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Article of the week: Preventing biofilm in wireless capsule bladder endoscopy

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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.

Finally, the third post under the Article of the Week heading on the homepage will consist of additional material or media. This week we feature a video of in-vivo trials in sheep .

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

Novel anti-biofilm mechanism for wireless capsule endoscopy in the urinary tract: preliminary study in a sheep model

Amos Neheman*†, Claude Schulman‡ and Ofer Yossepowitch†§

*Urology Department, Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, †Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel, ‡Department of Urology, University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium, and §Institute of Urology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson, Petah Tikva, Israel

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OBJECTIVE

• To develop and test the safety and feasibility of a novel anti-biofilm mechanism configured for wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) in a sheep bladder model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

• A WCE mechanism, designed for long-term bladder monitoring, was developed and introduced into a sheep bladder for 5 months.

• The transparency of the surface was assessed by evaluating a resolution target placed inside the capsule at serial intervals using cystoscopy under general anaesthesia.

• Animal behaviour, voiding patterns and urine cultures were monitored throughout the study.

• At study termination, the capsule was extracted and assessed using scanning electron microscopy.

RESULTS

• The resolution target was visualized clearly at all investigation points.

• No notable adverse effects were noted during the entire follow-up period and no urinary tract infection occurred.

• Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the efficacy of the technology to prevent biofilm formation and surface encrustation.

CONCLUSIONS

• We report a novel technology that effectively prevents biofilm formation on the outer surface of foreign objects in the urinary tract.

• Further studies are under way to test the applicability of this technology in bladder WCE to enable high-quality wireless image transmission.

 

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Article of the week: Repeat RAPN: Feasibility and early outcomes

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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.

Repeat robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN): feasibility and early outcomes

Riccardo Autorino, Ali Khalifeh, Humberto Laydner, Dinesh Samarasekera, Emad Rizkala, Remi Eyraud, Georges-Pascal Haber, Robert J. Stein and Jihad H. Kaouk

Center for Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

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OBJECTIVE

• To demonstrate the feasibility, and to report our single-centre perioperative outcomes of repeat robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• From June 2006 to June 2012, 490 patients underwent RAPN for a renal mass at our centre. Of these patients, nine who had undergone previous ipsilateral nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) were included in the analysis.

• Patient charts were reviewed to obtain demographic data, preoperative surgical history, operative details, and postoperative outcomes and follow-up data.

RESULTS

• In all, 12 tumours were removed in nine patients (median age 69 years; six female). A third of the operations were performed on patients with a solitary kidney. The median (range) R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score for the resected masses was 7 (4–8).

• The warm ischaemia time was 17.5 min and in three of the nine patients an unclamped procedure was performed. No intraoperative complications were registered, whereas only two minor complications occurred postoperatively. There were no renal unit losses. All surgical margins were negative.

• There was no significant difference between mean preoperative and latest postoperative mean estimated glomerular filtration rates (70.5 vs 63.5 mL/min/1.73m2, P > 0.05).

• At a mean (sd) follow-up of 8.3 (13) months, eight of the nine patients with a pathology diagnosis of malignant neoplasm were alive and free from disease at the latest follow-up.

CONCLUSION

• Although technically more demanding, repeat RAPN can be safely and effectively performed in patients presenting with local recurrence after primary NSS for kidney cancer.

 

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Article of the week: ADT increases fracture in high-risk men

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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.

Finally, the third post under the Article of the Week heading on the homepage will consist of additional material or media. This week we feature a video of Grace Lu–Yao discussing her paper.

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

Fracture after androgen deprivation therapy among men with a high baseline risk of skeletal complications

Yu-Hsuan Shao*†, Dirk F. Moore*‡, Weichung Shih*‡, Yong Lin*‡, Thomas L. Jang* and Grace L. Lu-Yao*†

*The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, †Department of Medicine, The Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, and ‡Department of Biostatistics, UMDNJ School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA

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OBJECTIVE

• To quantify the impact of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in men with a high baseline risk of skeletal complications and evaluate the risk of mortality after a fracture.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• We studied 75 994 men, aged ≥66 years, with localized prostate cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results–Medicare linked data.

• Cox proportional hazard models were employed to evaluate the risk.

