Development and validation of the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire for Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ‐MLUTS) and the ICIQ‐MLUTS Long Form in Chinese population

Functional outcomes of organ sparing surgery for penile cancer confined to glans and premalignant lesions

The first-line treatment of penile cancer confined to the glans (Tis-T2) is based on organ-sparing approaches. Our aim is to report functional outcomes of total glans resurfacing (TGR), wide local excision (WLE) and glansectomy. A retrospective analysis was conducted from January 2013 to October 2022. Ninety-nine patients were enrolled (22 TGR, 29 WLE, and 48 glansectomy). Sexual and urinary outcomes were explored using ad hoc and validated questionnaires (IIEF-15 and IPSS). The mean follow-up was 25.28 ± 24.87 months [95% CI: 20.38; 30.18]. 44 patients (12 TGR, 10 WLE, and 22 glansectomy) were assessed for functional outcomes. Overall, 86.36% of patients were satisfied with the surgery. The mean IIEF-15 score pre-operation was 54.91 ± 21.38 [95% CI: 48.41-61.41], and at 12 months post-operation, it was 44.39 ± 23.01 [95% CI: 37.39-51.39], with the change being statistically significant (mean difference: -10.52, (-19.15), p < 0.001). During the 0-12-month interval, IIEF-15 scores decreased across all techniques. Glansectomy and WLE showed significant decreases (Glansectomy: -12.955, -24.14%, [95% CI: -21.52, -4.38], p = 0.002; WLE: -14.1, -22.92%, [95% CI: -26.8, -1.39], p = 0.025 respectively), whereas TGR experienced a non-significant decrease (-3.083, -5.97%, CI: [-14.68, 8.51], p = 1.0). Concerning urinary function, only 18.18% of overall patients reported a negative impact of surgery. At 12-months, patients returned almost to pre-intervention IPSS values. Organ-sparing surgery guarantees a decent preservation of both erectile and voiding functions. TGR seems to provide better sexual outcomes when compared to other organ sparing approaches.

Translation and validation into Brazilian Portuguese of the English version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire for Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-MLUTS)

OBJECTIVES

To translate and cross-culturally adapt the English version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire for Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-MLUTS) into Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate its psychometric properties.

INTRODUCTION

Male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are frequent and commonly assessed with questionnaires. The ICIQ-MLUTS is a robust instrument that investigates the main aspects of LUTS in men and their impact on quality of life. Although highly recommended, Grade A is not as popular as the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and remained untranslated and unvalidated for Brazilian Portuguese.

METHODS

After authorization by the Advisory Board of the International Consultation on Incontinence (ICIQ) the translation process was conducted according to the standard guidelines and the ICIQ validation protocol. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's ⍺ coefficient and values > 0.7 were considered satisfactory. To assess test-retest reliability and reproducibility, Spearman's correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient were used. For group data, a Spearman correlation coefficient or an intraclass correlation coefficient of at least 0.70 demonstrates good test-retest reliability. A p < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

One hundred and eighty-six, aged 61.41 ± 11.01 years, suffering from LUTS participated in the study between January 2021 and October 2022. Cronbach's ⍺, 0.875, demonstrated the internal consistency of the Portuguese version of ICIQ-MLUTS. The intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.912 (0.882; 0.935 - 95% CI) for the test-retest evidenced the stability and validity of the instrument. Likewise, Spearman's correlation coefficient highlighted the agreement between IPSS and ICIQ-MLUTS, 0.906, <0.001.

DISCUSSION

The Portuguese version of the ICIQ-MLUTS demonstrated internal consistency, stability, and validity, in addition to agreement with the IPSS.

CONCLUSION

The ICIQ-MLUTS, translated and validated into Brazilian Portuguese, is a robust and reliable instrument to assess LUTS in Brazilian men and can be used in the evaluation of treatment and research.

