The Japanese Urological Association's clinical practice guidelines for urotrauma 2023

The Japanese Urological Association's guidelines for the treatment of renal trauma were published in 2016. In conjunction with its revision, herein, we present the new guidelines for overall urotrauma. Its purpose is to provide standard diagnostic and treatment recommendations for urotrauma, including iatrogenic trauma, to preserve organ function and minimize complications and fatality. The guidelines committee comprised urologists with experience in urotrauma care, selected by the Trauma and Emergency Medicine Subcommittee of the Specialty Area Committee of the Japanese Urological Association, and specialists recommended by the Japanese Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology. The guidelines committee established the domains of renal and ureteral, bladder, urethral, and genital trauma, and determined the lead person for each domain. A total of 30 clinical questions (CQs) were established for all domains; 15 for renal and ureteral trauma and five each for the other domains. An extensive literature search was conducted for studies published between January 1, 1983 and July 16, 2020, based on the preset keywords for each CQ. Since only few randomized controlled trials or meta-analyses were found on urotrauma clinical practice, conducting a systematic review and summarizing the evidence proved challenging; hence, the grade of recommendation was determined according to the 2007 "Minds Handbook for Clinical Practice Guidelines" based on a consensus reached by the guidelines committee. We hope that these guidelines will be useful for clinicians in their daily practice, especially those involved in urotrauma care.

Traumatic bilateral testicular amputation in a 31 year old male: A case report

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Testicular loss following assault is a very rare occurrence and uncommon in the low income countries. Testicular amputation is usually associated with blast injuries, sexual violence and self-mutilation in psychiatric cases. Management involves a multidisciplinary approach and is focused on resuscitation, aggressive debridement, testosterone supplementation, and reconstructive surgery.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present a 31 year old male referred to the emergency department of a Regional Referral Hospital in western Uganda with a history of trauma to his scrotum. The patient had been well till 16 h prior to presentation when he was attacked by unknown assailants who broke into his house in the night. The patient was reportedly beaten before his scrotum was pulled and amputated with eventual profuse bleeding. Evacuation of approximately 150 cc hematoma was done plus debridement of necrotic testes and achieving hemostasis.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge, this was the first reported case of bilateral traumatic testicular amputation as a result of assault. Revascularization with micro-vascular techniques can be done if the patient presents early, but due to late presentation, the patient was only managed with aggressive debridement, reconstruction and testosterone supplementation.

Complete Rupture of Testis After Blunt Trauma

Testicular trauma can be classified aetiologically as blunt or penetrative. Bicycles and motorbikes are considered high risk for road traffic accidents accounting for 9-17% % of all blunt trauma. We present a case of assessment and management of isolated blunt testicular trauma in a tertiary care hospital. A 36-year-old gentleman presented to the accident and emergency department with testicular pain after a road traffic accident while riding a motorcycle. On arrival, he was fully conscious and denied any other injuries. On examination, he had bruising and gross swelling of the right hemiscrotum. Ultrasound of the scrotum revealed testicular rupture and emergency exploration was undertaken which confirmed the diagnosis. Testis was non-salvageable therefore orchidectomy was done. The patient had unremarkable post-operative recovery. A majority of testicular ruptures are secondary to blunt trauma mainly caused by sport-related injuries and road traffic accidents. Ultrasonography remains a non-invasive modality to investigate testicular injuries with a sensitivity of 100%. When not available in an emergency setting, scrotal exploration should be undertaken for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Surgical repair done within 72 hours yields a 90% salvage rate after which the salvage rate is reduced significantly. Tumor markers should be checked in patients managed conservatively. Early assessment and diagnosis are crucial in the management of acute testicular rupture. Early intervention can salvage injured testes and an orchidectomy can be avoided.

Genital self-amputation—its psychological urge

Genital self-mutilation (GSM) is a rare phenomenon that can occur in patients with severe mental health illness. This case report highlights a rare case of self-inflicted bilateral testicular amputation and partial penile amputation in a patient who is a transwoman with a psychiatric history. The patient initially presented to urology in extremis with bilateral testicular amputation. The patient was resuscitated but required emergency surgery in the form of bilateral inguinal approach to ligate the cord and control haemostasis. The testes were not re-implanted as the patient refused and, after psychiatric discussion, was deemed to have capacity. She then re-presented within a week with self-inflicted partial amputation of penis. On both admissions, the patient had psychiatric evaluation but she was sectioned under the mental health act the second time. This case demonstrates how one can control haemostasis in the emergency scenarios of GSM and emphasizes the importance of psychiatric illness and evaluation in patients presenting with GSM.

