Priapism is a persistent penile erection that continues hours beyond, or is unrelated to, sexual stimulation and results in a prolonged and uncontrolled erection. Given its time-dependent and ...progressive nature, priapism is a situation that both urologists and emergency medicine practitioners must be familiar with and comfortable managing.
A comprehensive search of the literature on acute ischemic priapism and non-ischemic priapism (NIP) was performed by Emergency Care Research Institute for articles published between January 1, 1960 and May 1, 2020. A search of the literature on NIP, recurrent priapism, prolonged erection following intracavernosal vasoactive medication, and priapism in patients with sickle cell disease was conducted by Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center for articles published between 1946 and February 19, 2021. Searches identified 4117 potentially relevant articles, and 3437 of these were excluded at the title or abstract level for not meeting inclusion criteria. Full texts for the remaining 680 articles were ordered, and ultimately 203 unique articles were included in the report.
This Guideline provides a clinical framework for the treatment (non-surgical and surgical) of NIP, recurrent ischemic priapism, and priapism in patients with sickle cell disease. The treatment of patients with a prolonged erection following intracavernosal vasoactive medication is also included. The AUA guideline on the diagnosis of priapism and the treatment of acute ischemic priapism was published in 2021.
All patients with priapism should be evaluated emergently to identify the sub-type of priapism (acute ischemic versus non-ischemic) and those with an acute ischemic event should be provided early intervention when indicated. NIP is not an emergency and treatment must be based on patient objectives, available resources, and clinician experience. Management of recurrent ischemic priapism requires treatment of acute episodes and a focus on future prevention of an acute ischemic event. Sickle cell disease patients presenting with an acute ischemic priapism event should initially be managed with a focus on urologic relief of the erection; standard sickle cell assessment and interventions should be considered concurrent with urologic intervention. Treatment protocols for a prolonged, iatrogenic erection must be differentiated from protocols for true priapism.
INTRODUCTION: Prostatic urethral lift (PUL) is a popular surgical option for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Prior five-year data from the multicenter ...L.I.F.T. trial suggested durability and a surgical retreatment rate of 13.6% at five years. We assessed the proportion of patients who had ongoing medical or surgical BPH management following PUL. METHODS: With institutional review board approval, cases of PUL performed from 20152020 at our academic institution were retrospectively reviewed for management of BPH following PUL. RESULTS: A total of 209 men were identified, with followup available for 198 (95%). Mean age was 68.9 years and mean followup was 18.5 months. Mean prostate size was 43 g. Patients were discharged from recovery in 97% of cases, with 29% discharged with indwelling or intermittent catheterization. The rate of 30-day complications was 18%, with 89% graded Clavien 1-11. Postoperatively, mean improvements in International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and quality of life (QoL) subscore were 5.3 and 1.1 points, respectively. Unplanned emergency room or clinic visits within 30 days of the procedure occurred in 14% and 17% of men, respectively, with 4% requiring hospital readmission. In followup, alpha-blockers and/or 5alpha-reductase inhibitors were continued or initiated postoperatively for 44% of men; 20% of men required repeat surgical intervention at a mean of 19.2 months (1.4-56.4), consisting of repeat PUL (30%), transurethral resection of prostate (28%), or thulium laser enucleation (18%). Overall, 53% of men needed medication and/or repeat surgery for BPH following PUL, and this was independent of age, race, prostate volume, intravesical prostate protrusion, baseline IPSS and QOL, stricture, number of implants used, or a history of urinary retention (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Most men undergoing PUL require ongoing medical and/or surgical management for BPH. Patients should be counselled as to the likelihood of failure as a unimodal therapy long-term.
Objective: In 2012 the US Preventive Services Task Force released recommendations against prostate specific antigen (PSA) based screening for prostate cancer, but did not fully address screening via ...digital rectal exam (DRE). As such, many practitioners continue to perform DRE in attempts to identify men with clinically significant prostate cancer (CSPC). This study seeks to determine the value of DRE in detecting CSPC in the era of PSA-based screening.
