OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of pirfenidone for reducing urethral stricture following urethral injury in rats and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: Thirty male SD rats were randomly assigned into negative control group, positive control group and pirfenidone group (n=10). In pirfenidone and positive control groups, the rats were subjected to incision of the posterior urethral cavernous body followed by daily intraperitoneal injection of pirfenidone (100 mg/kg) and an equivalent volume of solvent, respectively. The rats in the negative control group were given intraperitoneal injections of solvent without urethral injury. At two weeks after modeling, retrograde urethrography was performed for observing urethral stricture, and the injured urethral tissues were harvested for HE staining, Masson staining, immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting for detecting the protein expressions of α-SMA and TGF-β1. The mRNA expressions of the inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β were detected using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: The body weight of the rats in pirfenidone group was significantly decreased compared with that in the other two groups (P < 0.05). Retrograde urethrography showed significant narrowing of the urethra in the positive control group but not in the pirfenidone group. HE staining of the injured urethral tissues showed obvious proliferation of urethral epithelial cells with narrow urethral cavity and increased inflammatory cells in positive control group. The pathological findings of the urethra were similar between pirfenidone group and the negative control group. Masson staining revealed obviously reduced collagen fibers and regular arrangement of the fibers in pirfenidone group as compared to the positive control group. Compared with those in the negative control group, the expressions of α-SMA and TGF-β1 were significantly increased in the positive control group, and pirfenidone treatment significantly inhibited their expressions (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Pirfenidone also significantly inhibited the mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the injured urethral tissue (P < 0.05 or 0.01). CONCLUSION Pirfenidone can prevent urethral fibrosis and stricture after urethral injury possibly by inhibiting the TGF-β1 pathway and inflammatory response.
Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Male ; Pyridones/pharmacology* ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Solvents ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Urethral Stricture/pathology*

Cowper's syringoceles are uncommon, usually described in children and most commonly limited to the ducts. We describe more complex variants in an adult population affecting with varying degrees of severity, the glands themselves, and the complications they may lead to. One hundred consecutive urethrograms of patients with unreconstructed strictures were reviewed. Twenty-six patients (mean age: 41.1 years) with Cowper's syringoceles who were managed between 2009 and 2016 were subsequently evaluated. Presentation, radiological appearance, treatment (when indicated), and outcomes were assessed. Of 100 urethrograms in patients with strictures, 33.0% demonstrated filling of Cowper's ducts or glands, occurring predominantly in patients with bulbar strictures. Only 1 of 26 patients with non-bulbar strictures had a visible duct/gland. Of 26 symptomatic patients, 15 presented with poor flow. In four patients, a grossly dilated Cowper's duct obstructed the urethra. In the remaining 11 patients, a bulbar stricture caused the symptoms and the syringocele was identified incidentally. Eight patients presented with perineal pain. In six of them, fluoroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed complex multicystic lesions within the bulbourethral glands. Four patients developed perineoscrotal abscesses. In the 11 patients with strictures, the syringocele was no longer visible after urethroplasty. In three of four patients with urethral obstruction secondary to a dilated Cowper's duct, this resolved after transperineal excision (n = 2) and endoscopic deroofing (n = 1). Five of six patients with complex syringoceles involving Cowper's glands were excised surgically with symptomatic relief in all. In conclusion, Cowper's syringocele in adults is more common than previously thought and may cause lower urinary tract symptoms or be associated with serious complications which usually require surgical treatment.
Adult ; Bulbourethral Glands/pathology* ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms/pathology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pelvic Pain/pathology* ; Urethral Stricture/pathology* ; Young Adult

