admitted to the surgical department of a government hospital, from January 1991 to December 2000, was done. A total of 54 cases were studied. Data showed that patients had a mean age of 45 years with an equal sex distribution. Forty two percent of sarcomas affected the lower limbs. Thirty-three percent of all cases were fibrosarcomas, and most were more than 5 cm in size and situated deep in to the fascial layer. Twenty patients (37 percent) had distant metastases on admission, 45 percent of which involved the lungs. Wide excision was the most common surgical procedure during the last three years of the study period, with less patients refusing surgery than previous years when amputation was the usual treatment. Wide excision resulted in complete gross tumor extirpation in 94 percent of cases. However, after discharge, most patients did not return for follow-up nor complied with the prescribed adjuvant treatments. (Author)

Human ; Middle Aged ; Sarcoma ; Fibrosarcoma ; Amputation ; Sex Distribution ; Lower Extremity