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Biomedical subjects

T Sulser

Publications and source records attributed to T Sulser.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

[Results of comprehensive data collection concerning urologic laparoscopy].

To evaluate the current status of laparoscopy, the "Working Group Laparoscopy" of the German Urological Association performed a questionnaire among urologists in Germany. Of 300 questionnaires 183 were returned and analyzed (61%): 54% of the departments already performed laparoscopy and another 50% are planning to introduce this technique. The major concerns are economical (70%), long learning curve (92%), investment (53%), and lack of scientific data (76%). Simple nephrectomy, cryptorchism, and varicoceles are treated by 66, 59, and 58 of the 96 departments laparoscopically (of 183 resp.). Laparoscopic surgery for radical prostatectomy and tumor nephrectomy is done by 32 and 34 of 96 departments. Only a minority of the centers performs more than 40 laparoscopies per year and indication. Compared to a survey conducted in 1995, the acceptance level of this technique has increased (100% vs 48%). Only a minority of the departments performs more than 40 laparoscopic interventions per year for one indication.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

[Manually-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy].

The number of patients suffering from terminal renal failure awaiting kidney transplantation has continued to increase. Since the number of available cadaver donor kidneys has largely remained unchanged, a special publicity campaign achieved that almost one-half of the kidneys transplanted in Basle come from live donors. We performed a laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy in 14 patients between March 1998 and August 1999. Despite good experience regarding transplant function and patient satisfaction, the hand-assisted technique was introduced in 1999 because of the long average operating time of 230 min (200-270) and warm ischemia time of 7.5 min (4-9). In the 33 operations performed up to now, the average operating time and warm ischemia time could be significantly reduced to 185 min (135-240) and 2.4 min (1.5-4), respectively. Most recently, the technique of retroperitoneoscopic live donor nephrectomy was successfully employed in 4 patients and could possibly represent the method of choice for the future.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Treatment of varicocele: a prospective randomized comparison of laparoscopy versus antegrade sclerotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the therapeutic success, the morbidity and the costs of antegrade sclerotherapy versus laparoscopic varicocelectomy. METHODS: Seventy-six consecutive varicocele patients were randomly assigned to two treatment arms. Preoperative and 3 month postoperative sperm density, motility and morphology were analysed. The diagnosis of the varicocele was established clinically and with Doppler ultrasonography. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients treated by either of the two methods were followed up. The recurrence rate increased progressively with the size of the varicocele in both groups. The postoperative incidence of complications particularly hydrocele formation was significantly higher in the laparoscopic group. The costs of the disposable material for laparoscopic varicocelectomy was twice as high as for sclerotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Antegrade sclerotherapy is the less invasive treatment method of male varicocele with lower costs and better outcome and should therefore be the preferred treatment method for male varicocele.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[A rare cause of nephrotic syndrome in a young woman with flank pain, milky urine and leukocyturia].

A 27 year old patient presented with a sudden acute illness showing right flank pain, milky urine, nephrotic range proteinuria, erythrocyturia and leukocyturia in the urinary sediment with a negative leukocyte test stick. The proof of a pronounced hypertriglyceriduria led to the diagnosis of Chyluria. The lymphangiogram confirmed the presence of a retroperitoneal lymphatic dysplasia with evidence of communication with the right renal pelvis on the CT-lymphogram. Chyluria is generally the result of parasitic infection and is extremely rare in Europe. In the presence of symptoms including milky urine, proteinuria and leukocyturia in the urinary sediment and a negative urine leukocyte stick test and absence of infectious signs, chyluria must be suspected. The diagnosis should be substantiated through proof of hypertriglyceriduria and confirmed by lymphangiography.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2001

Noninflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome: immunological study in blood, ejaculate and prostate tissue.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this prospective study was to observe immunophenotypic patterns in patients with noninflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome (Cat IIIB CPPS) for further description and as possible surrogate markers for diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Eighty-eight patients with a referral diagnosis of chronic prostatitis underwent fractionated urinary cultures including expressed prostate secretion (EPS) and ejaculate analysis twice on two occasions. Monthly serum analyses included C3c, C4, IL-1alpha, sIL-2R, and IL-6. One hundred samples from healthy individuals were used as the control group for serum analysis. Monthly ejaculate testing was done for IgG, IgA, IgM, IL-1alpha, sIL-2R, and IL-6. The control group for ejaculate analysis was composed of 96 normal ejaculates (according to the WHO criteria). Immunohistochemical detection of CD3 cells (T lymphocytes) and CD20 cells (B lymphocytes) was performed in 71 biopsy cylinders of Cat IIIB CPPS patients and in 25 prostate biopsy cylinders of men without symptoms or obstruction. RESULTS: Complete sampling of urinary, serum and ejaculate specimens was achieved in 50/88 (57%) patients. Cat IIIB CPPS was observed in 44/50 (88%) patients. Intra-acinar T-lymphocytic infiltrates were dominated by T cytotoxic cells (p = 0.05). Immunohistochemical studies showed inflammatory expression in serum complement, serum interleukin, and ejaculate interleukin concentrations in relation to the presence of large numbers of T cells (all p values < or =0.01). No difference was found in the proportion of B lymphocytes in patients with Cat IIIB CPPS compared to the control group. Serum and ejaculate IL-6 and ejaculate IgA increased significantly and dropped again, correlating with a release of clinical symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Interleukin, complement and immunoglobulin determinations in serum and ejaculate reveal an inflammatory process even in Cat IIIB CPPS. The findings of intra-acinar T-cell-rich infiltrates and the associated inflammatory reaction may be a significant advance in defining Cat IIIB CPPS caused by a possible autoimmune component. Serum and ejaculate IL-6 and ejaculate IgA are possible surrogate markers for the diagnosis and treatment of Cat IIIB CPPS.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Early orchiopexy: prepubertal intratubular germ cell neoplasia and fertility outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prepubertal prevalence of intratubular germ cell neoplasia of the unclassified type (ITGCNU) and its significance as a predictor of testicular cancer and to evaluate the effect of early orchiopexy (at younger than 2 years of age) on subsequent fertility of patients with bilateral cryptorchidism. METHODS: Testicular biopsies (n = 660) from 440 prepubertal patients with cryptorchidism who underwent orchiopexy between January 1, 1970 and December 31, 1979 were evaluated for ITGCNU using placental-like alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) antibody. The clinical outcome in 15 patients with PLAP-positive germ cells was evaluated in 1997. In addition, the effect of age at surgery on the fertility of patients with bilateral cryptorchidism was assessed by clinical follow-up until 1997 and was correlated with the histologic data at orchiopexy. RESULTS: PLAP-positive germ cells morphologically identical with adult ITGCNU were found in the biopsies of 22 patients (5%). After more than two decades, none of the 15 patients with successful follow-up developed testicular cancer. The fertility outcome in the patients with bilateral cryptorchidism correlated with the number of spermatogonia at orchiopexy (P = 0.018), but correlated inversely with age at orchiopexy (P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: PLAP-positive germ cells in prepubertal testicular biopsy specimens are not necessarily precursors of testicular cancer after orchiopexy. In addition, our data support the idea that early orchiopexy may be beneficial in preventing infertility.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Angiosarcoma of the kidney. Case report and review of the literature].

The primary renal angiosarcoma is a rarely seen highly malignant tumor. Making a diagnosis based on histology may prove difficult. Because of hematogenous formation of metastases and bad prognosis in most cases we recommend that the surgical intervention be followed by the well tolerated systemic chemotherapy with Doxorubicin and Ifosfamid.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMed1999

[Ureteral stent placement in hydronephrosis during pregnancy].

In this study we describe 22 cases of retrograde ureteral stent placement in pregnant women with therapy-resistant flank pain due to hydronephrosis. Eleven were primiparous and one patient expected twins. Eight of 22 patients presented symptoms of pyelonephritis. In 21 cases the hydronephrosis was located on the right and in 4 cases it was bilateral. Maximal lower calix diameter was 12 mm (range 9-22 mm). With the exception of two cases, sonographically controlled stent placement was performed under local anesthesia without sedation. All patients were painfree within 6 days and were given prophylactic low doses of antibiotic until the day of delivery. Renal function remained within the normal limits. Double-J stent displacement occurred in 3 patients - of which one underwent nephrostomy. Postnatal examination demonstrated urolithiasis in 4 of 19 patients. This study provides evidence for effectiveness of retrograde ureteral Double-J stent placement as a therapeutic option in cases of severe symptomatic hydronephrosis during pregnancy with a low morbidity rate.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Kidney and urinary tract diseases in pregnancy].