The use of artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence has become more prevalent, especially in the "prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-era", when more patients are treated for localized prostate cancer. The first widely accepted device was the AMS 800, but since then, other devices have also entered the market. While efficacy has increased with improvements in technology and technique, and patient satisfaction is high, AUS implantation still has inherent risks and complications of any implant surgery, in addition to the unique challenges of urethral complications that may be associated with the cuff. Furthermore, the unique nature of the AUS, with a control pump, reservoir, balloon cuff, and connecting tubing, means that mechanical complications can also arise from these individual parts. This article aims to present and summarize the current literature on the management of complications of AUS, especially urethral atrophy. We conducted a literature search on PubMed from January 1990 to December 2018 on AUS complications and their management. We review the various potential complications and their management. AUS complications are either mechanical or nonmechanical complications. Mechanical complications usually involve malfunction of the AUS. Nonmechanical complications include infection, urethral atrophy, cuff erosion, and stricture. Challenges exist especially in the management of urethral atrophy, with both tandem implants, transcorporal cuffs, and cuff downsizing all postulated as potential remedies. Although complications from AUS implants are not common, knowledge of the management of these issues are crucial to ensure care for patients with these implants. Further studies are needed to further evaluate these techniques.
Atrophy ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications/therapy* ; Prosthesis Failure ; Prosthesis Implantation ; Prosthesis-Related Infections/therapy* ; Urethra/pathology* ; Urethral Diseases/therapy* ; Urethral Stricture/surgery* ; Urinary Incontinence, Stress/surgery* ; Urinary Sphincter, Artificial

Objective: To compare the clinical effect of diode laser enucleation of the prostate (DIOD) with that of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) on benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) with different prostate volumes. METHODS: This retrospective study included 256 BPH patients treated by DIOD (n = 141) or TURP (n = 115) from March 2012 to August 2015. According to the prostate volume, we divided the patients into three groups: <60 ml (42 for DIOD and 31 for TURP), 60－80 ml (51 for DIOD and 45 for TURP), and >80 ml (48 for DIOD and 39 for TURP). We obtained the relevant data from the patients before, during and at 6 months after surgery, and compared the two surgical strategies in operation time, perioperative levels of hemoglobin and sodium ion, post-operative urethral catheterization time and bladder irrigation time, pre- and post-operative serum PSA levels, International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS), post-void residual urine (PVR) volume and maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), and incidence of post-operative complications among different groups. RESULTS: In the <60 ml group, there were no remarkable differences in the peri- and post-operative parameters between the two surgical strategies. In the 60－80 ml group, DIOD exhibited a significant superiority over TURP in the perioperative levels of hemoglobin (［3.25 ± 1.53］ g/L vs ［4.77 ± 1.67］ g/L, P <0.05) and Na+ (［3.58 ± 1.27］mmol/L vs ［9.67 ± 2.67］ mmol/L, P <0.01), bladder irrigation time (［30.06 ± 6.22］h vs ［58.32 ± 10.25］ h, P <0.01), and urethral catheterization time (［47.61 ± 13.55］ h vs ［68.01 ± 9.69］ h, P <0.01), but a more significant decline than the latter in the postoperative PSA level (［2.34 ± 1.29］ ng/ml vs ［1.09 ± 0.72］ ng/ml, P <0.05), and similar decline was also seen in the >80 ml group (［3.35 ± 1.39］ ng/ml vs ［1.76 ± 0.91］ ng/ml, P <0.05). No blood transfusion was necessitated and nor postoperative transurethral resection syndrome or urethral stricture observed in DIOD. However, the incidence rate of postoperative pseudo-urinary incontinence was significantly higher in the DIOD (22.7%, 32/141) than in the TURP group (7.83%, 9/115) (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS DIOD, with its obvious advantages of less blood loss, higher safety, faster recovery, and more definite short-term effectiveness, is better than TURP in the treatment of BPH with medium or large prostate volume and similar to the latter with small prostate volume.
Humans ; Lasers, Semiconductor ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Operative Time ; Organ Size ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; Prostate ; pathology ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; pathology ; surgery ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Therapeutic Irrigation ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; adverse effects ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Treatment Outcome ; Urethral Stricture ; etiology ; Urinary Catheterization ; Urinary Incontinence ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo evaluated the safety and effect of the 120-W GreenLight HPS laser photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) in different BPH populations.

METHODSThis study included 174 BPH patients treated by PVP using 120-W Green-Light HPS laser. According to the prostate volume (PV) ( < 80 or ≥ 80 ml), history of 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) medication, and history of acute urinary retention (AUR), we divided the patients into a PV < 80 ml, a PV ≥ 80 ml, a 5-ARI, a no 5-ARI; an AUR, and a no AUR group. We collected the baseline, perioperative, and follow-up data about the patients, and compared them among different groups.

