Segmental priapism

A case report of a 27-year-old male with segmental priapism of the left proximal corpus cavernosum is presented. Treatment consisted in evacuation and irrigation of the corpus.     

Video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy: a new minimally invasive procedure for radical management of inguinal nodes in patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE: Video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy is a recently described lymphadenectomy with the same template of the open technique but performed with laparoscopic instruments under video guidance. It was developed to decrease procedure related morbidity while maintaining good oncological results. We report our initial results in a trial comparing video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy with standard inguinal lymphadenectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2003 to 2005, 10 patients with penile carcinoma who were at high risk for inguinal metastases underwent bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy. We performed standard lymphadenectomy in 1 limb and video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy on the contralateral side. Perioperative results and followup data were compared. RESULTS: No intraoperative complications occurred. Mean operative time was 92 and 126 minutes for open and endoscopic surgery, respectively (p=0.00002). Despite the small number of patients we noted a decrease in cutaneous complications with video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (0% vs 50%, p=0.017) and a trend toward decreased overall morbidity with this endoscopic technique (20% vs 70%, p=0.059). The mean number of retrieved and positive lymph nodes were similar for the 2 techniques. At a mean followup of 18.7 months (range 12 to 31) no signs of recurrence or disease progression were noted. In the postoperative period 9 of the 10 patients identified video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy as the preferred technique in terms of surgical morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy is a safe and feasible technique in patients with penile carcinoma and nonpalpable nodes. These preliminary results suggest that video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy may decrease postoperative morbidity without compromising oncological control. Future studies should include the bilateral procedure, longer term followup and a greater number of patients.     

Ureteral necrosis in dermatomyositis

We describe a child with dermatomyositis and calcified necrosis in the middle third of both ureters. Histopathological examination showed vasculitis associated with ureteral necrosis and calcification. These findings together with a similar previous report in the literature have prompted us to correlate dermatomyositis in childhood with ureteral necrosis and to anticipate specifically a lesion in the middle third of the ureter because of the relative lack of blood flow in that segment.     

Terapia de privación de andrógenos y obesidad mórbida: ¿tienen en común el riesgo cardiovascular por síndrome metabólico?

BackgroundAlthough the use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has resulted in improved survival in men with advanced prostate cancer, the resulting hypogonadism is associated with profound adverse effects comparable to those found in morbid obesity, being cardiovascular risk among the most lethal.ObjectivesEvaluate metabolic syndrome, metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular risk in patients with prostate cancer under ADT, not under ADT and morbid obese men.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study that involves 79 men presenting prostate cancer, of whom 54 under ADT and 25 not under ADT and 91 morbidly obese patients paired by sex and age. To define metabolic syndrome, we used the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Metabolic abnormalities, metabolic markers and Framingham score to predict the ten year coronary heart disease risk were compared among patients under ADT, not under ADT and morbid obese.ResultsPatients under ADT presented significantly greater occurrence of diabetes and central obesity and higher levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) compared to eugonadal men. The mean cardiovascular risk was significantly higher in patients under ADT (39.97 ± 12.53% vs. 26.09 ± 14.80%; p = 0.021). Morbidly obese subjects had increased ten year coronary heart disease risk; comparable to patients under ADT (p = 0.054).ConclusionThis study suggests that patients under ADT show higher prevalence of metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular risk similar to those found in morbidly obese subjects. It is possible that both processes share cardiovascular risk through metabolic syndrome.