Posterior Urethral Valves and Fertility: Insight on Paternity Rates and Seminal Parameters.

Background: Posterior urethral valves (PUVs) represent the most common cause of male congenital lower urinary tract obstruction, often responsible for renal dysplasia and chronic renal failure. Despite recent improvements in patients' outcomes thanks to prenatal ultrasound early diagnosis, PUVs can still impact sexual function and fertility. This study aims to review the available evidence on fertility in PUV patients, examining paternity rates and semen parameters.

3D virtual models and augmented reality for radical prostatectomy: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: The increasing popularity of three-dimensional (3D) virtual reconstructions of two-dimensional (2D) imaging in urology has led to significant technological advancements, resulting in the creation of highly accurate 3D virtual models (3DVMs) that faithfully replicate individual anatomical details. This technology enhances surgical reality, providing surgeons with hyper-accurate insights into instantaneous subjective surgical anatomy and improving preoperative surgical planning. In the uro-oncologic field, the utility of 3D virtual reconstruction has been demonstrated in nephron-sparing surgery, impacting surgical strategy and postoperative outcomes in prostate cancer (PCa).

Artificial intelligence in screening and diagnosis of surgical diseases: A narrative review.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasing role in several fields of medicine. It is also gaining popularity among surgeons as a valuable screening and diagnostic tool for many conditions such as benign and malignant colorectal, gastric, thyroid, parathyroid, and breast disorders. In the literature, there is no review that groups together the various application domains of AI when it comes to the screening and diagnosis of main surgical diseases.

Obstructive or non-obstructive megacystis: a prenatal dilemma.

Introduction: Diagnosis of prenatal megacystis has a significant impact on the pregnancy, as it can have severe adverse effects on fetal and neonatal survival and renal and pulmonary function. The study aims to investigate the natural history of fetal megacystis, to try to differentiate congenital lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO) from non-obstructive megacystis, and, possibly, to predict postnatal outcome.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective single-center observational study was conducted from July 2015 to November 2023.

The digital era of pediatric urological clinical care: telemedicine for management of lower urinary tract symptoms and nocturnal enuresis - a comprehensive tertiary center insight.

Background: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and nocturnal enuresis (NE) are complex conditions requiring a long-term follow-up. Telemedicine is an emerging technological tool in the surgical field, and its availability exponentially grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding its application fields, optimizing technical aspects, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality standards. This work describes our experience with telemedicine in a Division of Pediatric Urology for the follow-up of enuresis and LUTS.

Urinary PSA-ZINC biomarker outperforms standard of care in early detection of prostate cancer.

Background: Urine is a promising biological fluid for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostics due to its non-invasive collection and wide range of biomarkers. The aim of this study was to assess the role of urinary PSA (uPSA) and urinary Zinc (uZinc) as biomarkers for the diagnosis of PCa in combination with routine parameters of standard of care (SOC - blood PSA, abnormal DRE, age) and MRI in patients candidates for prostate biopsy.

Methods: Urine samples after prostatic massages were collected from men with suspected PCa scheduled for prostate biopsy.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID vaccination campaign on imaging case volumes and medicolegal aspects.

Purpose: The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) significantly impacted the global economy and health. Italy was one of the first and most affected countries. The objective of our study was to assess the impact of the pandemic and the vaccination campaign on the radiological examinations performed in a radiology department of a tertiary center in Southern Italy.

JJ stent dislodgement in the distal ureter: how to recover it in preschool children?

Double-J ureteral stents are usually placed after various urological procedures. The dislodgement of their distal ringlet is a rare complication, whose retrieval is arduous in younger children, due to the small ureteral caliber. We propose our innovative endoscopic approach to recover the dislodged JJ stent.

Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery for Renal Stones: Is It a Safe and Effective Option in Preschool Children?

Introduction: Few studies in the literature describe the Retrograde Intra-Renal Surgery (RIRS) outcome in preschool children. We evaluated the feasibility, stone-free rate and complications of RIRS in preschool children at two European tertiary care centres of Pediatric Urology.