RESULTSThe patients were aged 69.4 ± 7.7 years, of whom PVP was successfully performed for 136 and PVP was intraoperatively converted to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in the other 38, with a mean operation time of (49.4 ± 16.3) min. The preoperative PV averaged (67.9 ± 29.8) ml. There was no intraoperative blood transfusion, transurethral resection syndrome, or capsule perforation. Bladder neck contracture occurred in 2 cases and urethral stricture developed in another 2 postoperatively. All the patients showed a significant improvement in the prostatic function parameters and no significant differences were observed between the PV < 80 ml and PV ≥ 80 ml, 5-ARI and no 5-ARI, or AUR and no AUR groups.

CONCLUSIONPVP with 120-W GreenLight HPS laser is safe and efficient for the treatment of BPH and the its effect is not influenced by the prostate volume, history of 5-ARI medication, or history of AUR. However, preoperative urinary catheterization may increase the difficulty of surgery and the risk of conversion to TURP.

5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Aged ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Male ; Operative Time ; Organ Size ; Prostate ; pathology ; surgery ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; pathology ; surgery ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; Treatment Outcome ; Urethral Stricture ; etiology ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Retention

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical value and operation skills of nasal endoscopy-assisted bulboprostatic anastomosis in the treatment of posterior urethral stricture.

METHODSBetween January 2012 and November 2014, we performed nasal endoscopy-assisted bulboprostatic anastomosis for 12 male patients with posterior urethral stricture. We recorded the operation time, blood loss, exposure of operation visual field, and success rate of anastomosis and summarized the operation skills.

RESULTSEight of the patients experienced first-stage recovery. Two underwent a urethral dilation at 3 months postoperatively, 1 received 10 urethral dilations within 5 months after surgery, and 1 underwent internal urethrotomy after failure in urethral dilation, but all the 4 cases were cured.

CONCLUSIONNasal endoscopy can significantly improve the operation field exposure, elevate the precision, reduce the difficulty, and enhance the efficiency of bulboprostatic anastomosis in the treatment of posterior urethral stricture.

Anastomosis, Surgical ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Male ; Operative Time ; Postoperative Period ; Urethra ; pathology ; surgery ; Urethral Stricture ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo sum up the clinical experience in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with the prostate weighing over 80 ml by transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) combined with 2 μm continuous-wave laser vaporesection (LVR).

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical effects of TURP combined with 2 μm LVR in the treatment of 46 cases of BPH with the prostate volume > 80 ml.

RESULTSAll the operations were successfully accomplished. The operation time and intraoperative blood loss were (112.0 ± 20.0) min (range 86-176 min) and (77.9 ± 25.9) ml (range 50-200 ml), respectively. The catheters were withdrawn at 7 days after surgery. Transient urinary incontinence occurred in 6 cases and secondary hemorrhage was found in 2 postoperatively. Six-month follow-up revealed no urethral stricture or other complications. Compared with the baseline, the international prostate symptom score (IPSS) was significantly decreased at 6 months after operation (26.3 ± 1.8 vs 11.6 ± 1.7, P <0.05), and so were the quality of life (QOL) score (5.3 ± 0.7 vs 1.3 ± 1.1, P <0.05) and post-void residual urine (PVR) ([115.5 ± 55.6] ml vs [19.9 ± 11.6] ml, P <0.05). However, the maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) was remarkably increased from (4.1 ± 2.6) ml/s to (16.2 ± 1.7) ml/s (P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONTURP combined with 2 μm LVR is safe and effective for the treatment of BPH with the prostate volume >80 ml.

Aged ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organ Size ; Prostate ; pathology ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; pathology ; surgery ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; methods ; Treatment Outcome ; Urethral Stricture ; Urinary Incontinence ; etiology ; Urinary Retention

OBJECTIVETo summarize the experience of urethral reconstruction using circular fasciocutaneous flap for the treatment of complex anterior urethral strictures.

