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CONTEXT Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) yields the most accurate staging in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer (PCa), although it can be associated with morbidity. OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the impact of PLND extent on perioperative morbidity in patients undergoing RP. A new PLND-related complication assessment tool is proposed. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION A systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) was conducted. MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched to yield studies discussing perioperative complications following RP and PLND. The extent of PLND was classified according to the European Association of Urology PCa guidelines. Studies were categorized according to the extent of PLND. Intra- and postoperative complications were classified as "strongly," "likely," or "unlikely" related to PLND. Anatomical site of perioperative complications was recorded. A cumulative meta-analysis of comparative studies was conducted using Review Manager 5.3 (Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Our search generated 3645 papers, with 176 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Details of 77 303 patients were analyzed. Of these studies, 84 (47.7%), combining data on 28 428 patients, described intraoperative complications as an outcome of interest. Overall, 534 (1.8%) patients reported one or more intraoperative complications. Postoperative complications were reported in 151 (85.7%) studies, combining data on 73 629 patients. Overall, 10 401 (14.1%) patients reported one or more postoperative complication. The most reported postoperative complication strongly related to PLND was lymphocele (90.6%). The pooled meta-analysis revealed that RP���+���limited PLND/standard PLND had a significantly decreased risk of experiencing any intraoperative complication (risk ratio [RR]: 0.55; p���=��� 0.01) and postoperative complication strongly related to PLND (RR: 0.46; p���=���

PURPOSE: To systematically review the current literature and discuss the applications and limitations of radiomics and machine-learning augmented radiomics in the management of bladder cancer. METHODS: Pubmed ®, Scopus ®, and Web of Science ® databases were searched systematically for all full-text English-language articles assessing the impact of Artificial Intelligence OR Radiomics OR Machine Learning AND Bladder Cancer AND (staging OR grading OR prognosis) published up to January 2020. RESULTS: Of the 686 articles that were identified, 13 studies met the criteria for quantitative analysis. Staging, Grading and Tumor Classification, Prognosis, and Therapy Response were discussed in 7, 3, 2 and 7 studies, respectively. Data on cost of implementation were not reported. CT and MRI were the most common imaging approaches. CONCLUSION: Radiomics shows potential in bladder cancer detection, staging, grading, and response to therapy, thereby supporting the physician in personalizing patient management. Extension and validation of this promising technology in large multisite prospective trials is warranted to pave the way for its clinical translation.

Robotic surgical technology has grown in popularity and applicability, since its conception with emerging uses in general surgery. The robot’s contribution of increased stability and dexterity may be beneficial in technically challenging surgeries, namely, inguinal hernia repair. The aim of this project is to contribute to the growing body of literature on robotic technology for inguinal hernia repair (RIHR) by sharing our experience with RIHR at a large, academic institution. We performed a retrospective chart review spanning from March 2015 to April 2018 on all patients who had undergone RIHR at our university hospital. Extracted data include preoperative demographics, operative features, and postoperative outcomes. Data were analyzed with particular focus on complications, including hernia recurrence. A total of 43 patients were included, 40 of which were male. Mean patient age was 56 (range 18–85 years) and mean patient BMI was 26.4 (range 17.5–42.3). Bilateral hernias were diagnosed in 13 patients. All of the patients received transabdominal approaches, and all but one received placement of synthetic polypropylene mesh. There was variety in mesh placement with 23 patients receiving suture fixation and 14 receiving tack fixation. Several patients received a combination of suture, tacks, and surgical glue. Mean patient in-room time was 4.0 h, mean operative time was 2.9 h, and mean robotic dock time was 2.0 h. Regarding intraoperative complications, there was one bladder injury, which was discovered intraoperatively and repaired primarily. Same-day discharges were achieved in 32 patients (74.4%) of patients. One patient was admitted overnight for management of urinary retention. Additional ten patients were admitted for observation. Post-operatively, none of the cases resulted in wound infections. Eleven patients developed seromas and one patient was diagnosed with a groin hematoma. Median follow-up was 37.5 days, and one recurrence was reported during this time. The recurrent hernia in this case was initially discovered during a separate case and was repaired with temporary mesh. The use of the robot is safe and effective and should be considered an acceptable approach to inguinal hernia repair. Future prospective studies will help define which patients will benefit most from this technology.

