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Article of the week: Relationship between oxidative stress and lower urinary tract symptoms: results from a community health survey in Japan

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Every week, the Editor-in-Chief selects an Article of the Week from the current issue of BJUI. The abstract is reproduced below and you can click on the button to read the full article, which is freely available to all readers for at least 30 days from the time of this post.

In addition to the article itself, there is an editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community and the authors have also kindly produced a video describing their work. These are intended to provoke comment and discussion and we invite you to use the comment tools at the bottom of each post to join the conversation. 

If you only have time to read one article this week, it should be this one.

The relationship between oxidative stress and lower urinary tract symptoms: Results from the community health survey in Japan

Teppei Matsumoto*, Shingo Hatakeyama* , Atsushi Imai*, Toshikazu Tanaka*, Kazuhisa Hagiwara*, Sakae Konishi*, Kazutaka Okita*, Hayato Yamamoto*, Yuki Tobisawa*, Tohru Yoneyama†, Takahiro Yoneyama*, Yasuhiro Hashimoto†, Takuya Koie‡, Shigeyuki Nakaji§ and Chikara Ohyama*†

 

*Department of Urology, †Department of Advanced Transplant and Regenerative Medicine, Hirosaki University
Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, ‡Department of Urology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu
and §Department of Social Medicine, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
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Abstract

Objective

To investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in a community‐dwelling population.

Materials and Methods

The cross‐sectional study included 1 113 people who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project of 2015 in Hirosaki, Japan. LUTS were assessed using structured questionnaires, including the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS). IPSS > 7, OABSS > 5, nocturia score > 1, or urge incontinence score > 1 were defined as moderate to severe symptoms. 8‐Hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were measured by urine analysis and skin autofluorescence, respectively. The relationship between oxidative stress and LUTS was investigated using logistic regression analyses (You can reduce aging under eye masks).

Fig. 1. Association between 8‐Hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG) and advanced glycation end product (AGE) levels. 8‐OHdG levels were significantly associated with AGE levels (R2 = 0.023, P < 0.001, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient). However, the R2 value was too small to indicate strong correlation and the significant P value of this correlation does not reflect the strength of the relationship between the two biomarkers.

Results

This study included 431 men and 682 women. AGEs and 8‐OHdG levels were significantly higher in severe forms of LUTS. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that AGE levels were significantly associated with a higher frequency of nocturia but were not associated with IPSS, OABSS or urge incontinence. No significant association was observed between LUTS and 8‐OHdG levels.

Conclusions

We observed a significant association between AGE levels and nocturia score > 1. Further research is necessary to clarify a possible causal relationship between oxidative stress and nocturia.

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Editorial: Oxidative stress and lower urinary tract symptoms: cause or consequence?

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Oxidative stress has been defined as ‘an imbalance between oxidants and anti-oxidants in favour of the oxidants, leading to a disruption of redox signalling and control and/or molecular damage’ [1]. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) produced under oxidative stress are known to damage all cellular biomolecules (lipids, sugars, proteins and polynucleotides). ROS/RNS is often used as a generic term but it has been emphasized that all ROS/RNS molecules are not the same [2] and the term encompasses a diverse range of species, including, for example, superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide and peroxynitrite. The biological impacts of ROS/RNS depend critically on the particular molecule(s) involved, and on the microenvironment and physiological or pathological context in which it is being generated [2]. It should be emphasized that ROS are not only harmful agents that cause oxidative damage in pathologies but they also have important roles as regulatory agents in a range of biological phenomena. They are normally generated as by-products of oxygen metabolism; however, environmental stressors (ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiations, pollutants, heavy metal and xenobiotics) contribute to greatly increase ROS/RNS production.

It is difficult to measure ROS/RNS, therefore, biomarkers are often used as a surrogate; however, many of the biomarkers are insufficiently validated and it is often difficult to draw general conclusions on their significance [3]. 8-OHdG, one of the major products of DNA oxidation, is one of the most commonly used biomarkers of oxidative stress. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are a group of heterogeneous molecules that arise from the non-enzymatic reaction of reducing sugars with amino groups of lipids, DNA and especially long-lived proteins. This process occurs during normal metabolism but is even more pronounced under oxidative stress conditions. AGEs may be harmful and include modified proteins and/or lipids with damaging potential. Using 8-OHdG, AGEs and other biomarkers, several attempts have been made to link oxidative stress, either as a cause or contributor, or both, to a variety of diseases, including LUTS. As pointed out by Ghezzi et al. [4] ‘Today it is a challenge to find a disease for which a role of oxidative stress has not been postulated.’

