Transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy acts as a therapeutic investigation for intractable hemospermia: Step‐by‐step illustrations and single‐surgeon experience |
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Authors: | Ju‐Chuan Hu Chuan‐Shu Chen |
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Institution: | Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan |
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Abstract: | Objective To describe the methodology of transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy and the anatomy of the seminal tract, and to report a single‐surgeon experience with this procedure. Methods A total of 38 consecutive patients with intractable macroscopic hemospermia were enrolled from January 2010 to July 2016. A 6/7.5‐Fr semirigid ureteroscope was used to enter the seminal tract by one of these two approaches: through either a trans‐ejaculatory duct opening or a trans‐utricle fenestration. Patient characteristics and their preoperative and postoperative measurements were analyzed retrospectively. Results The success rate of transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy was 92.1%, whereas the approaching method in most patients was the trans‐utricle fenestration (88.89%). A total of 34 (94.4%) transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy inspections ended with complete remission, even though nearly half of them (47.2%) only disclosed negative perioperative findings. The median period to complete remission was 4 weeks (interquartile range 4–6 weeks) after the procedure. Four patients had recurrent hemospermia, and the median time to recurrence was 21.5 (range 13–48.5) months. Conclusions Transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool for intractable hemospermia, and also plays a therapeutic role by blocking the vicious cycle of stasis, calculi and seminal vesiculitis. More familiarity of the anatomy and enough practice would make the learning curve less steep. |
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Keywords: | diagnosis hemospermia therapy transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy |
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