Publications by authors named "Evalynn Vasquez"

Purpose: Renal ultrasounds are performed in patients with myelomeningocele to screen for markers of kidney health, including hydronephrosis. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of hydronephrosis to screen for low kidney function defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study using data from 2 cohorts of children and youth with myelomeningocele.

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Background: The exstrophy-epispadias complex (EEC) is a spectrum of rare congenital defects affecting the genitourinary system that includes epispadias, bladder exstrophy, and cloacal exstrophy. EEC patients may require several surgeries throughout their lifetime and experience a number of difficulties that may impact their quality of life (QoL), mental health, and psychosocial functioning.

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review is to systematically map existing literature that explores the mental health, psychosocial functioning, and QoL of children and adolescents with EEC.

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Urogenital sinus (UGS) is a rare anomaly characterized by a common cavity involving the reproductive and urinary tracts. We describe a patient with VACTERL syndrome who presented for urologic care at 11 years of age due to supposed "recurrent urinary tract infections" and was subsequently found to have UGS in which the vagina connected directly to the bladder. She underwent robotic UGS mobilization to disconnect the vagina from the bladder and vaginoplasty to mature the vagina to the perineum.

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Purpose: Patients with spina bifida require urologic follow up with assessments of bladder and renal function. The ideal screening protocol for bladder compliance remains controversial. This study assessed associations between bladder end filling pressure (EFP) and detrusor leak point pressure (DLPP) on urodynamic studies (UDS) and findings from renal bladder ultrasounds (RBUS) and voiding cystourethrograms (VCUG).

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Purpose: Our primary aim was to determine the prevalence of positive over-the-counter (OTC) pregnancy tests among pediatric female and male patients who had undergone augmentation enterocystoplasty. A secondary aim was to determine whether patient factors or urinalysis (UA) results were associated with false positive OTC pregnancy test results in patients with a history of augmentation enterocystoplasty.

Methods: Patients at a tertiary pediatric hospital who had previously undergone augmentation enterocystoplasty, Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy only, and age- and sex-matched controls were prospectively recruited.

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Appropriate coordination of smooth muscle contraction and relaxation is essential for normal colonic motility. The impact of perturbed motility ranges from moderate, in conditions such as colitis, to potentially fatal in the case of pseudo-obstruction. The mechanisms underlying aberrant motility and the extent to which they can be targeted pharmacologically are incompletely understood.

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Purpose: To compare the prevalence of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) among patients with multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) diagnosed by renal scintigraphy (RS) versus follow-up renal ultrasound (RUS) alone.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of patients seen at a tertiary care center from 2010 to 2020 with MCDK diagnosed by RS or follow-up RUS. Differences in the prevalence of VUR, fUTI, and CKD by cohort were assessed using logistic regression analysis, Pearson X , and Fisher's Exact tests.

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Congenital genitourinary anomalies are among the most frequent types of birth defects in neonates. Some anomalies can be a significant cause of morbidity in infancy, while others remain asymptomatic even until adulthood and can be at times the only manifestation of a complex systemic disease. The spectrum of these anomalies results from the developmental insults that can occur at various embryologic stages, and an understanding of the formation of the genitourinary system is helpful in the evaluation and treatment of a child with a congenital genitourinary anomaly.

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Introduction: Infants with myelomeningocele are at risk for chronic kidney disease caused by neurogenic bladder dysfunction. Urodynamic evaluation plays a key role to risk stratify individuals for renal deterioration.

Objective: To present baseline urodynamic findings from the Urologic Management to Preserve Initial Renal function for young children with spina bifida (UMPIRE) protocol, to present the process that showed inadequacies of our original classification scheme, and to propose a refined definition of bladder hostility and categorization.

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Background: Hydronephrosis (HN) is the most common abnormality detected on prenatal ultrasound. This study sought to stratify outcomes of patients by severity of prenatal HN with postnatal outcomes.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of patients referred to a tertiary care fetal-maternal clinic with diagnosis of prenatal HN from 2004 to 2019.

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Introduction/background: Bladder exstrophy patients have a high prevalence of inguinal hernia that often become clinically evident following bladder closure. Understanding when the bladder exstrophy patient is under greatest risk of developing an inguinal hernia following bladder closure is important, since incarceration resulting in strangulation of intra-abdominal contents can lead to significant morbidity if not addressed in a timely fashion. Although the incidence and risk factors of inguinal hernia have been reported, the timing of occurrence is not well understood.

