1.Efficacy of pudendal nerve modulation in the treatment of female pudendal neuralgia
Ziqin ZHOU ; Xin SONG ; Yinjun GU ; Tingting LYU ; Weilin FANG ; Jin HUANG ; Jianwei LYU ; Zhikang CAI ; Zhong WANG
Journal of Modern Urology 2025;30(5):395-399
Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of pudendal nerve modulation (PNM) in the treatment of female pudendal neuralgia (PN),so as to promote the clinical application of this technique. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 20 female PN patients who failed conservative treatment at Gongli Hospital during Nov.2020 and Oct.2023.All patients underwent simultaneous PNM and sacral nerve modulation (SNM) with the assistance of 3D printing navigation.Dual-stage test electrodes for PNM and SNM were implanted,followed by alternate therapeutic trial for each modality.Secondary conversion rates and longitudinal outcomes,including visual analogue score (VAS),patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9),and quality of life (QoL) scores were compared preoperatively,post-stage Ⅰ,and at 3,6,and 12 months post-stage Ⅱ. Results: All operations were successful.After the trial phase,the secondary conversion rate for PNM was significantly higher than that for SNM; 16 patients (16/20,80%) chose the second-phase PNM implantation surgery,3 (3/20,15%) chose second-phase SNM implantation,and 1 (1/20,5%) had electrodes removed due to ineffective results from both trials.Further assessment revealed that the improvements in VAS,PHQ-9,and QoL scores for PNM patients were significantly better than those for SNM patients after the first phase of surgery and at 3,6 and 12 months after the second-phase conversion (P<0.05).No complications such as electrode migration or infection were observed during the follow-up of 12-15 months. Conclusion: PNM provides more effective relief of pain symptoms and improvements in depressive states for female PN patients compared to SNM.With the assistance of 3D printing navigation,the operation is simple and safe,and offers stable therapeutic effects.It is worthy of clinical promotion and application.
2.Assessment of the clinical application of optical navigation technology for precise puncture in sacral neuromodulation surgery?
Ziqin ZHOU ; Xin SONG ; Tingting LYU ; Weilin FANG ; Jin HUANG ; Bo WANG ; Jianwei LYU
Chinese Journal of Urology 2025;46(9):653-660
Objective:To explore the clinical application value of optical navigation system(ONS)-guided sacral neuromodulation(SNM)electrode implantation for precise puncture.Methods:?This study was a randomized,controlled trial. Patients who underwent SNM electrode implantation at the Gongli Hospital,Pudong New Area,Shanghai,from February 2024 to March 2025 were included. Inclusion criteria:aged 18?80 years,meeting the indications recommended by the Chinese expert consensus on the clinical application of sacral neuromodulation or expanded applications,and having completed pelvic CT and MRI examinations to ensure image quality for navigation system use. Exclusion criteria:progressive neurological diseases,severe urinary tract infections,urinary tract obstruction,or other conditions that may affect surgical outcomes and safety. Patients were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table and a single-blind design was implemented. The two groups underwent different puncture guidance methods in the stage Ⅰ surgery,but other treatments and follow-up measures were consistent.The experimental group used ONS-guided puncture with preoperative pelvic CT and MRI scans for multimodal image fusion and 3D reconstruction and software-based puncture path planning for real-time intraoperative guidance. The control group used X-ray-guided cross-positioning,determining the S3 sacral foramen for puncture based on anatomical landmarks with a metal positioning ruler under fluoroscopy. The puncture path was planned using software to achieve real-time intraoperative guidance. Intraoperative indicators(number of punctures,puncture time,electrode