The artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) is the “gold standard” surgical treatment for severe stress urinary incontinence. However, a subset of patients with frail urethras may require technical adjuncts to ensure optimal cuff function. Our objective is to provide a detailed tutorial of our institution’s method for performing urethral bulking with native tissue in patients with frail urethras during AUS surgery. We have found that urethral bulking with native tissue provides a cost-efficient and durable technique for improved AUS cuff coaptation. Our experience demonstrates adequate short and intermediate term efficacy with limited complications. These techniques equip surgeons with an alternative surgical approach for appropriate patients receiving AUS surgery who have been previously exposed to pelvic radiation and/or significant surgical morbidity resulting in frail urethral tissue.
Keywords: prostate cancer, artificial urinary sphincter, urinary stress incontinence, urethral disease,
Apr 2023 (Vol. 30, Issue 2 , Page 11516)Millions of men in North America suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are managed on medical therapy. Most patients, however, report poor adherence, and yet relatively few pursue more definitive surgical solutions. The Prostatic Urethral Lift (PUL) was designed to address many of the patient-identified barriers to surgery, namely iatrogenic sexual dysfunction, incontinence, lengthy recovery and postoperative catheterization. Randomized studies and large real world multicenter and database studies have demonstrated safety and effectiveness of PUL when addressing lateral lobe disease. In recent years further technique and device development has led to the FDA approval for PUL addressing obstructive median lobes as well. At 12 months, PUL median lobe patients in a controlled trial and a large retrospective study experienced average IPSS improvement of 13.5 and 11.6 points, QoL improvement of 3.0 and 2.1 points, and Qmax improvement of 6.4 and 7.1 mL/sec, respectively. In the controlled setting, both ejaculatory and erectile function were preserved and postoperative catheterization rates, while higher than lateral lobe PUL rates, were similarly short lived with a mean duration of 1.2 days. We describe the current technique for performing PUL to address the obstructive median lobe and detail a new device, which can make it easier to alleviate obstruction due to trilobar anatomy.
Keywords: prostatic urethral lift, UroLift, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate, LUTS, BPH, PUL, middle lobe, median lobe,
Apr 2023 (Vol. 30, Issue 2 , Page 11509)
Distal hypospadias is a common congenital urology anomaly for which numerous corrective procedures have been described. Over the last 40 years, the gold-standard operative technique for distal hypospadias has switched from the meatal advancement and glanuloplasty (MAGPI) procedure to the tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty. A modification to the MAGPI procedure, first described 30 years ago, is the M inverted V (MIV) glansplasty, which improved upon the MAGPI procedure to reduce instances of meatal retraction. The MIV glansplasty is unique compared to many commonly used procedures as it does not require a formal urethroplasty or incorporation of a dartos flap, and it does not always necessitate as extensive mobilization of the glans wings. We describe our updated technique and outcomes of the MIV glansplasty and delineate situations where the MIV is best employed.
Keywords: urethra, surgery, hypospadias, penis, complication,
Oct 2022 (Vol. 29, Issue 5 , Page 11335)
Infection of artificial urinary sphincters or inflatable penile prostheses is one of the most devastating complications after prosthetic surgery and can have a significant impact on a quality of life. Patients undergoing revision surgery with or without device replacement may have increased risk for infection when compared to initial primary surgery. As such, surgeons may utilize traditional culture results to direct antimicrobial therapy for these patients. Unfortunately, culture results can be inconclusive in up to one-third of the time even in the setting of active device infection. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of DNA is an emerging technology capable of sequencing entire bacterial genomes and has the potential to identify microbial composition in explanted devices. Herein, we describe our institutional experience on NGS utilization in patients with genitourinary prostheses. We also highlight our methods and techniques to inform readers on the potential practices that can enhance the utility and diagnostic yield of this new and upcoming technology.
Keywords: urethral stricture, inflatable penile prosthesis, IPP, artificial urinary sphincter, AUS, NGS, infection,
Oct 2020 (Vol. 27, Issue 5 , Page 10418)
Urethral stricture disease can be difficult to treat and stricture recurrence is common. The management of stricture disease has evolved and urethroplasty can achieve a high rate of lasting urethral patency. Nevertheless, endoscopic treatments still seem to have sub-optimal outcomes with high stricture recurrence rates. The Optilume drug-coated balloon represents a step forward in the endoscopic management of urethral strictures. The drug-coated balloon may offer an intermediate step prior to repeated dilations, urethrostomies, or urethroplasty. This treatment modality is a promising alternative to current endoscopic management and an option for patients that are poor surgical candidates or decline urethroplasty.
Keywords: urethral stricture, urethral dilation, drug-coated balloon,
Aug 2020 (Vol. 27, Issue 4 , Page 10322)