Objectives To evaluate the risk of occult nodal metastasis in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer who exhibit a complete or partial clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and assess a potential role for “bladder sparing” management given that the gold standard treatment, radical cystectomy (RC), is associated with high morbidity. Methods We queried the National Cancer Database for bladder cancer from 2004 to 2013 including patients with cT2-4aN0M0 bladder cancer who underwent multiagent NAC followed by RC and pelvic lymphadenectomy and excluding patients with nonurothelial predominant histology and those undergoing partial cystectomy. Student's t test was used to evaluate patients’ demographics, presence of co-morbid conditions, and pathologic findings, notably the presence of lymphovascular invasion and variant histology. Results We identified 17,917 patients who underwent RC. Of these, 14.9% (n = 2673) received NAC before RC. About 13.1% and 14.5% of patients had complete (ypT0) and partial (ypTa, Tis, and T1) pathologic response, respectively. These 14.7% of cT2, 9.0% of cT3, and 6.9% of cT4 patients exhibited pT0 status on final pathology. And 4.9% of complete and 5.4% of partial responders demonstrated occult nodal metastases. Age, sex, ethnicity, the presence of co-morbidities, LVI, and variant histology were not significantly associated with occult nodal metastasis. Conclusion While bladder preservation may be a viable option in patients who are carefully selected and closely followed after NAC, patients undergoing NAC may be at risk of occult disease outside of the bladder despite an otherwise clinical complete response diagnosed with cross-sectional imaging, cystoscopy, TURBT, and cytology.

Pediatric thumb hypoplasia is a group of congenital hand disorders encompassing gross underdevelopment or complete lack of a thumb. Index pollicization and toe transfer are both reasonable reconstructive options, and there is no clear consensus if either method provides a more functional or aesthetically pleasing result. Considering the psychological distress associated with poor cosmetic outcomes, aesthetics must be considered when choosing reconstructive method. A survey was generated using images of reconstructed thumbs from published papers and educational websites and posted on Amazon Mechanical Turk asking participants to rate the images on their overall aesthetic appearance, identify aesthetic features, rank thumbs according to what appears most natural, and answer a series of hypothetical functional questions. Responses were stratified by reconstruction type and analyzed with chi-square, two-sample t test, and linear regression analyses. Participants in the study were diverse across age, sex, ethnicity, and education. The average rating of the thumbs was 5.8 for index pollicization and 5.6 for toe transfer, ranging from 3.85–8.34 across both reconstructive types. Index pollicization was significantly associated with being ranked as “most natural” but neither reconstructive type was associated with being ranked as “least natural.” Aesthetic factors, including length, width, nail, and position of thumb significantly affected overall aesthetic score but only accounted for around 30% of the variation in overall score. There was no significant difference in response to hypothetical functional scenarios based on reconstructive type or dominant vs. non-dominant hand. Limitations of this study include the lack of granularity in crowdsourcing data and the lack of photographic standardization of the thumbs included in the survey. Reconstructive method should continue to be selected on an individual basis based on individual anatomy. Level of evidence: Not ratable

The aim of the present systematic review is to evaluate the impact of gender reassignment surgery on the development of urethral complication. A systematic search in accordance the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses statement for original articles published up until June 2019 was performed using the Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Pooled analyses were done when appropriate. The bibliographic search with the included terms ((“Transsexualism”[Mesh])) AND (“Sex Reassignment Surgery”[Mesh]) produced a literature of 879 articles altogether. After removing papers of not interest or articles in which the outcomes could not be deduced, 32 studies were examined for a total of 3463 patients screened. Thirty-two studies met our inclusion criteria and were evaluated, and references were manually reviewed in order to include additional relevant studies in this review. Female-to-male (FtM) surgery and male-to-female (MtF) surgery was discussed in 23 and 10 studies, respectively. One study discussed both. Varying patterns of complications were observed in FtM and MtF surgeries, with increased complications in the former because of the larger size of the neourethra. Meatal stenosis is a particular concern in MtF surgery, with complication rates ranging from 4 to 40%, and usually require meatotomy for repair. Stricture and fistulization are frequently reported complications following FtM surgery. In studies reporting on fistulae involving the urethra, 19–54% of fistulae resolved spontaneously without further surgical intervention. High rates of complications are reported in the current literature, which should be understood by patients and practitioners alike. Shared decision making with patients regarding incidence and management of urethral complications including stricture disease and fistulae, particularly after FtM surgery, is critical for setting expectations and managing postoperative outcomes.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:While there is consensus on the importance of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) in the staging and management of clinically localized prostate cancer, there is controve...