contact points,minimum effective voltage,X-ray fluoroscopy time,radiation dose,total surgical time)and postoperative outcomes(complications,pain scores,stage Ⅱ permanent implantation rates)were compared between the two groups to assess the advantages and feasibility of ONS-guided sacral nerve electrode implantation.Results:?A total of 35 patients were included in each group. The experimental group had fewer intraoperative puncture attempts[2.0(2.0,3.0)vs. 5.0(4.0,7.0)]and shorter puncture procedure time[7.5(6.0,10.0)min vs. 14.0(12.0,18.0)min],indicating more accurate and efficient ONS-guided puncture. There was no statistical difference in the number of electrode contact points between the two groups[3.0(3.0,4.0)vs. 3.0(3.5,3.8), P = 0.374],but the experimental group had a lower effective voltage[1.8(1.8,2.5)V vs. 2.5(1.8,3.0)V]and shorter stimulator adjustment time[10.0(8.0,12.0)min vs. 16.0(13.0,20.0)min]. The experimental group had shorter intraoperative X-ray fluoroscopy time[1.6(1.1,2.2)min vs. 4.6(3.8,6.0)min],lower radiation dose[165.8(107.6,205.3)mGy vs. 427.4(325.1,636.5)mGy],shorter total surgical time[52.0(49.0,57.8)min vs. 68.0(62.0,74.0)min],less intraoperative blood loss[4.0(4.0,5.0)ml vs. 6.0(5.0,7.0)ml],and a lower proportion of patients requiring supplemental local anesthesia[14.3%(5/35)vs. 40.0%(14/35)]. The postoperative wound infection rates were not statistically different between the two groups[0 vs. 2.9%(1/35), P = 1.000],but the experimental group had significantly lower pain scores on postoperative day 1[(1.9 ± 1.1)vs.(3.2 ± 1.4)]and a higher stage Ⅱ permanent implantation rate[85.7%(30/35)vs. 65.7%(23/35)],with statistically significant differences( P < 0.05). Conclusions:?ONS-guided SNM electrode implantation reduces the number of puncture attempts,surgical time,and X-ray radiation,effectively lowers the effective voltage,and increases the stage Ⅱ permanent implantation rate.
3.Automatic segmentation of female urine control anatomical elements and related structures in MRI images based on deep learning
Ziqin ZHANG ; Yi WU ; Xiaoqin ZHANG ; Zhou XU ; Ling LEI ; Yanzhou WANG ; Yan WANG
Journal of Army Medical University 2025;47(14):1568-1576
Objective To construct an automatic segmentation model to segment female urine control anatomy on MRI images based on deep learning methods in order to improve the segmentation efficiency and accuracy.Methods A dataset comprising 49 female pelvic floor muscle MRI images[30 women with varying degrees of pelvic organ prolapse(POP)and 19 healthy individuals],obtained from Faculty of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Imaging in Army Medical University,was used for model training and testing.The dataset was split into a training set(17 normal cases and 22 POP cases)and a testing set(4 normal cases and 6 POP cases)in a ratio of 8∶2.The training set was used to train UNet,UNet+++,Dense UNet,and UNet++models separately,and then input into each network.The model achieving the highest testing accuracy was selected as the backbone network.Results Under the training of UNet,UNet+++,Dense UNet,and UNet++,the 4 models achieved average Dice similarity coefficients of 61.82%,57.94%,57.63%,and 62.76%,respectively,for the segmentation of 5 anatomical structures(compressor urethrae,urethra sphincter body,bladder wall,bladder cavity and urethra submucosa).The corresponding Intersection over Union(IoU)score was 49.74%,46.59%,46.07%,and 49.44%,while the accuracy rate was 61.74%,55.03%,59.23%,and 61.91%,respectively for the 4 models.Notably,UNet++consistently outperformed UNet,UNet+++,and Dense UNet across the 3 metrics,indicating that UNet++achieved the highest overall segmentation accuracy.Conclusion In UNet,UNet++,Dense UNet and UNet++for automatic segmentation of 5 female urine control anatomical elements,UNet++achieves the best overall segmentation accuracy.
4.Assessment of the clinical application of optical navigation technology for precise puncture in sacral neuromodulation surgery?