RESULTS

• Men with a high baseline risk of skeletal complications have a higher probability of receiving ADT than those with a low risk (52.1% vs 38.2%, P < 0.001).

• During the 12-year follow-up, more than 58% of men with a high risk and 38% of men with a low risk developed at least one fracture after ADT.

• The dose effect of ADT is stronger among men who received ADT only compared to those who received ADT with other treatments.

• In the high-risk group, the fracture rate increased by 19.9 per 1000 person-years (from 52.9 to 73.0 person-years) for men who did not receive ADT compared to those who received 18 or more doses of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist among men who received ADT only, and by 14.2 per 1000 person-years (from 45.2 to 59.4 person-years) among men who received ADT and other treatments.

• Men experiencing a fracture had a 1.38-fold higher overall mortality risk than those who did not (95% CI, 1.34–1.43).

CONCLUSIONS

• Men with a high baseline risk of skeletal complications developed more fractures after ADT.

• The mortality risk is 40% higher after experiencing a fracture.

• Consideration of patient risk before prescribing ADT for long-term use may reduce both fracture risk and fracture-associated mortality.

 

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Article of the week: Large BPH responds well to bipolar plasma enucleation

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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.

Finally, the third post under the Article of the Week heading on the homepage will consist of additional material or media. This week we feature a video of a bipolar plasma enucleation procedure from Dr Geavlete and colleagues.

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

Bipolar plasma enucleation of the prostate vs open prostatectomy in large benign prostatic hyperplasia cases – a medium term, prospective, randomized comparison

Bogdan Geavlete, Florin Stanescu, Catalin Iacoboaie and Petrisor Geavlete

Department of Urology, ‘Saint John’ Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania

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OBJECTIVES

• To evaluate the viability of bipolar plasma enucleation of the prostate (BPEP) by comparison with open transvesical prostatectomy (OP) in cases of large prostates with regard to surgical efficacy and peri-operative morbidity.

• To compare the medium-term follow-up parameters specific for the two methods.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• A total of 140 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with prostate volume >80 mL, maximum flow rate (Qmax) <10 mL/s and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) >19 were randomized in the two study arms.

• All cases were assessed preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery by IPSS, Qmax, quality of life score (QoL) and post-voiding residual urinary volume (PVR).

• The prostate volume and prostate specific antigen (PSA) level were measured at 6 and 12 months.

RESULTS

• The BPEP and OP techniques emphasized similar mean operating durations (91.4 vs 87.5 min) and resected tissue weights (108.3 vs 115.4 g).

• The postoperative haematuria rate (2.9% vs 12.9%) as well as the mean haemoglobin drop (1.7 vs 3.1 g/dL), catheterization period (1.5 vs 5.8 days) and hospital stay (2.1 vs 6.9 days) were significantly improved for BPEP.

• Recatheterization for acute urinary retention was more frequent in the OP group (8.6% vs 1.4%), while the rates of early irritative symptoms were similar for BPEP and OP (11.4% vs 7.1%).

• During the follow-up period, no statistically significant difference was determined in terms of IPSS, Qmax, QoL, PVR, PSA level and postoperative prostate volume between the two series.

CONCLUSIONS

• BPEP represents a promising endoscopic approach in large BPH cases, characterized by good surgical efficiency and similar BPH tissue removal capabilities compared with standard transvesical prostatectomy.

• BPEP patients benefited from significantly reduced complications, shorter convalescence and satisfactory follow-up symptom scores and voiding parameters.

 

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Article of the week: Prognostic Gleason grade group predicts survival

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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.

Prognostic Gleason grade grouping: data based on the modified Gleason scoring system

Phillip M. Pierorazio*, Patrick C. Walsh*, Alan W. Partin* and Jonathan I. Epstein*†‡

Departments of *Urology, †Pathology and ‡Oncology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and The James Brady Buchannan Urological Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

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OBJECTIVE

• To investigate pathological and short-term outcomes since the most recent Gleason system modifications by the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) in an attempt to divide the current Gleason grading system into prognostically accurate Gleason grade groups.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• We queried the Johns Hopkins Radical Prostatectomy Database (1982–2011), approved by the institutional review board, for men undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) without a tertiary pattern since 2004 and identified 7869 men.

• Multivariable models were created using preoperative and postoperative variables; prognostic grade group (Gleason grade ≤6; 3 + 4; 4 + 3; 8; 9–10) was among the strongest predictors of biochemical recurrence-free (BFS) survival.

RESULTS

• Significant differences were noted among the Gleason grade groups at biopsy; differences were noted in the race, PSA level, clinical stage, number of positive cores at biopsy and the maximum percentage of positive cores among the Gleason grade groups at RP.

• With a median (range) follow-up of 2 (1–7) years, 5-year BFS rates for men with Gleason grade ≤6, 3 + 4, 4 + 3, 8 and 9–10 tumours at biopsy were 94.6, 82.7, 65.1, 63.1 and 34.5%, respectively (P < 0.001 for trend); and 96.6, 88.1, 69.7, 63.7 and 34.5%, respectively (P < 0.001), based on RP pathology.

CONCLUSIONS

• The 2005 ISUP modifications to the Gleason grading system for prostate carcinoma accurately categorize patients by pathological findings and short-term biochemical outcomes but, while retaining the essence of the Gleason system, there is a need for a change in its reporting to more closely reflect tumour behaviour.

• We propose reporting Gleason grades, including prognostic grade groups which accurately reflect prognosis as follows: Gleason score ≤6 (prognostic grade group I); Gleason score 3+4=7 (prognostic grade group II); Gleason score 4+3=7 (prognostic grade group III); Gleason score 4+4=8 (prognostic grade group (IV); and Gleason score 9–10 (prognostic grade group (V).

 

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Article of the week: Modulating autophagy of prostate cancer cells with anti-androgen bicalutamide

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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.

Finally, the third post under the Article of the Week heading on the homepage will consist of additional material or media. This week we feature a video of Prof Leung and Dr Stockley discussing their paper.

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

Does androgen-ablation therapy (AAT) associated autophagy have a pro-survival effect in LNCaP human prostate cancer cells? 


Haley L. Bennett, Jacqueline Stockley†, Janis T. Fleming, Ranadip Mandal, Jim O’Prey*, Kevin M. Ryan*, Craig N. Robson† and Hing Y. Leung

Urology Research Laboratory and *Tumour Cell Death Research Laboratory, Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, and †Solid Tumour Target Discovery Group, Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

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OBJECTIVE

• To study the cellular effects of the anti-androgen bicalutamide on autophagy and its potential impact on response to androgen-ablation therapy (AAT) alone or combined with docetaxel chemotherapy in human prostate cancer LNCaP cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

• LNCaP cells were treated with bicalutamide docetaxel, and cellular effects were assayed: lipidated LC3 (a microtubule-associated protein) for autophagy and its traffcking to fuse with lysosome; flow cytometry using propidium iodide or caspase 3 for cell death; and sulforhodamine B assay for cell growth.

RESULTS

• Bicalutamide treatment enhanced autophagy in LNCaP cells with increased level of autophagosome coupled with an altered cellular morphology reminiscent of neuroendocrine differentiation.

• Consistent with the literature on the interaction between androgen receptor activation and taxane chemotherapy, bicalutamide diminished docetaxel mediated cytotoxicity.

• Significantly, pharmacological inhibition of autophagy with 3-methyladenine significantly enhanced the efficacy cell kill mediated by AAT docetaxel.

CONCLUSION

• Autophagy associated with bicalutamide treatment in LNCaP cells may have a pro-survival effect and strategy to modulate autophagy may have a potential therapeutic value

 

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Article of the week: Bladder and bowel: the link between OAB and IBS

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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

Relationship between overactive bladder and irritable bowel syndrome: a large-scale internet survey in Japan using the overactive bladder symptom score and Rome III criteria

Seiji Matsumoto, Kazumi Hashizume, Naoki Wada, Jyunichi Hori, Gaku Tamaki, Masafumi Kita, Tatsuya Iwata and Hidehiro Kakizaki

Asahikawa Medical University, Renal and Urological Surgery, Asahikawa, Hokkaidou, Japan

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OBJECTIVE

• To investigate the association between overactive bladder (OAB) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by using an internet-based survey in Japan.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

• Questionnaires were sent via the internet to Japanese adults.

• The overactive bladder symptom score was used for screening OAB, and the Japanese version of the Rome III criteria for the diagnosis of IBS was used for screening this syndrome.

RESULTS

• The overall prevalence of OAB and IBS was 9.3% and 21.2%, respectively.

• Among the subjects with OAB, 33.3% had concurrent IBS.

• The prevalence of OAB among men was 9.7% and among women it was 8.9%, while 18.6% of men and 23.9% of women had IBS.

• Concurrent IBS was noted in 32.0% of men and 34.8% of women with OAB.

CONCLUSION

• Taking into account a high rate of concurrent IBS in patients with OAB, it seems to be important for physicians to assess the defaecation habits of patients when diagnosing and treating OAB.

In cases of early detection seek ibs treatment right away.

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Article of the week: Nomogram helps the preoperative prediction of early biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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.

Finally, the third post under the Article of the Week heading on the homepage will consist of additional material or media. This week we feature a video of Ángel Borque discussing his paper.

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

Genetic predisposition to early recurrence in clinically localized prostate cancer

Ángel Borque, Jokin del Amo†, Luis M. Esteban*, Elisabet Ars§, Carlos Hernández**, Jacques Planas, Antonio Arruza††, Roberto Llarena‡, Joan Palou§, Felipe Herranz**, Carles X. Raventós, Diego Tejedor†, Marta Artieda†, Laureano Simon†, Antonio Martínez†, Elena Carceller, Miguel Suárez, Marta Allué, Gerardo Sanz* and Juan Morote

‘Miguel Servet’ University Hospital, *University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain, †Progenika Biopharma S.A., ‡University Hospital of Cruces, Bilbao, §Puigvert Foundation, ‘Vall d’Hebron’ University Hospital, Barcelona, **‘Gregorio Marañón’ University Hospital, Madrid, and ††Hospital of Txagorritxu, Vitoria, Spain

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OBJECTIVES

• To evaluate genetic susceptibility to early biochemical recurrence (EBCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP), as a prognostic factor for early systemic dissemination.

• To build a preoperative nomogram to predict EBCR combining genetic and clinicopathological factors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• We evaluated 670 patients from six University Hospitals who underwent RP for clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa), and were followed-up for at least 5 years or until biochemical recurrence.

• EBCR was defined as a level prostate-specific antigen >0.4 ng/mL within 1 year of RP; preoperative variables studied were: age, prostate-specific antigen, clinical stage, biopsy Gleason score, and the genotype of 83 PCa-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

• Univariate allele association tests and multivariate logistic regression were used to generate predictive models for EBCR, with clinicopathological factors and adding SNPs.

• We internally validated the models by bootstrapping and compared their accuracy using the area under the curve (AUC), net reclassification improvement, integrated discrimination improvement, calibration plots and Vickers’ decision curves.

RESULTS

• Four common SNPs at KLK3, KLK2, SULT1A1 and BGLAP genes were independently associated with EBCR.

• A significant increase in AUC was observed when SNPs were added to the model: AUC (95% confidence interval) 0.728 (0.674–0.784) vs 0.763 (0.708–0.817).

• Net reclassification improvement showed a significant increase in probability for events of 60.7% and a decrease for non-events of 63.5%.

• Integrated discrimination improvement and decision curves confirmed the superiority of the new model.

CONCLUSIONS

• Four SNPs associated with EBCR significantly improved the accuracy of clinicopathological factors.

• We present a nomogram for preoperative prediction of EBCR after RP.

 

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Article of the week: The survey says: surgeon preferences during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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 European Association of Urology Robotic Urology Section (ERUS) survey of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP)

Vincenzo Ficarra1, Peter N. Wiklund2, Charles Henry Rochat3, Prokar Dasgupta4, Benjamin J. Challacombe4, Prasanna Sooriakumaran5, Stefan Siemer6, Nazareno Suardi7, Giacomo Novara1 and Alexandre Mottrie8

1Oncological and Surgical Sciences, Urology Clinic, University of Padua, Padua, Italy; 2Urology Laboratory, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 3Multidisciplinary Centre of Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery, Générale-Beaulieu Clinic, Geneva, Switzerland; 4Department of Urology, Guy’s Hospital, London, UK; 5Department of Urology, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK; 6Department of Urology, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar, Germany; 7Department of Urology, Vita-Salute University San Raffaele, Milan, Italy; and 8Department of Urology O.L.V. Clinic Aalst, Aalst, Belgium; EAU Robotic Urologic Section (ERUS) Scientific Working Group

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OBJECTIVE

• To evaluate surgeons adherence to current clinical practice, with the available evidence, for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and offer a baseline assessment to measure the impact of the Pasadena recommendations. Recently, the European Association of Urology Robotic Urology Section (ERUS) supported the Pasadena Consensus Conference on best practices in RARP.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

• This survey was performed in January 2012. A specific questionnaire was sent, by e-mail, to 145 robotic surgeons who were included in the mailing-list of ERUS members and working in different urological institutions.

• Participating surgeons were invited to answer a multiple-choice questionnaire including 24-items evaluating the main RARP surgical steps.

RESULTS

• In all, 116 (79.4%) invited surgeons answered the questionnaire and accepted to participate to the ERUS survey.

• In all, 47 (40.5%) surgeons performed >100 RARPs; 41 (35.3%) between 50 and 100, and 28 (24.1%) <50 yearly.

• The transperitoneal, antegrade technique was the preferred approach.

• Minimising bladder neck dissection and the use of athermal dissection of the neurovascular bundles (NVBs) were also popular.

• There was more heterogeneity in the use of energy for seminal vesicle dissection, the preservation of the tips of the seminal vesicle and the choice between intra- and interfascial planes during the antero-lateral dissection of the NVBs. There was also large variability in the posterior and/or anterior reconstruction steps.

CONCLUSIONS

• The present study is the first international survey evaluating surgeon preferences during RARP.

• Considering that the results were collected before the publication of the Pasadena recommendations, the data might be considered an important baseline evaluation to test the dissemination and effects of the Pasadena recommendations in subsequent years.

 

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Article of the week: Calcium : citrate ratio may predict severe lithogenesis

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Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the 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 accompanying editorial written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is 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.

Finally, the third post under the Article of the Week heading on the homepage will consist of additional material or media. This week we feature a video of Miguel Angel Arrabal-Polo discussing his paper.

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

Importance of citrate and the calcium : citrate ratio in patients with calcium renal lithiasis and severe lithogenesis

Miguel Angel Arrabal-Polo*, Miguel Arrabal-Martin*,  Salvador Arias-Santiago**†, Juan Garrido-Gomez‡, Antonio PoyatosAndujar§ and Armando Zuluaga-Gomez**

Department of Urology, San Cecilio University Hospital, **Department of Medicine, Baza Hospital, †Department of  Medicine, University of Granada, and ‡Departments of Traumatology and §Biochemistry, San Cecilio University Hospital, Granada, Spain

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OBJECTIVE

• To analyse the importance of urinary citrate and the urinary calcium : citrate  ratio in patients with calcium renal lithiasis and severe lithogenesis compared with  a control group of patients without lithiasis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

• A cross-sectional study of 115 patients in eastern Andalusia, Spain was conducted.

• The patients were divided into two groups: Group A: 56 patients aged 25 – 60 years without calcium renal lithiasis; Group B: 59 patients aged 25 – 60 years, presenting with calcium renal lithiasis and severe lithogenesis.

• The citrate levels and the calcium : citrate ratio in the patients’ urine and the relationship of these two factors to lithiasic activity were analysed and compared.

RESULTS

• In Group B, 32.2% of the patients presented with hypocitraturia, compared with 14.3% of the patients in Group A (P = 0.02).

• The urinary citrate levels were lower in Group B than in Group A (P = 0.001) and the calcium : citrate ratio was higher in Group B than in Group A (P = 0.005).

• The results suggest that a patient urinary calcium : citrate ratio > 0.25 indicates severe lithogenesis (with a sensitivity of 89% and a specifi city of 57%).

• After linear regression analysis, we found that the urinary citrate level is an independent factor associated with the changes in bone densitometry T-score values of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

• The patients with severe lithogenesis presented with hypocitraturia, which was associated with lower bone mineral density.

• The calcium : citrate ratio, which is linearly related to the bone resorption marker β-crosslaps, could be useful in evaluating the risk of severe lithogenesis when this ratio is > 0.25.

 

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