Exploring pelvic floor muscle function in men with and without pelvic floor symptoms: A population-based study

BACKGROUND

Pelvic floor symptoms (PFS), such as lower urinary tract symptoms, defecation disorders, sexual problems, and genital-pelvic pain, are prevalent in men. Thorough physical assessments of the external anal sphincter (EAS) and the puborectal muscle (PRM) are the keys to unraveling the role of muscle dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES

To explore associations within and between the EAS and PRM and between muscle (dys-) function and the number of male PFS.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study purposively enrolled men aged ≥21 years with 0-4 symptoms from a larger study. After extensive external and internal digital pelvic floor assessment, we explored (1) agreement between muscle function of the EAS versus PRM (using cross tabulation), (2) associations within and between the EAS and PRM (using heatmaps), and (3) associations between muscle function and number of PFS (using a visual presentation [heatmaps] and χ²  tests).

RESULTS

Overall, 42 out of 199 men (21%) had completely normal muscle function. Sixty-six (33.2%) had no symptoms, of which 53 (80%) had some degree of muscle dysfunction. No clear dose-response relationship existed between muscle (dys-) function and the number of symptoms. The PRM showed both more dysfunction and severer dysfunction than the EAS.

CONCLUSIONS

No clear association exists between muscle dysfunction and the number of symptoms, and the absence of PFS does not indicate normal muscle function for all men. Dysfunction levels are highest for the PRM. Further pelvic floor muscle research is warranted in men with PFS.

Sexual and urinary function post-surgical treatment of femoroacetabular impingement: experience from the FIRST trial and embedded cohort study

The goal of this study was to investigate the sexual and urinary function and any related complications in patients post-hip arthroscopy for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Data from 214 patients enrolled in the FIRST trial and 110 patients enrolled in the trial's embedded prospective cohort study (EPIC) were analyzed. EPIC patients either refused to participate in the trial or did not meet the FIRST eligibility criteria. Outcomes included the International Consultation on Continence Questionnaire (ICIQ) for males (ICIQ-MLUTS) and females (ICIQ-FLUTS) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) administered before surgery and at 6 weeks and 12 months. Urinary and sexual function adverse events were recorded up to 24 months. Linear regression analyses were conducted to compare the osteochondroplasty and lavage groups in the FIRST trial and to evaluate age and traction time as prognostic factors among all patients. Longer traction time was associated with a small but statistically significant improvement in urinary voiding function in males at 6 weeks and 12 months (MD (95% CI) = 0.25 (0.12, 0.39), P < 0.001 and 0.21 (0.07, 0.35), P = 0.004), respectively. Mean traction time was 43.7 (± 23.2) min for FIRST trial and 52.8 (± 15.2) min for EPIC cohort patients. Increasing age in male patients was associated with a decrease in urinary continence at 6 weeks (MD (95% CI) = 0.25 (-0.42, -0.09), P = 0.003). FIRST male patients who received osteochondroplasty improved significantly in sexual function at 12 months compared to males in the EPIC cohort (MD (95% CI) = 2.02 (0.31, 3.72), P = 0.020). There was an overall complication rate of 1.2% at 24 months [one urinary infection, two instances of erectile dysfunction (one transient and one ongoing at 24 months) and one reported transient numbness of tip of the penis]. Hip arthroscopy for the treatment of FAI has a low rate of sexual and urinary dysfunction and adverse events.

Long-Term Effect of Early Post-operative Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation on Voiding Function After Radical Hysterectomy: A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial

Introduction: Post-radical-hysterectomy (RH) patients suffer from a series of problems resulting from neurovascular injury, such as bladder dysfunction, which reduce their quality of life. We have designed this study to evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) on patient rehabilitation after RH for early cervical cancer.

Materials and methods: A total of 97 patients were enrolled in a randomized-controlled trial (from January 2015 to December 2019) involving 7 medical centers nationwide. Patients were assigned to either the intervention group (n = 46), or the control group (n = 51). TENS was given to patients in the intervention group from the 7^th day after surgery for a total of 14–21 days. The control group received no TENS. Primary outcomes were measured for residual urine volume and recovery of urination function. Secondary outcomes were measures for urodynamics (UDS), pelvic floor electromyography function examination (PFEmF), and quality of life (QoL).