Ziqin ZHOU ; Xin SONG ; Tingting LYU ; Weilin FANG ; Jin HUANG ; Bo WANG ; Jianwei LYU
Chinese Journal of Urology 2025;46(9):653-660
Objective:To explore the clinical application value of optical navigation system(ONS)-guided sacral neuromodulation(SNM)electrode implantation for precise puncture.Methods:?This study was a randomized,controlled trial. Patients who underwent SNM electrode implantation at the Gongli Hospital,Pudong New Area,Shanghai,from February 2024 to March 2025 were included. Inclusion criteria:aged 18?80 years,meeting the indications recommended by the Chinese expert consensus on the clinical application of sacral neuromodulation or expanded applications,and having completed pelvic CT and MRI examinations to ensure image quality for navigation system use. Exclusion criteria:progressive neurological diseases,severe urinary tract infections,urinary tract obstruction,or other conditions that may affect surgical outcomes and safety. Patients were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table and a single-blind design was implemented. The two groups underwent different puncture guidance methods in the stage Ⅰ surgery,but other treatments and follow-up measures were consistent.The experimental group used ONS-guided puncture with preoperative pelvic CT and MRI scans for multimodal image fusion and 3D reconstruction and software-based puncture path planning for real-time intraoperative guidance. The control group used X-ray-guided cross-positioning,determining the S3 sacral foramen for puncture based on anatomical landmarks with a metal positioning ruler under fluoroscopy. The puncture path was planned using software to achieve real-time intraoperative guidance. Intraoperative indicators(number of punctures,puncture time,electrode contact points,minimum effective voltage,X-ray fluoroscopy time,radiation dose,total surgical time)and postoperative outcomes(complications,pain scores,stage Ⅱ permanent implantation rates)were compared between the two groups to assess the advantages and feasibility of ONS-guided sacral nerve electrode implantation.Results:?A total of 35 patients were included in each group. The experimental group had fewer intraoperative puncture attempts[2.0(2.0,3.0)vs. 5.0(4.0,7.0)]and shorter puncture procedure time[7.5(6.0,10.0)min vs. 14.0(12.0,18.0)min],indicating more accurate and efficient ONS-guided puncture. There was no statistical difference in the number of electrode contact points between the two groups[3.0(3.0,4.0)vs. 3.0(3.5,3.8), P = 0.374],but the experimental group had a lower effective voltage[1.8(1.8,2.5)V vs. 2.5(1.8,3.0)V]and shorter stimulator adjustment time[10.0(8.0,12.0)min vs. 16.0(13.0,20.0)min]. The experimental group had shorter intraoperative X-ray fluoroscopy time[1.6(1.1,2.2)min vs. 4.6(3.8,6.0)min],lower radiation dose[165.8(107.6,205.3)mGy vs. 427.4(325.1,636.5)mGy],shorter total surgical time[52.0(49.0,57.8)min vs. 68.0(62.0,74.0)min],less intraoperative blood loss[4.0(4.0,5.0)ml vs. 6.0(5.0,7.0)ml],and a lower proportion of patients requiring supplemental local anesthesia[14.3%(5/35)vs. 40.0%(14/35)]. The postoperative wound infection rates were not statistically different between the two groups[0 vs. 2.9%(1/35), P = 1.000],but the experimental group had significantly lower pain scores on postoperative day 1[(1.9 ± 1.1)vs.(3.2 ± 1.4)]and a higher stage Ⅱ permanent implantation rate[85.7%(30/35)vs. 65.7%(23/35)],with statistically significant differences( P < 0.05). Conclusions:?ONS-guided SNM electrode implantation reduces the number of puncture attempts,surgical time,and X-ray radiation,effectively lowers the effective voltage,and increases the stage Ⅱ permanent implantation rate.
