Use of Artificial Intelligence for Medical Literature Search: Randomized Controlled Trial Using the Hackathon Format.

Background: Mapping out the research landscape around a project is often time consuming and difficult.

Objective: This study evaluates a commercial artificial intelligence (AI) search engine (IRIS.AI) for its applicability in an automated literature search on a specific medical topic.

A High-Fidelity Phantom for the Simulation and Quantitative Evaluation of Transurethral Resection of the Prostate.

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure that requires experience and skill of the surgeon. To permit surgical training under realistic conditions we report a novel phantom of the human prostate that can be resected with TURP. The phantom mirrors the anatomy and haptic properties of the gland and permits quantitative evaluation of important surgical performance indicators.

Validating Automated Kidney Stone Volumetry in CT and Mathematical Correlation with Estimated Stone Volume Based on Diameter.

Objectives: To validate AutoMated UroLithiasis Evaluation Tool (AMULET) software for kidney stone volumetry and compare its performance to standard clinical practice.

Materials And Methods: Maximum diameter and volume of 96 urinary stones were measured as reference standard by three independent urologists. The same stones were positioned in an anthropomorphic phantom and CT scans acquired in standard settings.

Wireless Acoustic-Surface Actuators for Miniaturized Endoscopes.

Endoscopy enables minimally invasive procedures in many medical fields, such as urology. However, current endoscopes are normally cable-driven, which limits their dexterity and makes them hard to miniaturize. Indeed, current urological endoscopes have an outer diameter of about 3 mm and still only possess one bending degree-of-freedom.

Is Endoscopic Vasectomy Just a Dream: An ex vivo Study on Feasibility and Reliability of Endoluminal Occlusion of Porcine Vas Deferens.

Introduction And Aim: Surgical vasectomy remains the gold standard for fertility control in men. Endoluminal occlusion of the seminal ducts, thus avoiding an external incision, may become an appealing alternative to this approach. As our group has shown, nontraumatic endoscopic inspection of the seminal ducts is feasible in the human cadaver.

Algorithm-Based Motion Magnification for Video Processing in Urological Laparoscopy.

Purpose: Minimally invasive surgery is in constant further development and has replaced many conventional operative procedures. If vascular structure movement could be detected during these procedures, it could reduce the risk of vascular injury and conversion to open surgery. The recently proposed motion-amplifying algorithm, Eulerian Video Magnification (EVM), has been shown to substantially enhance minimal object changes in digitally recorded video that is barely perceptible to the human eye.

Soft 3D-Printed Phantom of the Human Kidney with Collecting System.

Organ models are used for planning and simulation of operations, developing new surgical instruments, and training purposes. There is a substantial demand for in vitro organ phantoms, especially in urological surgery. Animal models and existing simulator systems poorly mimic the detailed morphology and the physical properties of human organs.

Flexible Vesiculovasoscopy Using a Microoptical System in a Human Cadaver Model: An Experimental Approach for Atraumatic Endoscopy of the Seminal Tract.

Objectives: The most common pathologies of the seminal tract are persistent hematospermia, seminal vesicle stones, and seminal duct obstruction. Endoscopic diagnostic work-up of the seminal tract is impeded by complex anatomy and lack of technical equipment. To date, there is no standardized endoscopic approach.

Endoscopically Determined Stone Clearance Predicts Disease Recurrence Within 5 Years After Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery.

Objective: To assess stone-related events (SREs) requiring retreatment in a series of 100 consecutive patients treated by retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for renal stones and to evaluate potential risk factors thereof.

Patients And Methods: The primary outcome was incidence of SRE (medical or surgical treatment). Secondary outcomes included side of SRE, time to SRE, and late complications.

Level of evidence, sponsorship, conflict of interest policy and commercial impact of PubMed-listed clinical urolithiasis-related trials in 2014.

Objectives: To evaluate published trials on urolithiasis regarding level of evidence, type of sponsorship and declared conflicts of interest (COIs), and to elucidate a potential commercial impact.

Materials And Methods: We performed a systematic PubMed(®) literature search using a predefined Boolean search term to identify PubMed-listed clinical research studies on urolithiasis in 2014 (fourth quarter). All authors screened the results for eligibility criteria and two independent reviewers evaluated and performed data extraction of predefined endpoints, including level of evidence, declaration of COI and sponsorship/funding (as indicated in the published print version), and commercial impact.