Matsumoto et al. [5] investigated the possible relationship between some markers of oxidative stress and LUTS in a population of community-living subjects participating in a health promotion project. As markers of oxidative stress, they used 8-OHdG (urine) and AGEs (skin autofluorescence), while structured questionnaires were used to assess LUTS. In their study, despite univariate analyses revealing several significant associations, multivariate analyses showed that the only statistically significant finding was that AGEs were associated with moderate to severe nocturia. This association is thought-provoking but, without functional studies, difficult to evaluate. LUTS are multifactorial and reflect a number of different comorbidities/pathophysiologies. It cannot be excluded that this may contribute to the lack of associations between oxidative stress markers and symptoms.

The finding of an association (or lack of it) between biomarkers of oxidative stress and LUTS does not reveal whether oxidative stress causes or contributes to LUTS. If ROS/RNS were causative/contributing factors to LUTS, it would be predicted that a positive response to antioxidant therapy and a decrease in ROS/RNS levels would not only support an involvement but would also be a promising treatment approach. In a prospective cohort study in the USA of 1670 men aged 65–100 years, Holton et al. [6] examined whether dietary antioxidants were associated with a reduced likelihood of LUTS progression or an increased likelihood of LUTS. They found that there were no significant associations between multiple dietary antioxidants and LUTS progression or remission over 7 years. Many other attempts to validate and exploit chronic antioxidant therapies have provided disappointing results, and still there is no antioxidant with sufficient efficacy to be approved by health authorities [4]. The question of whether antioxidant therapy may be harmful has not yet been answered. If the cause of LUTS is an increase of ROS/RNS in the bladder, it is questionable whether normalization of indicators of oxidative stress is safe, considering that the normal function of ROS/RNS in the rest of the body may be affected.

The clinical relevance of oxidative stress as a pathophysiological factor in lower urinary tract dysfunction or as a treatment target for various lower urinary tract disorders is still unclear. In addition, it has not been established that antioxidant therapy has any beneficial effect on LUTS.

by Karl-Erik Andersson

References

  1. Sies H. Oxidative stress: a concept in redox biology and medicine. Redox Biol 2015; 4: 180–3
  2. Murphy MP, Holmgren A, Larsson NG et al. Unraveling the biological roles of reactive oxygen species. Cell Metab 2011; 13: 361–6
  3. Frijhoff J, Winyard PG, Zarkovic N et al. Clinical relevance of biomarkers of oxidative stress. Antioxid Redox Signal 2015; 23: 1144–70
  4. Ghezzi P, Jaquet V, Marcucci F, Schmidt HHHW. The oxidative stress theory of disease: levels of evidence and epistemological aspects. Br J Pharmacol 2017; 174: 1784–96
  5. Matsumoto T, Hatakeyama S, Imai A et al. Relationship between oxidative stress and lower urinary tract symptoms: results from a community health survey in Japan. BJU Int 2019; 123 877-84
  6. Holton KF, Marshall LM, Shannon J et al. Osteoporotic fractures in men study group. Dietary antioxidants and longitudinal changes in lower urinary tract symptoms in elderly men: the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men study. Eur Urol Focus 2016; 2: 310–8

 

Video: The relationship between oxidative stress and lower urinary tract symptoms: Results from the community health survey in Japan

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The relationship between oxidative stress and lower urinary tract symptoms: Results from the community health survey in Japan

 

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in a community‐dwelling population.

Materials and Methods

The cross‐sectional study included 1 113 people who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project of 2015 in Hirosaki, Japan. LUTS were assessed using structured questionnaires, including the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS). IPSS > 7, OABSS > 5, nocturia score > 1, or urge incontinence score > 1 were defined as moderate to severe symptoms. 8‐Hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were measured by urine analysis and skin autofluorescence, respectively. The relationship between oxidative stress and LUTS was investigated using logistic regression analyses.