5.Domestic self-expanding interventional pulmonary valve stent in transthoracic implantation for pulmonary valve regurgitation: A prospective cohort study
Ziqin ZHOU ; Taoran HUANG ; Naijimuding ABUDUREXITI ; Yong ZHANG ; Haiyun YUAN ; Nianjin XIE ; Hongwen FEI ; Hui LIU ; Jian ZHUANG ; Jimei CHEN ; Shusheng WEN
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2024;31(09):1305-1312
Objective To analyze and summarize the early and medium-term outcomes of self-expanding interventional pulmonary valve stent (SalusTM) for right ventricular outflow tract dysfunction with severe pulmonary valve regurgitation. Methods We established strict enrollment and follow-up criteria. Patients who received interventional pulmonary valve in transthoracic implantation in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from September 2, 2021 to July 18, 2023 were prospectively included, and all clinical data of patients were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 38 patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation were included, with 23 (60.5%) males and 15 (39.5%) females. The mean age was 24.08±8.12 years, and the mean weight was 57.66±13.54 kg. The preoperative mean right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (RVEDVI) and right ventricular end-systolic volume index (RVESVI) were 151.83±42.84 mL/m2 and 83.34±33.05 mL/m2, respectively. All patients successfully underwent transcatheter self-expandable pulmonary valve implantation, with 3 (7.9%) patients experiencing valve stent displacement during the procedure. Perioperative complications included 1 (2.6%) patient of postoperative inferior wall myocardial infarction and 1 (2.6%) patient of poor wound healing. The median follow-up time was 12.00 (6.00, 17.50) months. During the follow-up period, there were no deaths or reinterventions, and no patients had recurrent severe pulmonary regurgitation. Three (7.9%) patients experienced chest tightness and chest pain, and 1 (2.6%) patient developed frequent ventricular premature beats. Compared with preoperative values, the right atrial diameter, right ventricular diameter, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion were significantly reduced at 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, with improvement in the degree of pulmonary regurgitation (P<0.01). Compared with preoperative values, RVEDVI and RVESVI decreased to 109.51±17.13 mL/m2 and 55.88±15.66 mL/m2, respectively, at 1 year postoperatively (P<0.01). Conclusion Self-expanding interventional pulmonary valve in transthoracic implantation is safe and effective for severe pulmonary valve regurgitation and shows good clinical and hemodynamic results in one-year outcome.
6.Current status and prospective of auxiliary puncture techniques in sacral neuromodulation
Journal of Modern Urology 2024;29(10):927-932
Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is an essential method for treating refractory voiding dysfunction by artificially stimulating the sacral nerves with implanted electrodes. Precise electrode placement has been a major challenge in clinical practice, as traditional percutaneous techniques lack accuracy. This has driven the search for auxiliary puncture techniques for SNM. Currently, in addition to traditional X-ray guidance, auxiliary puncture techniques employed in clinical SNM mainly include CT-guidance, ultrasound guidance, and 3D printing guidance technology. These auxiliary puncture techniques improve the precision and safety of traditional methods, reduce surgical time, but simultaneously face challenges in balancing reducing radiation exposure, obtaining three-dimensional views, and real-time puncture guidance. Emerging auxiliary localization technologies such as optoelectronic navigation, augmented reality surgical navigation, and mixed reality electromagnetic navigation exhibit promising clinical prospects. This review summarizes the conventional localization methods and the latest auxiliary puncture techniques for SNM, and analyzes their future development directions and application prospects.
7.Outcomes of total cavopulmonary connection in the treatment of functional single ventricle with heterotaxy syndrome: A propensity score matching study
Linjiang HAN ; Xiang LIU ; Jianrui MA ; Ziqin ZHOU ; Jiazichao TU ; Ruyue ZHANG ; Miao TIAN ; Ying LI ; Haiyun YUAN ; Shusheng WEN ; Jimei CHEN
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2024;31(04):510-518
Objective To comprehensively analyze the clinical outcomes of total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) in the treatment of functional single ventricle combined with heterotaxy syndrome (HS). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the patients with functional single ventricle and HS who underwent TCPC (a HS group) in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital between 2004 and 2021. The analysis focused on postoperative complications, long-term survival rates, and identifying factors associated with patient survival. Early and late postoperative outcomes were compared with matched non-HS patients (a non-HS group). Results Before propensity score matching, 55 patients were collected in the HS group, including 42 males and 13 females, with a median age of 6.0 (4.2, 11.8) years and a median weight of 17.0 (14.2, 28.8) kg. Among the patients, there were 53 patients of right atrial isomerism and 2 patients of left atrial isomerism. Eight patients underwent TCPC in one stage. TCPC procedures included extracardiac conduit (n=39), intracardiac-extracardiac conduit (n=14), and direct cavopulmonary connection (n=2). Postoperative complications included infections in 27 patients, liver function damage in 19 patients, and acute kidney injury in 11 patients. There were 5 early deaths. The median follow-up time was 94.7 (64.3, 129.8) months. The 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year survival rates were 87.2%, 85.3%, and 74.3%, respectively. After propensity score matching, there were 45 patients in the HS group and 81 patients in the non-HS group. Compared to the non-HS group, those with HS had longer surgical and mechanical ventilation time, higher infection rates (P<0.05), and a 12.9% lower 10-year survival rate. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified asplenia was a risk factor for mortality (HR=8.98, 95%CI 1.86-43.34, P=0.006). Conclusion Compared to non-HS patients, patients with HS have lower survival rates after TCPC, and asplenia is an independent risk factor for the survival of these patients.