Clinical significance of residual fragments in 2015: impact, detection, and how to avoid them.

Purpose: Residual fragments are common after stone treatment. Little is known about clinical outcomes relevant to the patient. This comprehensive review of the literature highlights the impact of residual fragments, modes of detection, and treatment strategies to avoid residual fragments in shock wave therapy, ureteroscopy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

Focused Dual-energy CT Maintains Diagnostic and Compositional Accuracy for Urolithiasis Using Ultralow-dose Noncontrast CT.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a new energy and radiation dose-reduced protocol for noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) with dual-energy CT (DECT) analysis and its potential for the compositional analysis of uric acid (UA)- or non-uric acid (N-UA)-containing calculi.

Methods: A retrospective evaluation was carried out in 61 patients who underwent dose-reduced DECT (tube A: 140 kV/55 mAs; tube B: 80 kV/303 mAs) with a tube current 38.8% lower than that set by the manufacturer.

Stereoscopic (3D) versus monoscopic (2D) laparoscopy: comparative study of performance using advanced HD optical systems in a surgical simulator model.

Purpose: To compare task performances of novices and experts using advanced high-definition 3D versus 2D optical systems in a surgical simulator model.

Methods: Fifty medical students (novices in laparoscopy) were randomly assigned to perform five standardized tasks adopted from the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) curriculum in either a 2D or 3D laparoscopy simulator system. In addition, eight experts performed the same tasks.

Ultra-mini PCNL versus flexible ureteroscopy: a matched analysis of analgesic consumption and treatment-related patient satisfaction in patients with renal stones 10-35 mm.

Purpose: To compare ultra-mini PCNL (UMP) and flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) for the treatment of medium- to large-sized renal stones with a focus on patients' postsurgical cumulative analgesic consumption and treatment-related satisfaction.

Methods: Twenty-five patients treated by UMP between April 2013 and October 2014 were matched to data of 25 fURS patients from an existing database. Clinical outcome parameters were recorded prospectively.

An anti-ubiquitin antibody response in transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

Background: To use combinatorial epitope mapping ("fingerprinting") of the antibody response to identify targets of the humoral immune response in patients with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder.

Methods: A combinatorial random peptide library was screened on the circulating pool of immunoglobulins purified from an index patient with a high risk TCC (pTa high grade plus carcinoma in situ) to identify corresponding target antigens. A patient cohort was investigated for antibody titers against ubiquitin.

Ultra-mini PCNL versus flexible ureteroscopy: a matched analysis of treatment costs (endoscopes and disposables) in patients with renal stones 10-20 mm.

Purpose: Latest publications state equal efficacy of a recently introduced new percutaneous technique ("ultra-mini PCNL", UMP) and flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) in the treatment of medium-size urinary stones. Today we face challenges concerning cost-effectiveness and reduction of in-hospital length of stay. In this retrospective study, we compare clinical outcome parameters and costs of treatment (endoscopes and disposables) of both techniques.

Splice variant transcripts of the anterior gradient 2 gene as a marker of prostate cancer.

Anterior gradient 2 (AGR2) is a gene predominantly expressed in mucus-secreting tissues or in endocrine cells. Its expression is drastically increased in tumors including prostate cancer. Here we investigated whether AGR2 transcript levels can be used as a biomarker to detect prostate cancer (PCa).

Bringing excellence into urology: How to improve the future training of residents?

The Problem: The demographic development of society leads to an increased demand for physicians. Particularly in the surgical disciplines, there is a noticeably declining interest among graduates from medical schools worldwide. For reasons discussed in detail, this applies especially to urology.

Standardized flexible ureteroscopic technique to improve stone-free rates.

Objective: To present a unique completely standardized sequence of steps performed before, during, and after flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) that achieves superior results for FURS treatment of renal calculi.

Materials And Methods: The "Freiburg FURS technique" includes the following steps: (a) preoperative ureteral stenting; (b) placement of 2 hydrophilic wires; (c) semirigid ureteroscopy before FURS; (d) the use of a large access sheath (14F-16F) if multiple ureteral passages are expected; (e) the use of a 2-working channel flexible endoscope; (f) a modified active flushing system; and (g) an advanced holmium laser technique with complete stone extraction. We performed a prospective analysis of 153 consecutive FURS procedures for nephrolithiasis from August 2009 to July 2011.