Reduced flow after tubularized incised plate urethroplasty--increased fibrogenesis, elastin fiber loss or neither?

Diagnostic Accuracy of Uroflowmetry for Urethral Strictures in Pediatric Hypospadias: TIP versus Non-TIP Outcomes

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of uroflowmetry in detecting pediatric urethral strictures following tubularized incised plate (TIP) and non-TIP urethroplasty.A retrospective cohort study was conducted on children who underwent primary hypospadias repairs from June 2016 to June 2023 at our institution. Patients were categorized into the TIP and the non-TIP groups. Urethral calibration and uroflowmetry were used to evaluate urethral patency following urethroplasty. Data on demographic characteristics, perioperative information, uroflowmetry results, urethral calibration outcomes, and postoperative complications were collected.The relationship between calibration and uroflowmetry and the diagnostic accuracy of uroflowmetry for urethral strictures were analyzed.A total of 62 cases were included, with 38 in the TIP group and 24 in the non-TIP group. Ten patients were diagnosed with urethral strictures. The maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) exhibited a higher area under the curve (AUC) than the average urinary flow rate (Qave) in both the TIP and non-TIP groups. The Qmax in the non-TIP group demonstrated a higher AUC than in the TIP group (non-TIP: AUC = 0.94, cutoff = 6.65 ml/s, sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 81.0%; TIP: AUC = 0.80, cutoff = 5.75 ml/s, sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 58.1%). A significant quadratic correlation was found between Qmax and urethral calibration (non-TIP: C 2 = 14.72 * Qmax, R 2 = 0.96; TIP: C 2 = 14.76 * Qmax, R 2 = 0.88). The Qmax nomogram interval ≤ -3 standard deviation was a significant predictor for non-TIP urethral strictures (kappa = 0.70).Uroflowmetry, particularly Qmax, shows promise as a noninvasive screening tool for detecting urethral strictures after hypospadias repair. It has high diagnostic accuracy in non-TIP cases but limited utility in TIP cases.

Preclinical Experiments for Hypospadias Surgery: Systematic Review and Quality Assessment

Background: There is a steadily growing number of different reconstructive surgical procedures for hypospadias that were tested on animal models prior to their human application. However, the clinical translatability and reproducibility of the results encountered in preclinical urethral reconstruction experiments is considered poor, with significant factors contributing to the poor design and reporting of animal experiments. Our objective was to evaluate the quality of the design and reporting in published articles of urethral reconstructive preclinical studies. Methods: Both PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched for animal urethral repair experiments between January 2014 and September 2019. Internal quality (bias) was evaluated through several signaling questions arising from the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE), while the quality of reporting was assessed by the Animal Research: Reporting of In vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines by scoring of a 20-item checklist. Results: A total of 638 articles were initially screened after the literature search. Employing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 30 studies were chosen for full-text screening and 21 studies were considered eligible for the quality assessment. The mean score of the checklist was 66%. The elements that accomplished the highest grades included the number of animals utilized, the number in each investigational and control group, and the delineation of investigational conclusions. The items that were least commonly stated comprised information about the experimental method, housing and husbandry, rationalization of the number of animals, and reporting of adverse events. No paper stated the sample size estimation. Conclusion: We found that several critical experiment design principles were poorly reported, which hinders a rigorous appraisal of the scientific quality and reproducibility of the experiments. A comprehensive implementation of the ARRIVE guidelines in animal studies exploring urethral repair is necessary to facilitate the effective translation of preclinical research findings into clinical therapies.

Risk Factors associated with Paraurethral Duct Dilatation following Gonococcal Paraurethral Duct Infection in Men

No studies have explored the risk factors for paraurethral duct dilatation following paraurethral duct infection by Neisseria gonorrhoeae in men undergoing ceftriaxone therapy. The present study was performed to explore the risk factors for paraurethral duct dilatation following paraurethral duct infection by N. gonorrhoeae in men undergoing ceftriaxone therapy and thus guide clinical interventions. We compared the demographic, behavioral, and clinical data of men with paraurethral duct infection by N. gonorrhoeae with and without dilatation of the paraurethral duct. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in age, disease course of the infected paraurethral duct, Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the paraurethral duct, and a history of paraurethral duct infection by N. gonorrhoeae between the patient and control groups (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed consistent results (P<0.05). This study that shows delayed treatment may be a major risk factor for paraurethral duct dilatation secondary to paraurethral duct infection by N. gonorrhoeae in men. Age, C. trachomatis infection in the paraurethral duct, and a history of paraurethral duct infection by N. gonorrhoeae are also risk factors. Thus, educating patients to undergo timely therapy and treating the C. trachomatis infection may be effective interventions.