Results

This study included 431 men and 682 women. AGEs and 8‐OHdG levels were significantly higher in severe forms of LUTS. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that AGE levels were significantly associated with a higher frequency of nocturia but were not associated with IPSS, OABSS or urge incontinence. No significant association was observed between LUTS and 8‐OHdG levels.

Conclusions

We observed a significant association between AGE levels and nocturia score > 1. Further research is necessary to clarify a possible causal relationship between oxidative stress and nocturia.

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Article of the week: In utero myelomeningocele repair and urological outcomes: the first 100 cases of a prospective analysis

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Every week, the Editor-in-Chief selects an Article of the Week from the current issue of BJUI. The abstract is reproduced below and you can click on the button to read the full article, which is freely available to all readers for at least 30 days from the time of this post.

In addition to the article itself, there is an editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community and a podcast produced by our Resident podcasters, Giulia Lane and Kyle Johnson. The authors have also kindly produced a video describing their work.

These are intended to provoke comment and discussion and we invite you to use the comment tools at the bottom of each post to join the conversation. 

If you only have time to read one article this week, it should be this one.

In utero myelomeningocele repair and urological outcomes: the first 100 cases of a prospective analysis. Is there an improvement in bladder function?

Antonio Macedo Jr*†, Sergio Leite Ottoni*, Gilmar Garrone*, Riberto Liguori*, Sergio Cavalheiro‡§, Antonio Moron¶§ and Marcela Leal Da Cruz*

 

*Department of Urology, CACAU-NUPEP, †Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of São Paulo, ‡Department of Neurosurgery, Federal University of São Paulo, §Santa Joana Maternity Hospital, and Department of Obstetrics-Fetal Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

 

Read the full article

Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate the first 100 cases of in utero myelomeningocele (MMC) repair and urological outcomes in a prospective analysis aiming to define possible improvement in bladder function.

Patients and methods

We used a protocol consisting of a detailed medical history, urinary tract ultrasonography, voiding cystourethrography, and urodynamic evaluation. Patients were categorised into four groups: normal, high risk (overactive bladder with a detrusor leak‐point pressure >40 cm H2O and high filling pressures also >40 cm H2O), incontinent, and underactivity (underactive bladder with post‐void residual urine), and patients were treated accordingly.

Fig.2. Hydronephrosis in relation to the underlying bladder pattern.

Results

We evaluated 100 patients, at a mean age of 5.8 months (median 4 months), classified as high risk in 52.6%, incontinent in 27.4%, with underactive bladder in 4.2%, and only 14.7% had a normal bladder profile. Clean intermittent catheterisation was initiated in 57.3% of the patients and anticholinergics in 52.6%. Antibiotic prophylaxis was initiated in 19.1% of the patients presenting with vesico‐ureteric reflux.

Conclusion

The high incidence of abnormal bladder patterns suggests little benefit of in utero MMC surgery concerning the urinary tract.

 

Read more Articles of the week

Editorial: Bladder function and fetal treatment of myelomeningocele

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In utero myelomeningocele repair and urological outcome: the first 100 cases of a prospective analysis. Is there an improvement in bladder function? Comments on bladder function and fetal treatment of myelomeningocele [1].

Prenatal care with maternal screening for neural tube defects and high‐resolution maternal fetal sonography has led to the early diagnosis of fetal myelomeningocele [2]. Revolutionary fetal surgery to correct myelomeningocele in utero has reduced the need for cerebrospinal fluid shunting and improved motor outcomes in these babies, based on 30‐month follow‐up data [3]. Sponsored by the National Institute of Health, the prospective randomized ‘Management of Myelomeningocele Study’ (MOMS) trial documented the outcomes of 158 patients assessed after either fetal repair prior to 26 weeks’ gestation or standard postnatal repair of the myelomeningocele defect. The trial was stopped early when evaluation showed that the primary outcome, rate of shunt placement, in the postnatal repair group (82%) was approximately double that in the prenatal surgery group (40%). Prenatal surgery also resulted in improvement in outcomes for mental development, motor function and ambulation, also evaluated at 30 months postnatally. However, prenatal surgery was associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery and uterine dehiscence at the time of delivery.