Methods: Data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Screening Trial, a nationwide population-based study evaluating cancer screening programs and their impact on cancer mortality, was analyzed for PSA, DRE, and cancer status. In the screening arm of the PLCO, 38,340 men received annual PSA and DRE examinations for the first 3 years. Those with an abnormal test result were referred to their individual care provider for biopsy. The ability of DRE to detect CSPC, defined as intermediate risk or higher based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines and age ≤75, was evaluated in the context of both normal and abnormal PSA.
Results: A total of 5064 men had abnormal DRE in the setting of normal PSA, of whom 99 (2%) were diagnosed with CSPC. When both PSA and DRE were abnormal, 218 (20%) participants were diagnosed with CSPC (RR = 2.06 1.78-2.39 versus abnormal PSA alone).
Conclusions: DRE screening in the setting of normal PSA captured an additional 2% of men with CSPC. This incremental gain suggests that routine DRE screening subjects a large number of men to invasive, potentially uncomfortable examinations for relatively minimal gain.
Key limitations: Our conclusions are based on data derived from the PLCO study which has been criticized on the basis of inconsistent biopsies following positive screening tests, lack of end of study biopsies to determine population disease burden, and low numbers of black men.
To evaluate the findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the ipsilateral hip(s) as part of the workup of men with chronic orchialgia (CO).
Following IRB approval, a retrospective chart review ...was performed from a single surgeon database of all men with a diagnosis of CO from June 2018 to October 2019 who underwent subsequent hip MRI evaluation.
Ten men were identified. Median age was 51 years and median duration of pain was 10 months. MRI was obtained after testis pathology was ruled out. Pain was noted in the groin (100%) and hip (50%). Hip MRI identified overt labral tears in 8 men (10/12 hips evaluated, 83%) and labral fraying in the remaining 2 (16.7%). Standard plain film radiography was performed in 6 men prior to MRI, all of which were negative. Following MRI, 5 men underwent hip injection with steroid and local analgesic with lasting resolution (2 men) or significant improvement in pain (2 men; 80%, follow-up 3-15 months). Two men had complete resolution of pain with 8 weeks of physical therapy.
Hip MRI has a high rate of diagnosis of labral tear in appropriately selected men referred to the urologist for CO. Identification of orthopedic pathology may avoid unnecessary antibiotics, opiates, or urological surgery. Referrals to orthopedics and/or physical therapy for intervention may lead to resolution of pain.
Purpose
To provide an overview of the state of tissue engineering relative to male erectile tissue and the implications for treatment of penile pathology.
Methods
A PubMed review of the relevant ...peer-reviewed literature pertaining to engineering of penile tissues was performed.
Results
There are multiple pathologies that threaten form and/or function of the penis. Management of disease rarely offers a path to true restoration. Historical efforts to correct structural defects have largely relied on synthetic materials, commercially prepared allograft or xenograft constructs, or autologous tissue substitutes. These approaches have traditionally suffered from less-than-optimal clinical outcomes and degrees of patient morbidity that may be preventable. Prior work in tissue engineering of corpora cavernosa has demonstrated the ability to produce functional tissue in small and large animal models. A human clinical trial is currently underway.
Conclusions
Varied conditions pathologically affecting the penis warrant development of more sophisticated tissue-based solutions. Animal models have demonstrated efficacy in restoring functional corpora cavernosa, and upcoming clinical trials will serve to determine safety and efficacy in humans.
Proximal corporal perforation at time of dilation, although rare, may occur due to factors related to patient anatomy, presence of intra-cavernosal fibrosis, and/or surgical technique.
To describe ...tools and techniques designed to prevent and identify proximal corporal perforation, and maneuvers to minimize the risk of subsequent cylinder migration once proximal perforation has been recognized, such that the operation may proceed and result in an acceptable outcome.