Management of urologic disorders in pregnant patients often increases the anxiety of all involved. Based on a thorough understanding of the physiologic changes seen in various organ systems the urologist has to assume the responsibility for the well-being of the mother and the fetus. Apart from the urinary tract infection, which occurs as frequent as in non-pregnant patients but has a significantly higher risk of acute bacterial pyelonephritis, it is mainly the pregnancy-associated symptomatic hydronephrosis and the urolithiasis which are complicating approximately 1 of every 1000-1500 pregnancies. Urinary tract infections should be treated in any case by antibiotics according to a antibiogram. High risk patients with history of vesicoureteral reflux or recurrent pyelonephritis should be treated prophylactically. Following parturition these patients should be investigated urologically to exclude structural abnormalities of the genitourinary system. In case of symptomatic hydronephrosis and calculous disease the first approach should be a watchful conservatism with symptomatic relief. If the symptoms persist insertion of a double-J-stent or in case of live-threatening situations (e.g. urosepsis) when urgent decompression and rapid evacuation is mandatory a percutaneous nephrostomy can be brought in place under sonographic monitoring completely thereby avoiding any radiation exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Specific determination of germ cell alkaline phosphatase for early diagnosis and monitoring of seminoma: performance and limitations of different analytical techniques.

Two-dimensional electrophoresis, ion-exchange chromatography and immunoassay were evaluated in order to improve the diagnostic specificity of the germ cell specific isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase (GCAP) for the detection of seminoma. Assessment of GCAP is hampered by its structural heterogeneity and low serum concentration. The structural heterogeneity of GCAP from seminoma tissue could be clearly visualized by two-dimensional electrophoresis. We inferred that it depended on allelic amino acid substitutions, varying sialylation and differential cleavage of the membrane anchor. The allelic variability of GCAP affects the accuracy of immunological measurements. However, immunoassay was found to be the only technique sensitive enough to assess GCAP in serum. The elevated GCAP levels in 15% of healthy blood donors were shown to be correlated with smoking. Further studies clarifying how to interpret the values measured in smokers are prerequisite for the introduction of GCAP as a serum marker for seminoma. In the future, GCAP might be utilized for the detection of carcinoma in situ (CIS) cells in ejaculate. Assessment of the enhanced expression of cellular GCAP by CIS cells exfoliated into ejaculate could be a means for noninvasive, early diagnosis that presumably will not be hampered by the patient's smoking habits.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1998

Free/total prostate-specific antigen ratio can prevent unnecessary prostate biopsies.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the ability of free/total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ratio to improve specificity of prostate cancer detection, compare Diagnostic Products Corporation (DPC) Immulite and Ciba Corning ACS 180 total (t)PSA assay, and define an assay-specific cutoff point and reflex range for DPC PSA ratio (PSAR). METHODS: In a prospective study, 206 men were enrolled with measurement of both assays. Group 1 consisted of 173 men with a suspicion of prostate cancer (PCA). Thirteen men with known PCA (group 2) and 20 men younger than 32 years (group 3) were used as control groups. RESULTS: Our results in group 1 (115 with benign prostatic hyperplasia [BPH], 58 with PCA) revealed a sensitivity of 82.7%, a specificity of 45.2%, and an accuracy of 57.8% for the DPC tPSA assay (cutoff point more than 4.0 ng/mL) within the entire PSA range. tPSA values of the ACS 180 assay were 1.97-fold higher. Within the tPSA gray zone of 2.5 to 10 ng/mL (66 BPH, 23 PCA), specificity and accuracy of DPC tPSA can be improved by using the DPC PSAR (cutoff point less than 19%) from 33.3% to 71.2% and 42.7% to 70.8%, respectively, maintaining the same sensitivity level of 69.6%. CONCLUSIONS: By combining tPSA testing with PSAR within the gray zone, 39.7% (25 of 63) of unnecessary biopsies can be saved, without missing any additional cancers compared with tPSA testing alone. The optimal reflex range for DPC PSAR is 2.5 to 10 ng/mL and the best PSAR cutoff point for biopsy criterion is less than 19% in our high-risk population, with a cancer yield of 34%. Because we still do not have an international PSA standard, it is important to use assay-specific "normal values" and PSAR cutoff points.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Primary erectile dysfunction in combination with congenital malformation of the cavernous bodies.