Bladder function was also evaluated at 30 months in the MOMS trial, comparing the need for clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) in 115 patients with adequate urological follow‐up, consisting of clinical outcomes in respect to continence, sonographic appearance of the kidneys and bladder and urodynamic evaluation [4]. Prenatal surgery did not significantly reduce the need for CIC measured at 30 months of age, but was associated with less bladder trabeculation and open bladder neck. Longer follow‐up was recommended and is in progress to document further bladder outcomes.

Macedo et al. [1] report similar short‐term bladder outcomes in 100 patients undergoing in utero myelomeningocele repair. Their report documented bladder characteristics in these patients at a mean postnatal age of ~6 months. In their unique cohort, antenatal diagnosis of fetal myelomeningocele was made at ~21 weeks’ gestation, in utero surgery was performed at ~25.5 weeks’ gestation and preterm birth occurred at ~33 weeks’ gestation, parameters consistent with the patients in the MOMs trial. Short‐term evaluation showed that ~53% of the patients had high‐risk bladders with poor compliance, ~27% were incontinent with weak sphincteric activity and only ~15% had normal urodynamic profiles. CIC was initiated in ~ 57% of the Macedo et al. cohort, again similar to the MOMs trial. The long‐term outcomes after potty training and during childhood and adolescence will be especially interesting in this valuable cohort.

Some of the pitfalls that will need to be accounted for include the validation and standardization of urodynamic testing [5]. Even at the same institution with clinicians who have undergone similar training, consistent interpretation of urodynamic studies can be variable, potentially affecting therapeutic options [6].

The goal of patients, parents and providers is to avoid the urological sequelae of myelomeningocele. To date, the reality is that the majority of these children, whether or not they have undergone in utero fetal repair or postnatal surgery, will require the assistance of CIC for urological health to protect the kidneys from excess pressure, to facilitate bladder emptying and urinary continence and prevent UTI.

 

References

  1. Macedo, A, Ottoni, SL, Garrone, G et al. In utero myelomeningocele repair and urological outcome: the first 100 cases of a prospective analysis. Is there an improvement in bladder function? BJU Int 2019; 123: 676– 81
  2. Meller, C, Aiello, H, Otano, L. Sonographic detection of open spina bifida in the first trimester: review of the literature. Childs Nerv Syst 2017; 33: 1101– 6
  3. Adzick, NS, Thom, EA, Spong, CY et al. A randomized trial of prenatal versus postnatal repair of myelomeningocele. N Engl J Med 2011; 364: 993– 1004
  4. Brock, JW, Carr, MC, Adzick, NS et al. Bladder Function After Fetal Surgery for Myelomeningocele. Pediatrics 2015; 136: e906– 13
  5. Bauer, SB, Nijman, RJ, Drzewiecki, BA, Sillen, U, Hoebeke, P, International Children’s Continence Society Standardization Subcommittee. International Children’s Continence Society standardization report on urodynamic studies of the lower urinary tract in children. Neurourol Urodyn 2015; 34: 640– 7
  6. Dudley, AG, Casella, DP, Lauderdale, CJ et al. Interrater reliability in pediatric urodynamic tracings: a pilot study. J Urol 2017; 197: 865– 70

 

Residents’ podcast: In utero myelomeningocele repair and urological outcomes

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Giulia Lane M.D. is a Fellow in Neuro-urology and Pelvic Reconstruction in the Department of Urology at the University of Michigan; Kyle Johnson is a Urology Resident in the same department.

In this podcast they discuss the following BJUI Article of the Week:

In utero myelomeningocele repair and urological outcomes: the first 100 cases of a prospective analysis. Is there an improvement in bladder function?

Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate the first 100 cases of in utero myelomeningocele (MMC) repair and urological outcomes in a prospective analysis aiming to define possible improvement in bladder function.

Patients and methods

We used a protocol consisting of a detailed medical history, urinary tract ultrasonography, voiding cystourethrography, and urodynamic evaluation. Patients were categorised into four groups: normal, high risk (overactive bladder with a detrusor leak‐point pressure >40 cm H2O and high filling pressures also >40 cm H2O), incontinent, and underactivity (underactive bladder with post‐void residual urine), and patients were treated accordingly.

Results

We evaluated 100 patients, at a mean age of 5.8 months (median 4 months), classified as high risk in 52.6%, incontinent in 27.4%, with underactive bladder in 4.2%, and only 14.7% had a normal bladder profile. Clean intermittent catheterisation was initiated in 57.3% of the patients and anticholinergics in 52.6%. Antibiotic prophylaxis was initiated in 19.1% of the patients presenting with vesico‐ureteric reflux.