We discuss tips for prevention, recognition, and management of proximal corporal perforation by presenting a review of the literature as well as our preferences based on a high-volume experience with penile prosthesis surgery.
Described techniques aim to minimize risk of cylinder migration in the absence of true proximal repair.
Although proximal perforation may be obvious at times, particularly with a sudden loss of resistance during dilation, discrepant corporal measurements and/or dissimilar proximal deflection of the dilator should also increase the index of suspicion. Numerous techniques have been employed to theoretically reduce the risk of cylinder migration in the setting of proximal corporal perforation. These include formal corporal repair (historical), windsock repairs with non-absorbable grafts, absorbable plugs, and suture fixation of the rear tip extender or shod material covering implant tubing.
Intra-operative recognition of proximal corporal perforation, coupled with understanding of surgical strategies to minimize the risk of future device migration, may allow completion of an operation that still results in an optimal outcome.
Techniques described to prevent proximal migration are not strongly evidence-based, but rooted in logic and supported by high-volume implanters. Intra-operative perforation of the proximal corpora, although rare, can threaten the success of penile implant surgery, though the techniques described herein have been developed to mitigate the potential for subsequent device migration, allowing surgery to proceed and to achieve the desired clinical result.
Pearlman AM, Terlecki RP. Proximal Corporal Perforation During Penile Prosthesis Surgery: Prevention, Recognition, and Review of Historical and Novel Management Strategies. J Sex Med 2018;15:1055–1060.
Use of supplements is common among men seeking urologic evaluation for sexual health matters. With a dizzying array of formulations available and little regulation on the dosage, purity, or ...ingredients found in these products, the health effects of nutraceuticals are often confusing to patients and medical practitioners alike.
In this review, we set out to concisely summarize the data on ingredients found within the top-selling nutraceutical agents marketed for men's sexual health in order to provide a clinical guide for urologists.
We used sales data from the most popular retail provider of men's health supplements to identify the top-selling products marketed toward improvement of men's sexual health. We summarized the available information related to the ingredients, dosage, cost, and mechanism of action for these substances and performed an extensive literature search to identify and review the current evidence available for each of the most common ingredients found in these nutraceuticals.
The top-selling nutraceuticals marked for men's sexual health contain a blend of multiple supplements (up to 33 in one formulation identified), the most common being ginseng, tribulus, zinc, horny goat weed, B complex vitamins/trace minerals, fenugreek, L-arginine, maca, DHEA, ginkgo, and yohimbine. The currently available medical literature evaluating the efficacy of these substances is generally of low quality.
Despite the dearth of evidence supporting nutraceutical agents in the men's health arena, these substances are still commonly used by patients. As these products can affect the health and well-being of men presenting to a urology clinic, a familiarity with commonly used agents can help the urologist appropriately counsel their patients.
Urethrocavernous fistula is rarely reported, though should be considered within the differential diagnosis for men who present with urethral bleeding, particularly at time of erection. ...Ultrasonography with concomitant intracavernosal injection can be considered to confirm the diagnosis. Here we report a case of urethrocavernous fistula in a 48 year old man without preceding traumatic event.
To compare opioid requirements before and after cystectomy for end-stage Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) using a statewide tracking system.
Narcotic prescriptions were captured ...using the North Carolina Controlled Substance Reporting System for patients at a single institute undergoing cystectomy with urinary diversion (CWUD) for refractory, end-stage IC/BPS between 2010 and 2017. Values were documented for the year before and the year after surgery (excluding 30 days postoperatively to account for surgical pain) and converted to morphine equivalents (ME). Values were compared using Student t test.
Following CWUD, there was a mean decrease in opioid receipt per patient of 6535 ME/year (P = .321). 8/26 (31%) had not filled any opiate prescriptions for the preceding 3 months at time of manuscript writing.
In certain patients with end-stage, refractory IC/BPS, CWUD can help reduce opioid requirements.