Results: Residual urine volume and improvement in the rate of urination were found to show no significant differences on the 14^th, 21^st, and 28^th days after surgery. The maximum flow rate (Qmax) in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group on the 28^th day, but there were no significant differences in average flow rate, voiding time, time to Qmax, muscle fiber strength, muscle fiber fatigue, and the abnormal rate of A3 reflection on the 28^th day and the 3^rd mo., as well as in the QoL at 3^rd mo., 6^th mo., and 12^th mo. after surgery.

Conclusion: Our study showed no sufficient evidence to prove that TENS under the trialed parameters could improve the subject's voiding function, PFEmF, and QOL after RH. This has provided valuable data for rehabilitation after RH.

Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02492542.

The clinical features and predictive factors of nocturnal enuresis in adult men

OBJECTIVES

To characterise the clinical features and to discover predictive factors of adult males with nocturnal enuresis (NE).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 43 eligible adult male patients (mean age was 57.8 years) were recruited prospectively over a 2-year period. After documentation of medical history, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) were assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire-male LUTS (ICIQ-MLUTS), and a 3-day ICIQ-bladder diary (ICIQ-BD). Video-urodynamic studies (VUDS) were conducted conforming to the International Continence Society standards. Univariate and multivariate linear regressions were performed to determine potential predictive factors.

RESULTS

Patients with NE had a variety of LUTS and had a high incidence of obesity and comorbidities. On the ICIQ-BD, NE was associated with nocturnal polyuria (NP), reduced nocturnal bladder capacity (NBC), or a combination of both. Subgroup analysis indicated that patients with more frequent NE had: higher body mass index (BMI); more comorbidities; reduced daytime urinary frequency and urgency quality of life (QoL) sub-scores; and increased stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and nocturnal bedwetting sub-scores. Patients with reduced NBC only, had fewer NE episodes, while patients with NP, or with both NP and reduced NBC were more likely have frequent NE. Multivariate analysis confirmed that: BMI; neurogenic causes; sub-scores of SUI QoL and bedwetting domain; the presence of reduced NBC, and both NP and reduced NBC; and bladder outlet obstruction, were all independent predictive factors for the severity of NE.

CONCLUSIONS

NE n the adult male should be systemically assessed and treated, as obesity, neurogenic disorders, excessive urine production, bladder storage and emptying dysfunctions are risk factors. Bladder diaries and VUDS provide valuable information on potential pathophysiological causes, which could assist clinical evaluation and selection of focussed treatment.

Sexual dysfunction in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

BACKGROUND

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common but poorly understood symptom in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The study was designed to compare SD between NMOSD patients and healthy controls (HCs), and to investigate factors that influenced SD in NMOSD patients.

METHODS

The study enrolled 102 sexually active NMOSD patients and 110 HCs. SD was investigated with the Female Sexual Function Inventory (FSFI), the abridged International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) and the Chinese Index of Premature Ejaculation-5 (CIPE-5). Disability, lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD), fatigue, depression and anxiety were also evaluated.

RESULTS

The prevalence of SD, including female sexual dysfunction (FSD), erectile dysfunction (ED), and premature ejaculation (PE), was significantly higher in NMOSD patients than in HCs (P < .01). The FSFI, IIEF-5 and CIPE-5 scores were all significantly lower in NMOSD patients than in HCs (P < .01). Correlation analysis showed that SD was strongly correlated with age, age at onset, disability, LUTD, fatigue, depression and anxiety (P < .05). Regression analysis further revealed that age at onset (OR = 1.057, P = .036), disability (OR = 1.591, P = .011), and depression (OR = 1.111, P = .041) were independent predictors of FSD in NMOSD patients.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided evidence that SD is a common problem in NMOSD patients and that age at onset, disability, and depression are independent predictors of FSD. More attention should be paid to SD in patients with NMOSD.