Aquablation has emerged as a novel ablative therapy combining image guidance and robotics for targeted waterjet adenoma resection.
To describe a standardised technique of aquablation in the treatment ...of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO), and to report the perioperative and 1-yr functional outcomes obtained by multiple surgeons with no previous experience of the technique.
Between September 2017 and January 2018, patients referred to three different urological centres for BPO surgical management were prospectively enrolled to undergo an aquablation procedure.
Aquablation was performed using the Aquabeam system (Procept BioRobotics, Redwood Shores, CA, USA) that combines transrectal prostatic image guidance and robotics bespoke tissue resection with a high-pressure saline jet. The surgeon defines the area of treatment, and the resection is executed automatically.
The primary endpoint was the change in total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) score at 6 and 12mo. Functional outcomes were assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12mo with IPSS, International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-15, Sexual Health Inventory for Men, and Male Sexual Health Questionnaire questionnaires and uroflowmetry.
Thirty patients were enrolled in the study. The median operative time and resection time were 30.5 (24–35) and 4 (3.1–4.9)min, respectively. The median catheterisation time was 43 (23–49)h. The median hospitalisation stay was 2 (2–4)d. The IPSS score improved to 3 (1–6) at the 6mo, with a mean change of 15.6 points (95% confidence interval 13–18.2). IPSS improvements persisted at month 12. The maximum urinary flow rate improved to 20.4 (17–26)ml/s at 12mo. The 6-mo rates of Clavien-Dindo grade 2 and 3 events were 13.3%. There were no reports of incontinence or de novo erectile dysfunction. Postoperative de novo ejaculatory dysfunction was observed in 26.7% of patients.
This clinical registry confirmed that aquablation was feasible, safe, and effective, and provided immediate good functional results and similar outcomes to those of prior studies despite the lack of surgeons’ previous experience with the technique.
Aquablation is feasible, safe, and reproducible with promising outcomes for treating benign prostatic enlargement.
This prospective multicentre registry adds to the growing literature supporting the safety and reproducibility of aquablation for the treatment of benign prostatic obstruction. Despite a limited number of cases performed per surgeon, 1-yr functional outcomes appeared to be consistent with previous series.
Objective
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Rezūm therapy in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with prostates ≥80 mL.
Methods
A prospective registry was established at two high‐volume ...Canadian centres. Patients had baseline medical history documented, and uroflowmetry and questionnaire results were recorded over 12 months.
Results
Eighty‐three patients (median interquartile range {IQR} age 69.2 63.2, 74.8 years) with a prostate size ≥80 mL were included. The median (IQR) prostate volume was 100.0 (88.5, 115.0) mL and 65% had a median lobe. Twenty‐one patients had prior urinary retention. The median (IQR) number of injections was 13 (11, 15) and catheterization duration was 9 (7, 14) days. International Prostate Symptom Scores (IPSSs) improved by 24%, 57% and 59% at 1, 3 and 12 months, respectively (P < 0.001). IPSS Quality of Life (QoL) scores improved by 27%, 56% and 70% at these same timepoints (P < 0.001). Maximum urinary flow rate improved by 55% at 3 months (P = 0.002) and 59% at 12 months, and post‐void residual urine volume improved by 58% at 3 months (P = 0.006). BPH Impact Index scores improved by 57% at 3 months and 71% at 12 months. International Index of Erectile Function‐15 scores improved by 15% at 6 months, and Male Sexual Health Questionnaire for Ejaculatory Dysfunction scores improved by 22.4% at 1 month. Three patients (3.6%) noted reduced/anejaculation. No events of Clavien–Dindo grade III or higher occurred.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates, for the first time, the safety and efficacy of Rezūm therapy in large glands >80 mL. IPSS improved by 59% and IPSS QoL score improved by 70% at 12 months. Objective maximum urinary flow measures improved at 12 months by 59%, while erectile and ejaculatory function remained preserved.
To evaluate the change in prostate volume (PV) and relationship to improvement in urinary symptom scores following Rezūm therapy.
Quality of life outcomes and PV were assessed at baseline and ...12months postprocedure. Percent change from baseline in outcomes and PV were calculated, as was the number of Rezum injection to baseline PV ratio. Association between total number of injections and changes in outcomes and PV were evaluated using linear regression models.