METHODThe circular fasciocutaneous flap was harvested from the distal penile shaft or foreskin. Then the circular configuration was converted into longitudinal strip of skin which was rotated to ventral side to repair the exposured urethral strictures using the ventral onlay method. The surveillance protocol after urethroplasty was urination observation, regularly uroflowmetry and urethrography examination.

RESULTSFrom Nov. 2006 to Oct. 2012, 15 cases were treated. The mean age was 45 years (20-76 years) and mean follow-up period was 18 months(3 months-3 years). Stricture was caused by chronic urethritis in 4 cases, long-term urethral catheterization in 3 cases, transurethral perfusion chem other aphy in 3 cases, transurethral prostatectomy in 3 cases and hypospadias after surgery in 2 patients. The mean stricture length was 7.0 cm (3.5-12.0 cm). The overall success rate was 80.0% (12/15). Recurrence stenosis was noted in 2 cases and diverticulum formation in 1 case.

CONCLUSIONSThe penile circular fasciocutaneous flap can be used for anterior urethral stricture in nearly any length. The flap has the characteristics of hairless, adequate mobile and length, well-vascularized pedicle and easy to harvest. The onlay reconstruction provides excellent cosmetic results, less trauma, higher success rate. Therefore it should be one of the preferred techniques for complex anterior urethral stricture repair.

Follow-Up Studies ; Foreskin ; Humans ; Hypospadias ; surgery ; Male ; Penis ; surgery ; Prostatectomy ; adverse effects ; Recurrence ; Surgical Flaps ; transplantation ; Urethra ; surgery ; Urethral Stricture ; etiology ; pathology ; surgery ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male ; Wound Healing

We conducted a prospective study of erectile dysfunction (ED) after urethral reconstructive surgery, using the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), the Sexual Life Quality Questionnaire (SLQQ) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QoLQ). Between January 2003 and July 2007, 125 male patients with urethral strictures underwent urethroplasty, and pre- and post-surgery erectile function was assessed using these three questionnaires. A formula to predict the probability of ED after urethroplasty was derived. At 3 months post-operatively, there was a significant decrease in IIEF-5 (16.57 +/- 7.98) and SLQQ scores (28.71 +/- 14.84) compared with pre-operative scores (P < 0.05). However, the IIEF-5 scores rebounded at 6 months post-operatively (17.22 +/- 8.41). Logistical regression analysis showed that the location of the urethral stricture, the recurrence of strictures and the choice of surgical technique were predictive of the post-operative occurrence of ED. This study identified the clinical risk factors for ED after urethroplasty. Posterior urethral stricture and end-to-end anastomosis were found to have a strong relationship with erectile function. The logistical model derived in this study may be applied to clinical decision algorithms for patients with urethral strictures.
Adult ; Erectile Dysfunction ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; adverse effects ; Self-Examination ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Urethra ; pathology ; surgery ; Urethral Stricture ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of the modified urethral pull-through procedure in the surgical treatment of posterior urethral stricture or obliteration caused by trauma.

METHODSFrom January 2001 to June 2005, modified urethral pull-through procedures were performed in 36 patients with post-trauma posterior urethral stricture or obliteration, 25 of them with post-operation urethral stricture or obliteration after urethral realignment by traction and the other 11 treated by cystostomy at the time of initial injury. The length of the urethral stricture segment was 1.0-4.5 cm, mean 2.2 cm. The patients were aged from 17 to 59 years (mean 44.5 years).

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up for at least 1 year. Success was achieved in 34 patients, among whom 25 had good voiding and no need of dilation, 6 were cured after 3 - 6 post-operative dilations, 3 required dilation every 2 or 3 months for over a year and 2 failed. No blood transfusion was needed during the operation, and no erectile dysfunction or incontinence occurred after it.

CONCLUSIONThe modified urethral pull-through procedure is effective and simple in the surgical treatment of post-trauma posterior urethral stricture or obliteration, with few complications and no consequent erectile dysfunction or incontinence.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Urethra ; pathology ; surgery ; Urethral Stricture ; etiology ; surgery ; Urologic Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Wounds and Injuries ; complications