Conclusion

The high incidence of abnormal bladder patterns suggests little benefit of in utero MMC surgery concerning the urinary tract.

 

Read the full article

BJUI Podcasts now available on iTunes, subscribe here https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/bju-international/id1309570262

 

 

Video: In utero myelomeningocele repair and urological outcomes: the first 100 cases of a prospective analysis. Is there an improvement in bladder function?

/by

In utero myelomeningocele repair and urological outcomes: the first 100 cases of a prospective analysis. Is there an improvement in bladder function?

Abstract

 

Objectives

To evaluate the first 100 cases of in utero myelomeningocele (MMC) repair and urological outcomes in a prospective analysis aiming to define possible improvement in bladder function.

Patients and methods

We used a protocol consisting of a detailed medical history, urinary tract ultrasonography, voiding cystourethrography, and urodynamic evaluation. Patients were categorised into four groups: normal, high risk (overactive bladder with a detrusor leak‐point pressure >40 cm H2O and high filling pressures also >40 cm H2O), incontinent, and underactivity (underactive bladder with post‐void residual urine), and patients were treated accordingly.

Results

We evaluated 100 patients, at a mean age of 5.8 months (median 4 months), classified as high risk in 52.6%, incontinent in 27.4%, with underactive bladder in 4.2%, and only 14.7% had a normal bladder profile. Clean intermittent catheterisation was initiated in 57.3% of the patients and anticholinergics in 52.6%. Antibiotic prophylaxis was initiated in 19.1% of the patients presenting with vesico‐ureteric reflux.

Conclusion

The high incidence of abnormal bladder patterns suggests little benefit of in utero MMC surgery concerning the urinary tract.

 

View more videos

Article of the week: Symptom relief and anejaculation after aquablation or transurethral resection of the prostate: subgroup analysis from a blinded randomized trial

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Every week, the Editor-in-Chief selects an Article of the Week from the current issue of BJUI. The abstract is reproduced below and you can click on the button to read the full article, which is freely available to all readers for at least 30 days from the time of this post.

In addition to the article itself, there is an editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. These are intended to provoke comment and discussion and we invite you to use the comment tools at the bottom of each post to join the conversation. 

If you only have time to read one article this week, it should be this one.

Symptom relief and anejaculation after aquablation or transurethral resection of the prostate: subgroup analysis from a blinded randomized trial

Mark Plante1, Peter Gilling2, Neil Barber3, Mohamed Bidair4, Paul Anderson5, Mark Sutton6, Tev Aho7, Eugene Kramolowsky8, Andrew Thomas9, Barrett Cowan10, Ronald P. Kaufman Jr11, Andrew Trainer12, Andrew Arther12, Gopal Badlani13, Mihir Desai14, Leo Doumanian14, Alexis E. Te15, Mark DeGuenther16 and Claus Roehrborn17

 

1University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT, USA, 2Tauranga Urology Research, Tauranga, New Zealand, 3Frimley Park Hospital, Frimley Health Foundation Trust, Surrey, UK, 4San Diego Clinical Trials, San Diego, CA, USA, 5Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Vic., Australia, 6Houston Metro Urology, Houston, TX, USA, 7Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK, 8Virginia Urology, Richmond, VA, USA, 9Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, Wales, UK, 10Urology Associates, P.C., Englewood, CO, 11Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, 12Adult Pediatric Urology and Urogynecology, P.C., Omaha, NE, 13Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 14Institute of Urology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 15Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 16Urology Centers of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, and 17Department of Urology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA

 

Read the full article

Abstract

Objective

To test the hypothesis that benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) robotic surgery with aquablation would have a more pronounced benefit in certain patient subgroups, such as men with more challenging anatomies (e.g. large prostates, large middle lobes) and men with moderate BPH.

Methods

We conducted prespecified and post hoc exploratory subgroup analyses from a double‐blind, multicentre prospective randomized controlled trial that compared transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) using either standard electrocautery vs surgery using robotic waterjet (aquablation) to determine whether certain baseline factors predicted more marked responses after aquablation as compared with TURP. The primary efficacy endpoint was reduction in International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) at 6 months. The primary safety endpoint was the occurrence of Clavien–Dindo persistent grade 1 or grade ≥2 surgical complications.

