The Adverse Survival Implications of Bland Thrombus in Renal Cell Carcinoma With Venous Tumor Thrombus.

Objective: To characterize the presence of bland (nontumor) thrombus in advanced renal cell carcinoma and assess the impact of this finding on cancer-specific survival.

Methods: A multi-institutional database of patients treated with nephrectomy with caval thrombectomy for locally-advanced renal tumors was assembled from 5 tertiary care medical centers. Using clinicopathologic variables including patient age, body mass index, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, tumor stage, grade, nodal status and histology, and nearest-neighbor and multiple-matching propensity score matched cohorts of bland thrombus vs nonbland thrombus patients were assessed.

Urethral Reconstruction in Aging Male Patients.

Objective: To report stricture characteristics, complications, and treatment outcomes among elderly men undergoing urethral reconstruction.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of urethroplasty cases and outcomes by a single surgeon from 2007 to 2014 was performed. Men were stratified by decade of life at time of surgery (<50, 50-59, 60-69, ≥70 years).

Delayed Reconstruction of Bulbar Urethral Strictures is Associated with Multiple Interventions, Longer Strictures and More Complex Repairs.

Purpose: Prior to urethral reconstruction many patients with stricture undergo a variable period during which endoscopic treatments are performed for recurrent obstructive symptoms. We evaluated the association among urethroplasty delay, endoscopic treatments and subsequent reconstructive outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the records of men who underwent primary bulbar urethroplasty from 2007 to 2014.

Characteristics of Idiopathic Urethral Strictures: A Link to Remote Perineal Trauma?

Objective: To characterize the physical features and reconstructive outcomes of a series of idiopathic urethral strictures (IUS) in an effort to elucidate the nature of this common yet poorly understood entity.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our urethroplasty database to identify men undergoing initial urethral reconstruction from 2007 to 2014 at 1 of 3 hospitals (N = 514). Patients were stratified by stricture etiology, including IUS, acute trauma, iatrogenic, hypospadias, balanitis xerotica obliterans, and radiation.

Increased use of antihypertensive medications after partial nephrectomy vs. radical nephrectomy.

Purpose: A prospective study of partial vs. radical nephrectomy demonstrated worse overall survival in patients undergoing partial nephrectomy which appeared to be driven by cardiovascular outcomes. We sought to determine if the blood pressures or use of antihypertensive medications differed between patients who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy.