Journal of Clinical Urology

Postoperative urinary retention is a common complication for patients recovering from general anesthesia or invasive surgery near the spinal column. However, no study has systematically reviewed the incidence of postoperative urinary retention for spinal surgeries performed at the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spinal regions. In this review, we critically analyze and summarize the known literature on the incidence and risk factors associated with postoperative urinary retention after spinal surgery.

A comprehensive literature review was performed at the end of September 2019 within the PubMed database.

The average incidence of postoperative urinary retention from nine of the 10 studies was 17.2% with one paper that did not report on postoperative urinary retention incidence. Furthermore, age, male gender, location and history of spinal surgery, duration of surgery, benign prostatic hypertrophy, and Foley catheter were reported as major risk factors for postoperative urinary retention and spinal surgery.

Overall, spinal cord and postoperative urinary retention remains a poorly understood area requiring further investigation into the incidence, risk factors, and surgical methods influence postoperative urinary retention and post-operative outcomes. We believe an overview of such data can help revise guidelines for the management of postoperative urinary retention and raise awareness of its prevalence in elderly patients undergoing spinal surgery.

Not applicable for this multicentre audit.

The aim of this study was to establish an evidence-based best clinical practice consensus for the management of urethral stricture disease in the UK.

A systematic review of optimal management of urethral stricture generated a base document which was endorsed by the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) section of Andrology and Genito-Urinary Reconstructive Surgeons (AGUS). A two-round electronic mail modified Delphi survey of 43 consultant reconstructive urologists, members of the British Association of Genito-Urinary Reconstructive Surgeons (BAGURS), was then performed. The panel’s views about the base document was sought in seven domains: definition, diagnosis, investigation, conservative, endoscopic and reconstructive treatments, and follow up. Responses were collated and used to modify the base to achieve a consensus statement.

In round one of the Delphi process four panel members commented on the base document and seven in round two. Consensus was thereby reached on 38 statements regarding definition (one), diagnosis (three), investigation (two), conservative/endoscopic (five) and reconstructive (24) treatments and follow up (three) for the management of urethral stricture disease.

This consensus statement will help standardise care, provide guidance on the management of urethral stricture disease, and assist in clinical decision-making for healthcare professionals of all grades.

The role of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in renal obstruction remains unclear. The aim of this study is to assess neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin kinetics and its potential role as a biomarker of renal damage in acute ureteric colic.

Thirty-six patients with acute ureteric colic were prospectively recruited and compared with two control groups. Blood and urine samples for plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels were obtained at various time points.

There were significantly higher levels of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and the urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin/creatinine ratio at presentation when comparing patients with acute ureteric colic to healthy controls (P=0.002 and P=0.004, respectively).

In patients with acute ureteric colic managed with surgical intervention (n=27) there was a significant reduction in plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (P=0.001) and an increase in the urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin/creatinine ratio 6 hours postoperatively (P=0.03). Eight of nine patients managed conservatively for acute ureteric obstruction had spontaneous stone passage at follow-up (median 26 days) with a significant reduction in the urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin/creatinine ratio (P=0.03).

The observation of a reduction in plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels following relief of renal obstruction due to ureteric stones suggests the potential role of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a biomarker in this scenario and in the follow-up setting as a potential marker of relief of obstruction.

3b

Not Applicable.

To our knowledge, the incidence of congenital meatal abnormalities associated with hypospadias varies from 9.6% to 31%, of which meatal stenosis is the most common, affecting 9.1–16.7% of patients. Traditionally, meatal stenosis has been dealt with by meatal dilatation, although ventral meatotomy until the normal urethra is encountered has also been used. Here, we report the outcome of a technique where, during hypospadias repair, a dorsal midline incision was performed instead of a ventral urethral incision, starting at the narrow meatus and subsequently extending proximally to treat the meatal stenosis.

Patients having distal hypospadias with meatal stenosis were included in this study. In this technique, a dorsal midline incision was extended until normal calibre urethra was encountered. Patients with chordee >15°, proximal hypospadias, redo cases, glans width <14 mm, where separation of the skin from the underlying urethra was not possible and with a follow-up of less than three months were excluded from the study. A total of 73 patients were operated on using this technique. Results were assessed with regards to urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF) and stricture formation.