Results

For men with larger prostates (50–80 g), the mean IPSS reduction was four points greater after aquablation than after TURP (P = 0.001), a larger difference than the overall result (1.8 points; P = 0.135). Similarly, the primary safety endpoint difference (20% vs 46% [26% difference]; P = 0.008) was greater for men with large prostate compared with the overall result (26% vs 42% [16% difference]; P = 0.015). Postoperative anejaculation was also less common after aquablation compared with TURP in sexually active men with large prostates (2% vs 41%; P < 0.001) vs the overall results (10% vs 36%; P < 0.001). Exploratory analysis showed larger IPSS changes after aquablation in men with enlarged middle lobes, men with severe middle lobe obstruction, men with a low baseline maximum urinary flow rate, and men with elevated (>100) post‐void residual urine volume.

Conclusions

In men with moderate‐to‐severe lower urinary tract symptoms attributable to BPH and larger, more complex prostates, aquablation was associated with both superior symptom score improvements and a superior safety profile, with a significantly lower rate of postoperative anejaculation. The standardized, robotically executed, surgical approach with aquablation may overcome the increased outcome variability in more complex anatomy, resulting in superior symptom score reduction.

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Editorial: A novel robotic procedure for bladder outlet obstruction

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We have become used to talking about robotic surgery in urology when we really mean robot‐assisted surgery. The novel aquablation procedure (AquaBeam®) for bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) described by Plante et al. [1] is executed by a robotically controlled waterjet system, conducting a pre‐planned image‐guided resection once the radiological parameters have been entered into the system. This is performed under real‐time ultrasonography guidance. It will deliver a standardized way of carrying out the surgery and will, to a large extent, take away the surgical learning curve whilst introducing a new imaging learning curve.

The present study [1] is an analysis of pre‐planned and exploratory subsets of patients from the WATER study [2], and confirms data from earlier studies [3,4]. The study suggests that, compared with TURP, aquablation is particularly effective in improving both LUTS and bother in the medium‐sized to larger prostate (50–80 mL) and in potentially more challenging prostates such as those with large middle lobes or middle lobe obstruction (judged at pre‐procedure cystoscopy).

It is suggested that the ability to map the resection plane surgically may enable the preservation of key anatomical landmarks and preserve normal sexual function. In this study, anejaculation occurred in only 2% of patients with larger prostates (>50 mL) in the aquablation group compared with 41% of comparable patients undergoing TURP (P < 0.001). The rate of anejaculation however appeared relatively higher in the overall aquablation group, at 10%, compared with 36% in the overall TURP group (P < 0.001). A prostate volume between 30 and 80 mL was an inclusion criterion for the WATER study. This procedure therefore appears to give the best possible rate of anejaculation in a resective surgical intervention in patients with a larger prostate and may have less advantage in patients with a smaller prostate.

Interestingly, the relative overall symptom relief advantage of aquablation over TURP was also not proven in men with smaller prostates; TURP may be equally effective at removing obstructing tissue in smaller as compared to larger prostates. It is not yet clear whether aquablation would not be recommended for prostates below a certain size. In the more recent WATER II study in 101 men with a mean prostate volume of 107 mL, aquablation was also shown to be feasible and safe in men with large prostates (80–150 mL) [5].

There will always be a possible downside to novel treatments and this may relate to poor radiological data entry which may, in turn, lead to sphincter damage, although this has not been an issue in the carefully controlled studies to date. There are also reports of troublesome postoperative bleeding in some cases, although haemostasis can be effectively achieved via a catheter balloon tamponade and traction device or by electrocautery [5,6].

Unlike most other surgical treatments for BOO, the resection times for aquablation are almost independent of prostate volume, although the overall operating time is similar to that of TURP, with the majority of the time being spent in the set up and image planning.

The principal study (WATER) [2] on which this sub‐analysis by Plante et al. is based is an example of a high‐quality randomized controlled trial but still represents data on only 116 patients undergoing aquablation and 65 undergoing TURP; therefore, more randomized controlled trial data and long‐term effectiveness studies are clearly needed. Formal urodynamic studies and trials in patients with even larger prostates would also be appropriate. In addition, there are still few published data on the cost‐effectiveness of aquablation, although it is likely to be in the range of higher‐cost laser ablation therapies.