A total of 49 men (mean age=67.8; standard deviation=9.4) underwent the procedure between April 2019 and September 2020, with a median baseline PV of 71.5 cc (range 24-150) and median number of vapor injections of 11.0 (range 4-21). At 12months, the median percent change in PV was - 34.0% (interquartile range: -49.2%, -16.7%), with 45/49 (91.8%) patients having reduced volume. Among the 45 patients with reduced volume at 12months, every 10% increase in volume reduction was associated with a 7.5% (95% confidence interval, 1.4%-13.6%; P = .02) improvement in the International Prostate Symptom Score. There was no significant association between total number of injections or injection to baseline volume ratio and change in PV.
In this cohort of men treated with Rezūm therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia, it was demonstrated that there is a correlation between greater PV reduction and greater symptomatic improvement. This study showed no association between more injections or the ratio of injections to PV changes, refuting the claim that more injections are better.
Abstract Context The role of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for men with high-risk (HR) prostate cancer (PCa) has not been well studied. Objective To evaluate the indications for ...surgical treatment, technical aspects such as nerve sparing (NS) and lymph node dissection (LND), and perioperative outcomes of men with HR PCa treated with RARP. Evidence acquisition A systematic expert review of the literature was performed in October 2012, searching the Medline, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Studies with a precise HR definition, robotic focus, and reporting of perioperative and pathologic outcomes were included. Evidence synthesis A total of 12 papers (1360 patients) evaluating RARP in HR PCa were retrieved. Most studies (67%) used the D’Amico classification for defining HR. Biopsy Gleason grade 8–10 was the most frequent HR identifier (61%). Length of follow-up ranged from 9.7 to 37.7 mo. Incidence of NS varied, although when performed did not appear to compromise oncologic outcomes. Extended LND (ELND) revealed positive nodes in up to a third of patients. The rate of symptomatic lymphocele after ELND was 3%. Overall mean operative time was 168 min, estimated blood loss was 189 ml, length of hospital stay was 3.2 d, and catheterization time was 7.8 d. The 12-mo continence rates using a no-pad definition ranged from 51% to 95% with potency recovery ranging from 52% to 60%. The rate of organ-confined disease was 35%, and the positive margin rate was 35%. Three-year biochemical recurrence–free survival ranged from 45% to 86%. Conclusions Although the use of RARP for HR PCa has been relatively limited, it appears safe and effective for select patients. Short-term results are similar to the literature on open radical prostatectomy. Variability exists for NS and the template of LND, although ELND improves staging and removes a higher number of metastatic nodes. Further study is required to assess long-term outcomes.
Abstract Context The optimal management strategy for men with newly diagnosed clinically localized prostate cancer remains a matter of debate. Numerous series have reported cancer control and ...quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes following treatment with radical prostatectomy (RP). Objective Critically review published oncologic and functional outcomes after RP, and evaluate factors associated with these outcome measures. Evidence acquisition A review of the literature was performed using the Medline and Web of Sciences databases. Relevant reports published between 1980 and 2011 identified using the keywords prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy, prostate-specific antigen, biochemical recurrence, incontinence , and erectile dysfunction were reviewed and summarized. Evidence synthesis Cancer control rates following RP largely depend on the definition of treatment efficacy. While up to 40% of men have been reported to experience postoperative biochemical recurrence on long-term follow-up, death from prostate cancer has been noted in <10% of men at 15 yr after surgery in contemporary series. For men with high-risk disease, surgery affords pathologic staging, thereby facilitating the selective application of secondary therapies, and has been associated with decreased mortality risk versus radiation in retrospective series. Reported functional outcomes after surgery, particularly urinary continence and erectile dysfunction, have varied greatly to date. These assessments have been limited by nonstandardized reporting methodology. The use of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy has increased in recent years, and while follow-up is thus far short, available data do not suggest the superiority of either approach in terms of functional or oncologic outcomes. Conclusions RP is associated with excellent long-term cancer control. Continued efforts to conduct prospective assessments of postoperative functional outcomes are necessary using validated QoL instruments. The importance of surgical approach will also require further study, incorporating comparative oncologic, functional, and economic data.