Five (6.85%) patients developed UCF: one (5%) in the subcoronal group, two (8.0%) in the distal penile group and two (14.3%) in the mid-penile hypospadias group. Postoperatively, only one patient had meatal stenosis.

We think hypospadiac meatal stenosis is best treated by a dorsal midline incision, as it does not lead to a proximal shift of the meatus, and this defect heals by re-epithelisation without significant scarring, which in turn decreases the possibility of UCF. That is why the fistula rate in our study was 6.85%, which is lower than in various published series.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having significant effects on health services globally, including on urological surgery for which the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) has provided national guidance. Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS) is one of the regions most affected by COVID-19 in the UK to date.

An anonymous online survey of all KSS urology trainees was conducted. The primary outcome was to assess the effects on urology services, both malignant and benign, across the region in the acceleration phase and at the peak of the pandemic compared to standard care. The second was to quantify the effects on urology training, especially regarding operative exposure.

There were significant decreases in urological services provided at the peak of the pandemic across KSS compared to standard care (p<0.0001). Only 22% of urology units were able to continue operating for low-risk cancer and to continue cystoscopy for two-week wait non-visible haematuria referrals in line with BAUS escalation guidelines. A third (33%) did not complete any prostate biopsies at the peak. The majority of urology units continued clinics by telephone. Urology trainees reported completing substantially fewer operating procedures and workplace-based assessments. A third (33%) had moved to consultant-only operating by the peak.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes to urological surgery services and training in KSS, with heterogeneity across the region. We suggest further work to quantify the effects nationally.

4.

To determine the views of urology trainees regarding training checkpoints/waypoints, and challenges to achieving a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).

A novel survey was devised and distributed to evaluate urology trainee perceptions of the challenges in achieving the current CCT requirements as well as their views on the ST4 waypoint, indicative numbers (INs), workplace-based assessments (WBAs) and critical condition case-based discussions.

Of 347 trainees, 59 (17.0%) returned completed surveys from 13 of 19 training regions. The most significant challenges in achieving CCT as perceived by all trainees were, from highest to lowest: publication requirements, paediatric urology experience, achieving FRCS (Urol), INs and WBAs. All questions relating to ST4 waypoints were answered positively by a majority of respondents.

The findings of this survey suggest that trainees will approve of the forthcoming changes in training assessment and outcomes embedded within the 2021 curriculum. The ST5 checkpoint, in particular, is an opportunity to better match trainees and placements and will underpin successful ‘phasing’ of training. A future study will inform the success of ‘embedding’ the 2021 curriculum and subsequently play a crucial part in the continuous improvement of urological training.

Not applicable for this multicentre audit.

This study aimed to investigate the association between Photodynamic Diagnosis (PDD) with hexaminolevulinate (HAL) and the rate of complete resection and disease persistence at first follow-up cystoscopy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in UK real-world practice.

Audit data were pooled from six UK centres where HAL PDD was used in patients with a new NMIBC diagnosis undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumours (TURBT) since 2008. Patients received adjunctive intra-vesical therapy and surveillance in line with European and UK guidelines, including early re-resection in high-grade NMIBC.

PDD-assisted TURBT was done in 837 patients with new NMIBC. The detrusor muscle was present in 69.4% of cases. At early re-TURBT in 207 high-risk patients, 13.0% had residual disease. Multifocal disease was the most significant factor in increasing the rate of residual disease (odds ratio excluding cases of CIS=4.1; 95% confidence interval 1.5–11.3). The recurrence rate at first follow-up cystoscopy (RRFFC) was 10.6% (8.9% in patients with complete initial TURBT). In the historical cohort undergoing good-quality white-light TURBT, RRFFC was 31%; 40.5% of high-risk patients had residual disease at early re-TURBT.

HAL PDD may increase the rates of complete resection, reducing the risk of early recurrence and the need for routine re-resection in high-grade NMIBC.

2b.