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A 2-month-old full-term female presented with a large anterior sacral meningomyelocele resulting in transient obstructive uropathy with bilateral hydronephrosis and acute kidney injury. After initial bladder decompression and surgical resection of the meningomyelocele, there was spontaneous resolution of bladder function confirmed with urodynamics. Anterior spinal meningomyelocele (ASM) is a rare neural tube defect that may present with urinary dysfunction secondary to compression of the bladder and sacral nerve roots or congenital defects to the bladder nervous supply.

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Background: Laparoscopic resection is the most well described minimally-invasive approach for adrenalectomy. While it allows for improved cosmesis, faster recovery and decreased length of hospital stay compared with the open approach, instrument articulation limitations can hamper surgical dexterity in pediatric patients. Use of robotic assistance can greatly enhance operative field visualization and instrument control, and is in the early stages of adoption in academic centers for pediatric populations.

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A 16-year-old female was incidentally found to have an abnormal pelvic ultrasound while undergoing evaluation for mild scoliosis. A large, thick-walled, lobular, fluid-filled structure was found at midline in the pelvis that initially resembled bladder diverticula due to its anatomical position and sonographic appearance. Voiding cystourethrogram and computed tomography later revealed a large cystic mass originating from the right ovary.

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A 12-year-old otherwise healthy boy presents to a local emergency room with sudden onset, sharp, continuous left testicular pain for 9 hours, associated with nausea and vomiting. Exam and ultrasound is consistent with testicular torsion. During scrotal exploration, a bell-clapper deformity of the left testicle is appreciated, with a normal gubernacular attachment of the right testicle.

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A 7-week-old girl presented with tachypnea and abdominal distension. Abdominal ultrasonography demonstrated a 16 cm cystic mass in the right abdomen. Contrast-enhanced T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed severe hydronephrosis of the right kidney with thinning of the renal parenchyma consistent with a massive ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction.

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A 5-week-old full-term female with high-risk right hydronephrosis was transferred to the emergency department (ED) for tachypnea. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) study demonstrated a 9.0 cm cystic lesion in the region of the previously seen hydronephrosis (Fig.

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Bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) leads to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and urodynamic changes of the bladder function. Previously we identified microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA expression profiles associated with different states of BOO-induced LUTD in human patients. Bladder wall remodeling resulting from obstruction is widely studied in animal models of experimentally-induced partial BOO (pBOO).

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Introduction: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is common among older multiparous females but rarely reported in active, young girls.

Objectives: Our hypothesis is: physically active adolescent females develop pelvic floor laxity demonstrable on upright VCUG. Our objectives are to (1) increase awareness of SUI in young females, (2) test our hypothesis with an upright VCUG, and (3) report effectiveness of step-wise management.

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Chronic urethral obstruction and the ensuing bladder wall remodeling can lead to diminished bladder smooth muscle (BSM) contractility and debilitating lower urinary tract symptoms. No effective pharmacotherapy exists to restore BSM contractile function. Neuropilin 2 (Nrp2) is a transmembrane protein that is highly expressed in BSM.

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Purpose: For bladder exstrophy repair it is universally accepted that successful initial surgery is paramount to achieve the optimal outcome. Gaining the necessary surgical experience is challenging due to the rarity of bladder exstrophy. We report preliminary findings of a multi-institutional collaboration created to increase experience and proficiency with the care of bladder exstrophy.

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Objectives: Sacrocolpopexy presacral sutures are placed at or slightly above the sacral promontory without knowledge of the location of intervertebral discs. We used magnetic resonance imaging to assess the anatomic relationship of the sacral promontory to intervertebral discs.

Methods: We reviewed spinal magnetic resonance images of women imaged at Loyola University Medical Center between January 2010 and February 2012.

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Purpose: Treating constipation in children with voiding dysfunction may improve or resolve urinary symptoms. A clinical diagnosis of constipation may not identify all patients. Abdominal radiographs (plain x-ray of the kidneys, ureters and bladder) are often used to assess constipation but no objective definition of constipation based on abdominal radiographs exists.

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