To assess the outcomes of a “less is more” treatment approach consisting of a single water vapor treatment per prostate lobe for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Retrospective cohort study in a ...single urologic clinic of men with moderate to severe symptomatic BPH with and without median lobes undergoing thermal water vapor therapy. Single injection of thermal water vapor was given in each prostate lobe. The primary endpoint compared maximum urine flow rate (Qmax), post-void residual (PVR), International Prostatism Symptom Score (IPSS), and the IPSS Quality of Life scale (IPSS QoL) at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.
The study included 52 men with mean prostate volume and IPSS of 52.8cc and 20.3cc, respectively. IPSS was reduced by -3.95 ± 7.5 at 3 months (P = .02875), -8.5 ± 9.3 at 6 months (P = .01767), and -11.63 ± 8.4 at 12 months (P = .005908). IPSS QoL improved by -1.75 ± 1.2 t 12 months (P = .003799) and QMax by 5.36 ± 3.7 mL/s at 12 months (P = .008445). Time to post-operative catheter removal was 3.5 ± 1.3 days. One patient reported ejaculatory dysfunction. All other adverse events were mild to moderate in severity and resolved quickly.
Thermal water vapor therapy with single injection per lobe is both an effective and safe treatment for BPH that provides comparable improvements in lower urinary tract symptoms and quality of life to the traditional approach that employed variable number of injections by prostate volume.
To understand which attributes men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) undergoing water vapor thermal therapy (WVTT) find important while considering treatment options for the condition.
Men (
= ...170) with lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH who underwent WVTT between April 2019 and November 2020 in a Toronto urologic clinic were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey included eight attributes of BPH surgical procedures and five attributes of WVTT. Patients were asked how important each attribute was to them before they selected a BPH procedure and decided to undergo WVTT.
In total, 128 respondents (75%) completed the survey. A majority of the respondents were White (88%), married (83%), and aged 60-69 years old (45%). Approximately 97% of respondents rated the ability to avoid further BPH treatments as "very important" or "extremely important," followed by duration to return to normal activities (79%), and wait times to receive the procedure (57%). Only 47% of patients reported that postprocedural catheterization was important. For WVTT, 98% of the respondents rated avoiding more invasive surgical treatments and 88% rated a quick recovery as important attributes.
Among men with moderate-to-severe BPH undergoing WVTT, the most important attributes for selecting a BPH surgical procedure were avoiding further BPH treatments, returning quickly to normal activities, and reducing treatment wait times. Most men chose WVTT to avoid more invasive procedures and have a quick recovery.
To evaluate the existing evidence on the efficacy of pessaries in improving quality of life when used for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP).
We searched for the terms "pelvic organ ...prolapse" and "pessar/y/ies/ium or vaginal support device," and "safety or safe or outcome or complication or efficacy or effective or effectiveness" in PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL on March 16, 2020. A search was also performed on ClinicalTrials.gov , with no studies fitting our strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Studies that reported pretreatment and posttreatment mean scores and SDs after pessary treatment for standardized questionnaires were included. Studies performed in pediatric populations, pregnancy, and use of pessaries not for prolapse were excluded. Three reviewers independently screened studies.
Data abstraction was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Data were pooled for meta-analysis when reported by at least three studies. The primary study outcome was change in mean pretreatment and posttreatment questionnaire scores, which included those for the PFDI-20 (Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory- Short Form 20), PFIQ-7 (Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire - Short Form 7), and subscale POPIQ (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Impact Questionnaire Long Form). A random-effects model was used to combine estimates and capture between-study heterogeneity using the I 2 -statistic. Eight studies including 627 patients were included for systematic review. The mean (SD) age was 63.0±12.2 years, and the majority of patients had stage III prolapse (48.1%) followed by stage II prolapse (43.2%) when reported. Although variable, the majority of studies conducted 3-month follow-up. A negative change in pretreatment and posttreatment scores was noted, signifying improvement after pessary use: PFDI-20 mean change -46.1 (95% CI -65.4 to -26.8); PFIQ-7 mean change -36.0 (95% CI -46.0 to -26.0); POPIQ-7 (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Impact Questionnaire-7) mean change -16.3 (95% CI -26.8 to -5.7). No significant heterogeneity was found.
Based on improvements in standardized questionnaire scores, pessaries are effective treatment options for POP.
PROSPERO, CRD42020172618.
