Age-related urologic problems in the complex urologic patient

What should be next in lifelong posterior hypospadias: Conclusions from the 2023 ERN eUROGEN and EJP-RD networking meeting

BACKGROUND

A congenital disease is for life. Posterior hypospadias, the severe form of hypospadias with a penoscrotal, scrotal, or perineal meatus, is a challenging condition with a major impact on lifelong quality of life.

AIM

Our network meeting is aimed to identify what is currently missing in the lifelong treatment of posterior hypospadias, to improve care, quality of life, and awareness for these patients.

METHODS

The network meeting "Lifelong Posterior Hypospadias" in Utrecht, The Netherlands was granted by the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases-Networking Support Scheme. There was a combination of interactive sessions (hackathons) and lectures. This paper can be regarded as the last phase of the hackathon.

RESULTS

Surgery for hypospadias remains challenging and complications may occur until adulthood. Posterior hypospadias affects sexual function, fertility, and hormonal status. Transitional care from childhood into adulthood is currently insufficiently established. Patients should be more involved in defining desired treatment approach and outcome measures. For optimal outcome evaluation standardization of data collection and registration at European level is necessary. Tissue engineering may provide a solution to the shortage of healthy tissue in posterior hypospadias. For optimal results, cooperation between basic researchers from different centers, as well as involving clinicians and patients is necessary.

CONCLUSIONS

To improve outcomes for patients with posterior hypospadias, patient voices should be included and lifelong care by dedicated healthcare professionals guaranteed. Other requirements are joining forces at European level in uniform registration of outcome data and cooperation in basic research.

Transfer learning with CNNs for efficient prostate cancer and BPH detection in transrectal ultrasound images

Early detection of prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is crucial for maintaining the health and well-being of aging male populations. This study aims to evaluate the performance of transfer learning with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for efficient classification of PCa and BPH in transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images. A retrospective experimental design was employed in this study, with 1380 TRUS images for PCa and 1530 for BPH. Seven state-of-the-art deep learning (DL) methods were employed as classifiers with transfer learning applied to popular CNN architectures. Performance indices, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), Kappa value, and Hindex (Youden's index), were used to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the CNN methods. The CNN methods with transfer learning demonstrated a high classification performance for TRUS images, with all accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, PPV, NPV, Kappa, and Hindex values surpassing 0.9400. The optimal accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity reached 0.9987, 0.9980, and 0.9980, respectively, as evaluated using twofold cross-validation. The investigated CNN methods with transfer learning showcased their efficiency and ability for the classification of PCa and BPH in TRUS images. Notably, the EfficientNetV2 with transfer learning displayed a high degree of effectiveness in distinguishing between PCa and BPH, making it a promising tool for future diagnostic applications.

Patient-reported urinary outcomes in adult males with congenital colorectal conditions

PURPOSE

Long-term urinary outcomes for patients born with Hirschsprung disease (HD) and anorectal malformations (ARM) may impact their health and wellbeing into adulthood. This study describes self-reported long-term urinary outcomes in males with HD and ARM.

METHODS

This was a prospective study of male patients in the Adult Colorectal Research Registry who completed surveys on urinary function between October 2019 and March 2022. Self-reported health and functional outcomes were summarized, and differences based on type of condition were compared.

RESULTS

Sixty-seven patients completed the questionnaire (response rate: 59.1%), of which 17.9% (12) had HD and 82.1% (55) had an ARM. Rates of urinary incontinence and stress urinary incontinence were 16.4% (11) and 4.5% (3), respectively. On sub-analysis of patients with ARM, patients with sacral ratio (SR) of 0.4-0.69 reported higher UTI rates compared to those with SR ≥ 0.7 (57.9 vs 25.8%, p = 0.023). Renal failure rates were highest among patients with recto-bladder neck fistulas (66.0%, p = 0.012).

CONCLUSION

Patients with HD and ARM report a variety of urological sequelae in adulthood. Outcomes appear to be more common in patients with ARM and may be impacted by both anatomy and sacral ratios. Transitional care to monitor and manage renal and urological function is imperative.

Obstetric Complications in Women With Congenital Uterine Anomalies According to the 2013 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology and the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy Classification: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the risk for obstetric complications in women with congenital uterine anomalies and the risk in each main class of uterine anomaly (U2 [septate], U3 [bicorporeal], U4 [hemi-uterus]), based on the 2013 classification by the ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) and the ESGE (European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy).

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception until January 2021. The reference list of all included articles and previous systematic reviews were also screened to identify potential additional articles.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

Comparative and noncomparative studies that investigated the obstetric outcomes of women with any type of known congenital uterine anomaly were considered eligible for inclusion. Screening and eligibility assessment was performed independently by two reviewers.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

Forty-seven studies were included. The quality of included comparative studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Odds ratios (ORs), pooled proportions of each obstetric outcome, and 95% CIs were calculated in RevMan and Stata accordingly, using random effects models. Congenital uterine anomalies were associated with increased risk of preterm birth (OR 3.89, 95% CI 3.11-4.88); cervical insufficiency (OR 15.13, 95% CI 11.74-19.50); prelabor rupture of membranes (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.38-4.48); fetal malpresentation (OR 11.11, 95% CI 5.74-21.49); fetal growth restriction (OR 3.75, 95% CI 1.88-7.46); placental abruption (OR 5.21, 95% CI 3.34-8.13); placenta previa (OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.87-8.56); placental retention (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.16-2.52); and cesarean birth (OR 4.52, 95% CI 2.19-9.31); when compared with those without anomalies. Pooled estimated risks were 25% for preterm birth, 40% for fetal malpresentation, 64% for cesarean birth, 12% for prelabor rupture of membranes, 15% for fetal growth restriction, 4% for placental abruption, 5% for preeclampsia, 13% for cervical insufficiency, and 2% for placenta previa. Classes U2 (septate), U3 (bicorporeal), and U4 (hemi-uterus) were also associated independently with preterm birth, fetal malpresentation, cesarean birth, and placental abruption.

CONCLUSION

Congenital uterine anomalies are associated with obstetric complications across all examined ESHRE and ESGE classifications.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO, CRD42021244487.