Background A substantial proportion of patients undergo treatment for renal masses where active surveillance or observation may be more appropriate. Objective To determine whether radiomic-based machine learning platforms can distinguish benign from malignant renal masses. Design, setting, and participants A prospectively maintained single-institutional renal mass registry was queried to identify patients with a computed tomography–proven clinically localized renal mass who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy. Intervention Radiomic analysis of preoperative scans was performed. Clinical and radiomic variables of importance were identified through decision tree analysis, which were incorporated into Random Forest and REAL Adaboost predictive models. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The primary outcome was the degree of congruity between the virtual diagnosis and final pathology. Subanalyses were performed for small renal masses and patients who had percutaneous renal mass biopsies as part of their workup. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate each model’s discriminatory function. Results and limitations A total of 684 patients met the selection criteria. Of them, 76% had renal cell carcinoma; 57% had small renal masses, of which 73% were malignant. Predictive modeling differentiated benign pathology from malignant with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79–0.9). In small renal masses, radiomic analysis yielded a discriminatory AUC of 0.77 (95% CI 0.69–0.85). When negative and nondiagnostic biopsies were supplemented with radiomic analysis, accuracy increased from 83.3% to 93.4%. Conclusions Radiomic-based predictive modeling may distinguish benign from malignant renal masses. Clinical factors did not substantially improve the diagnostic accuracy of predictive models. Enhanced diagnostic predictability may improve patient selection before surgery and increase the utilization of active surveillance protocols. Patient summary Not all kidney tumors are cancerous, and some can be watched. We evaluated a new method that uses radiographic features invisible to the naked eye to distinguish benign masses from true cancers and found that it can do so with acceptable accuracy.

An 82 year-old female presents with severe, sharp right-sided chest, shoulder and flank pain, worse with deep inspiration. Cardiac workup is negative for myocardial ischemia or aortic dissection. Computed tomography demonstrates a right posterior diaphragmatic (Bochdalek) hernia, involving the right extra-renal pelvis and proximal ureter, with an associated delayed nephrogram and mild hydronephrosis. There is no obstructing nephrolithiasis. The patient is taken to the operating room and right-sided double-J ureteral stent is placed (Fig. 1), with immediate resolution of pain. Diaphragmatic hernia repair in coordination with urology and general surgery is scheduled.

Extrauterine pelvic hemangiopericytomas are rare tumors with malignant potential. Herein, we report a case of a 55-year-old male who presented with hydronephrosis and obstructive urinary symptoms. Cystoscopy, imaging and biopsy were unable to provide a definitive preoperative diagnosis. He underwent pelvic mass resection, and final pathology revealed malignant hemangiopericytoma. The patient is being closely monitored with serial imaging, and remains disease-free at 23 months of post-operative follow-up without adjuvant therapy. Our experience and evidence from the existing literature suggests that given the rarity of these tumors, adherence to standard oncologic principles is necessary to ensure adequate resection and appropriate follow-up.

Adrenal incidentalomas are being discovered with increasing frequency, and their discovery poses a challenge to clinicians. Despite the 2002 National Institutes of Health consensus statement, there are still discrepancies in the most recent guidelines from organizations representing endocrinology, endocrine surgery, urology and radiology. We review recent guidelines across the specialties involved in diagnosing and treating adrenal incidentalomas, and discuss points of agreement as well as controversy among guidelines.PubMed®, Scopus®, Embase™ and Web of Science™ databases were searched systematically in November 2019 in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement to identify the most recently updated committee produced clinical guidelines in each of the 4 specialties. Five articles met the inclusion criteria.There is little debate among the reviewed guidelines as to the initial evaluation of an adrenal incidentaloma. All patients with a newly discovered adrenal incidentaloma should receive an unenhanced computerized tomogram and hormone screen. The most significant points of divergence among the guidelines regard reimaging an initially benign appearing mass, repeat hormone testing and management of an adrenal incidentaloma that is not easily characterized as benign or malignant on computerized tomography. The guidelines range from actively recommending against any repeat imaging and hormone screening to recommending a repeat scan as early as in 3 to 6 months and annual hormonal screening for several years.After reviewing the guidelines and the evidence used to support them we posit that best practices lie at their convergence and have presented our management recommendations on how to navigate the guidelines when they are discrepant.

A 43-year-old woman with paralysis and neurogenic bladder secondary to a gunshot wound presented with worsening urinary incontinence and urinary tract infections. On workup she was found to have two large bladder stones with diameters of around 11 cm. She was managed with antibiotics and surgical removal. This case highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary team in managing patients with spinal cord injuries.

A 29-year-old female was referred to the urology clinic because of an incidentally found left renal mass discovered during workup for secondary erythrocytosis. Since 12 years of age, she has had headaches and poorly controlled hypertension refractory to trimodal antihypertensive therapy. Laboratory workup revealed markedly elevated aldosterone and renin levels. Computed tomography demonstrated a 3 cm left renal mass. The patient was admitted for intravenous blood pressure control. After partial nephrectomy, aldosterone and renin levels normalized. The patient was weaned off of blood pressure medications. Pathology was consistent with a juxtaglomerular cell tumor secreting renin (ie, reninoma).