At The Forefront of Penile Surgical Reconstruction: A Bibliometric Study of the 100 Most-Cited Articles

PURPOSE

The citation count of a scientific article is considered as the recognition it received from this field. The purpose of this bibliometric analysis was to identify the top 100 most-cited scientific articles in penile surgical reconstruction.

METHODS

The Web of Science database was used to extract the top 100 most-cited articles. Individual articles were reviewed to identify the authorship, published journal, journal impact factor (IF), primary disease, article type, institution and country of origin, and year of publication.

RESULTS

The top 100 most-cited articles were published between 1947 and 2013. The number of citations ranged from 23 to 233. Journal of Urology contributed the most articles (n = 36). Articles with a high level of evidence like prospective analysis (n = 5), systematic review and meta-analysis (n = 2), and guideline (n = 1) were all published after 2000. The average citation per year of articles published in high-IF journals was significantly higher than that of other articles (p = 0.0129). There was a positive linear correlation between citation count per year and publication year (r² = 0.26, p < 0.001). Among the top 100 articles, 74 articles were interlinked via citation of each other. The major topic of co-citation network was the application of flaps in penile reconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of top 100 most-cited articles facilitates the comprehensive recognition of current focus in the field of penile surgical reconstruction, which is the exploration of flaps and development of new techniques in penile reconstruction. In the future, more attention should be paid to evidence-based medicine to provide high-level evidence for research.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Self-Induced Trauma to the Genitalia: a Review of the Literature and Management Schemes

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Self-induced genital trauma is rare, and prompt and evidence-based early intervention can improve the urinary and sexual function of these complex patients. This review has surveyed current literature and treatment trends to evaluate the clinical approach to managing genital trauma.

RECENT FINDINGS

A literature review was performed regarding self-induced genitalia trauma and trauma management between 2000 and 2019 using MEDLINE® database, the Cochrane Library® Central Search, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. In total, 42 articles were considered relevant and included in this review. Self-induced trauma can be appropriately managed with a multidisciplinary approach. Treatment goals are to preserve urinary, sexual, and reproductive function. Specific evaluation includes mechanism of injury, imaging, and determining the extent of injury and surgical repair, if indicated. Due to the rarity of these injuries and their emergent nature, much of the management is based on retrospective data. Further research is needed to improve long-term functional outcomes in trauma patients.

Traumatic avulsion of the spermatic cord due to blunt inguinal trauma: A case report

We report an extremely rare case of a patient with a total avulsion of the spermatic cord secondary to a blunt inguinal trauma. Doppler ultrasound was used to identify an absence of vascular flow and an indication for exploratory surgery. The retroperitoneum was accessed for hemostasis. Spermatic cord injury after blunt trauma is extremely rare but should be considered as a cause of an avascular testis after trauma.

Testicular rupture: Simplifying the diagnosis

Objective:

To review the use of ultrasound imaging in the diagnosis of testicular rupture and in relation to current guidelines.

Methods:

Data was retrospectively collected for all patients diagnosed with testicular rupture at a major trauma centre between 2011 and 2018. Data included patient demographics, mechanism of trauma, specific findings on ultrasound and outcomes. On review of ultrasound imaging, specific findings identified include a breach in the tunica albuginea (currently advised in guidelines), heterogenicity and contour loss.

Results:

Eight patients were identified with average age 37 years old, mechanism of trauma was 50%, 37.5% and 12.5% for motorcycle road traffic collision, sporting injury and workplace injury respectively. A breach of tunica albuginea was identified on ultrasound in 65% of cases, compared with 100% of cases showing contour loss and heterogenicity. Of the 87.5% patients who were managed surgically one needed orchidectomy (and later testosterone replacement).

Conclusion:

Guidelines have varied on how to use ultrasound imaging in diagnosing a clinically difficult condition. Our case series demonstrates that diagnosing testicular rupture by looking for more easily identifiable characteristics (heterogenicity and contour loss) than currently recommended in the guidelines (breech in the tunica albuginea) will aid diagnosis and patient pathway and improve outcomes.

Level of evidence:

5