Primary erectile dysfunction in combination with congenital malformation of the cavernous bodies has only rarely been reported. We report on 2 young patients with different congenital malformations. To our knowledge this is the first time partial aplasia of the distal part of the cavernous bodies is described, whilst complete isolation of the cavernous bodies in combination with veno-occlusive dysfunction has yet been described in 3 cases. After complete examination, including penile angiography and cavernosometry, a surgical correction with a fully satisfying result was achieved in the patient with distal aplasia. In case of isolated cavernous bodies with severe veno-occlusive dysfunction, the implantation of a penile prosthesis remains the treatment of choice.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Transcaval biopsy of retroperitoneal fibrosis.

An additional use of the transjugular hepatic Tru-cut biopsy needle is reported. A periaortic mass was biopsied with this device inserted through the femoral vein under fluoroscopy guidance. Based on the sampled tissue, a diagnosis of idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis was made. The procedure was well tolerated, and long-term follow-up confirmed the diagnosis. Transcaval retroperitoneal biopsy may represent an alternative to surgical biopsy of diffuse retroperitoneal disease in high operative-risk patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Primary male infertility caused by congenital prostatic cyst: sonographic and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Congenital cysts in the midline of the prostate gland can cause obstruction of the ejaculatory ducts leading to congestion and dilation of the seminal vesicles with the result of small volume ejaculate or infertility. We report the case of a patient who underwent transrectal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging for evaluation of primary male infertility. The images obtained revealed a congenital cyst of the prostate gland. Transurethral marsupialization of the cyst subsequently resulted in normalization of the semen analysis and restitution of the patient's fertility.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Histomorphological changes after neodymium: YAG laser-coagulation of the human prostate with the Side Focus fiber. Effect of power setting and time.

The objective of our study was to determine optimal treatment parameters and appropriate methods of examination for neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) high-power laser coagulation of the human prostate in relation to power setting and time. Transurethral free-beam laser coagulation was performed with the Side Focus side-firing laser fiber in ten patients prior to planned radical surgery, of whom six underwent transperitoneal laparoscopic lymphadenectomy and laser coagulation 4-9 days prior to open surgery. Depth and volume of coagulated prostatic tissue were measured at power setting/time combinations of 40 W/90 s and 60 W/60 s, respectively, while holding total energy delivery constant. Microscopic examination in the early phase showed that epithelial cells had become loose from the basal-cell membrane. By 4-9 days there was evidence of conspicuous squamous epithelial metaplasia with a high proliferation rate as a sign of re-epithelialization. Using the Side Focus side-firing laser fiber, both treatment modalities showed comparable volume coagulation. In contrast there was a significant difference between those prostates removed at 4-9 days and those removed at 60-210 min after laser coagulation. We conclude that laser-induced changes in the human prostate are conclusively discernible only after 4 days.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Laser ablation-induced changes in the prostate: findings at endorectal MR imaging with histologic correlation.

PURPOSE: To correlate laser ablation-induced changes in the prostate as depicted at endorectal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with results at histologic examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In eight patients with prostate carcinoma, visually guided laser ablation was performed during lymphadenectomy. Radical prostate resection was performed 4-9 days (mean, 6.9 days) after ablation in seven patients and at 70 days in one patient. The study protocol consisted of (a) endorectal T2-weighted fast spin-echo imaging, (b) dynamic T1-weighted spoiled gradient-echo imaging prior to and after injection of contrast material, and (c) gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted spin-echo imaging. Imaging findings were correlated with macroscopic and histologic findings. RESULTS: Histologic examination revealed periurethral necrosis with a marginal zone that consisted of partially necrotic tissue, dilated vessels, and hemorrhagic areas. Considerable interindividual difference was observed in the extent of morphologic alterations (area, 0-18.0 cm3). Gadolinium-enhanced images were best suited for assessment of laser ablation-induced changes. The correlation between the volume of altered tissue measured on MR images and in macroscopic specimens was excellent (r2 = .96). CONCLUSION: MR imaging helped monitor changes induced with laser ablation (which differed greatly among individuals). MR monitoring may thus be useful in patients with obstructive benign prostatic hyperplasia after laser ablation.

Aged↗