With better radiology and machine learning or artificial intelligence, this technique may lead to truly standardized BOO surgery with more complete resection and may thereby reduce outcome variability.

References

  1. Plante, M, Gilling, P, Barber, N et al. Symptom relief and anejaculation after aquablation or transurethral resection of the prostate: subgroup analysis from a blinded randomized trial. BJU Int 2019; 123: 651– 60
  2. Gilling, P, Barber, N, Bidair, M et al. WATER: a double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial of Aquablation® vs transurethral resection of the prostate in benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol 2018; 199: 1252– 61
  3. Gilling, P, Reuther, R, Kahokehr, A et al. Aquablation ‐ image‐guided robot‐assisted waterjet ablation of the prostate: initial clinical experience. BJU Int 2016; 117: 923– 9
  4. Gilling, P, Anderson, P, Tan, A. Aquablation of the prostate for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia: 1‐year results. J Urol 2017; 197: 1565– 72
  5. Desai, M, Bidair, M, Bhojani, N et al. WATER II (80‐150 mL) procedural outcomes. BJU Int 2019;123: 106– 12
  6. Aljuri, N, Gilling, P, Roehrborn, C. How I do it: balloon tamponade of prostatic fossa following Aquablation. Can J Urol 2017; 24: 8937– 40

 

Article of the week: A clinical prediction tool to determine the need for concurrent systematic sampling at the time of MRI‐guided biopsy

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Every week, the Editor-in-Chief selects an Article of the Week from the current issue of BJUI. The abstract is reproduced below and you can click on the button to read the full article, which is freely available to all readers for at least 30 days from the time of this post.

In addition to the article itself, there is an editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. These are intended to provoke comment and discussion and we invite you to use the comment tools at the bottom of each post to join the conversation. 

If you only have time to read one article this week, it should be this one.

A clinical prediction tool to determine the need for concurrent systematic sampling at the time of magnetic resonance imaging‐guided biopsy

Niranjan J. Sathianathen*, Christopher A. Warlick*, Christopher J. Weight*, Maria A. Ordonez*, Benjamin Spilseth†, Gregory J. Metzger†, Paari Murugan‡ and Badrinath R. Konety*

 

Departments of *Urology, †Radiology, and ‡Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

 

Read the full article

Abstract

Objective

To develop a clinical prediction tool that characterises the risk of missing significant prostate cancer by omitting systematic biopsy in men undergoing transrectal ultrasonography/magnetic resonance imaging (TRUS/MRI)‐fusion‐guided biopsy.

Patients and methods

A consecutive sample of men undergoing TRUS/MRI‐fusion‐guided biopsy with the UroNav® system (Invivo International, Best, The Netherlands) who also underwent concurrent systematic biopsy was included. By comparing the grade of cancer diagnosed on targeted and systematic biopsy cores, we identified cases where clinically significant disease (Gleason score ≥3+4) was only found on systematic and not targeted cores. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictive factors for finding significant cancer on systematic cores only. We then used these data to develop a nomogram and evaluated its utility using decision curve analysis.

Fig 1. Nomogram for predicting the diagnosis of clinically significant on systematic biopsy only and missed on targeted biopsy.

Results

Of the 398 men undergoing TRUS/MRI‐fusion‐guided biopsy in our study, there were 46 (11.6%) cases in which clinically significant cancer was missed on targeted biopsy and detected on systematic biopsy. The clinical setting, number of MRI lesions identified, and the highest Prostate Imaging‐Reporting and Data System (PI‐RADS) score of the lesions, were all found to be predictors of this. Our model had a good discriminative ability (concordance index = 0.70). The results from our decision curve analysis show that this model provides a higher net clinical benefit than either biopsying all men or omitting biopsy in all patients when the threshold probability is <30%.

Conclusion

We found that omitting concurrent systematic biopsy in men undergoing TRUS/MRI‐fusion‐guided biopsy would miss significant disease in more than one in 10 patients. We propose a prediction model with good discriminative ability that can be used to improve patient selection for performing concurrent systematic biopsy in order to minimise the number of missed significant cancers. It is important that our model is validated in external cohorts before being employed in routine clinical practice.

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