8.Early outcomes of self-expanding interventional pulmonary valve in transthoracic implantation: A prospective clinical study
Ying HUANG ; Ziqin ZHOU ; Yong ZHANG ; Xiaohua LI ; Nianjin XIE ; Hongwen FEI ; Hui LIU ; Junfei ZHAO ; Jian ZHUANG ; Jimei CHEN ; Shusheng WEN
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2024;31(06):872-877
Objective To evaluate early outcomes of transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation for the treatment of moderate and severe pulmonary regurgitation by using homemade self-expanding valve (SalusTM). Methods Patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation who underwent transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from September 2, 2021 to November 25, 2022 were prospectively enrolled. The early postoperative complications and improvement of valve and heart function were summarized and analyzed. Results A total of 25 patients were enrolled, including 16 males and 9 females, with an average age of 24.5±1.5 years and an average weight of 57.0±3.0 kg. The mean systolic diameters of the bifurcation near the main pulmonary artery, the stenosis of the middle segment of the aorta and near the valve of the right ventricular outflow tract of the patients were 31.8±7.4 mm, 30.6±5.9 mm and 38.4±8.0 mm, respectively. All patients were successfully implanted with valves, and there were no serious complications such as death, coronary compression, stent fracture, valve displacement and infective endocarditis in the early postoperative period. The indexed left atrial longitudinal diameter, indexed right atrial longitudinal diameter, and indexed right ventricular outflow tract anteroposterior diameter decreased significantly after the operation. The degree of tricuspid and pulmonary valve regurgitation and the indexed regurgitation area decreased significantly. The above differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion The early outcomes of transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation with homemade self-expanding pulmonary valve (SalusTM) in the treatment of severe pulmonary regurgitation is relatively good, and the long-term outcomes need to be verified by the long-term follow-up studies with large samples.
9.Magnetic resonance differential analysis for different hormone receptor expression status in HER-2-positive breast cancer.
Ziqin ZOU ; Yanfang HUANG ; Zhihui ZHOU ; Yu YANG
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences) 2023;48(1):68-75
OBJECTIVES:
Currently, it is difficult to assess the expression status of hormone receptor (HR) in breast malignant tumors with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-positive in the early preoperative stage, and it is difficult to predict whether it is non-invasively. This study aims to explore the value of MRI on the different HR expression status (HR+/HR-) in HER-2 positive breast cancer.
METHODS:
Thirty patients with HR+ HER-2-positive breast cancer (HR+ group) and 23 patients with HR-HER-2-positive breast cancer (HR- group) from the First Hospital of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 7, 2015 and November 26, 2021 were selected as subjects, and all the patients were examined by MRI and all were confirmed by surgery or pathological biopsy puncture. The immunohistochemical staining results were used as the gold standard to analyze the basic clinical conditions, peri-lesion conditions and MRI sign characteristics in the 2 groups.
RESULTS:
There were all significant differences in terms of mass margins, internal reinforcement features, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values between the HR+ group and the HR- group (all P<0.05). The logistic multivariate regression model showed that: when the lesion presented as a mass-type breast cancer on MRI, the internal enhancement features of the lesion were an independent predictor for differentiation in the 2 types of breast cancer [odds ratio (OR)=5.95, 95% CI: 1.223 to 28.951, P<0.05], and the mass margin (OR=0.386, 95% CI: 0.137 to 1.082, P>0.05) and ADC value (OR=0.234, 95% CI: 0.001 to 105.293, P>0.05) were not the independent predictors in distinguishing the 2 types of breast cancer.
CONCLUSIONS
Multiparametric MRI has good diagnostic value for HR expression status in HER-2-positive breast cancer. Combined logistic regression analysis to construct a predictive model may be helpful to the identical diagnosis.
Humans
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Female
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Breast Neoplasms/surgery*
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*
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Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*
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Breast
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Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
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Retrospective Studies

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