Material And Methods: The retrospective study includes all children undergone RIRS for stones <25 mm from 2017 to 2022.

Prechemotherapy Transperitoneal Robotic-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy (RAPN) for a Wilms Tumor: Surgical and Oncological Outcomes in a Four-Year-Old Patient.

Background: Wilms tumor (WT) is the most frequent renal tumor in children. The SIOP-UMBRELLA Guidelines allow for nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) in syndromic patients, as well as in cases of small (<300 mL) non-syndromic unilateral WTs, without lymph node involvement, and with a substantial expected remnant renal function, following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We present a case of prechemotherapy transperitoneal robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) for a unilateral, non-syndromic Wilms tumor.

Comparison Study between Artificial Urinary Sphincter and Adjustable Male Sling: A Propensity-Score-Matched Analysis.

Aims: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of the AUS and an adjustable male sling (ATOMS).

Methods: It was a retrospective observational cohort study with two arms. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed in order to limit selection bias and, consequently, a comparison between groups in terms of functional outcomes (24 h pad test and perception of improvement questionnaires), complications (overall complications, high-grade complications, reinterventions and explantations) and device survival was performed.

Intravesical Agents in the Treatment of Bladder Clots in Children.

Bladder blood clots represent an infrequent urinary condition in children. They usually result from hematuria with many underlying causes, such as urinary tract infections and urethral/bladder traumas. Treatment options for clot removal include trans-urethral or suprapubic bladder irrigation and, if unsuccessful, endoscopic management under general anesthesia with a resectoscope.

Intravitreal Injection Planning during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Study of Two Tertiary University Centers in Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hampered the optimum management of retinal diseases. This study examined the impact of the pandemic on the intravitreal-injection practice in two academic centers in Italy along with the related medico-legal implications. A retrospective analysis of electronic medical records from 16 March 2020 to 14 March 2021 at the ophthalmological departments of University of Cagliari (SGD) and University Magna Græcia of Catanzaro (UMG) was conducted.

Prophylaxis of Ocular Infection in the Setting of Intraocular Surgery: Implications for Clinical Practice and Risk Management.

In this review we discuss the role of intraocular surgery preoperative prophylaxis. The correct choice of antimicrobial drug is variable in each surgical setting, according to the available strengths of evidence, the anatomical district involved, and the type of procedure. In the ophthalmic surgical field, there has been a progressive shift from antibiotic formulations, which are known to cause antibiotic resistance, to a new class of antiseptic compounds, which proved to be effective not only against bacteria, but also against fungi, protozoa, and viruses.

Applications and Current Medico-Legal Challenges of Telemedicine in Ophthalmology.

Background: The digital revolution is redesigning the healthcare model, and telemedicine offers a good example of the best cost-effectiveness ratio. The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the use of the telemedicine. The aim of this review is to describe and discuss the role and the main applications of telemedicine in the ophthalmic clinical practice as well as the related medico-legal aspects.

Primary Mucosal Melanoma Presenting with a Unilateral Nasal Obstruction of the Left Inferior Turbinate.

We report the case of a primitive nasal melanoma in an 82-year-old patient, showing how this rare malignancy, with non-specific signs and symptoms, can represent a challenging diagnosis for the physician. A 82-year-old Caucasian patient presented for unilateral nasal obstruction and occasional epistaxis. Computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the facial massif revealed turbinate hypertrophy and a polypoid phlogistic tissue isointense in T1 with an intermediate signal in T2 and Short-TI Inversion Recovery (STIR)-T2, occupying the middle meatus and the anterior upper and lower left meatus with partial obliteration of the ostium and the infundibulum of the maxillary sinus.

Gastric perforation in blunt abdominal trauma. Report of two cases and review of literature.

Gastric perforations as a result of blunt abdominal traumas are rare, with a reported incidence of less than 2%. Usually associated with other solid visceral injuries, isolated gastric ruptures following a blunt abdominal injury are extremely uncommon. The severity of injury, timing of presentation, time elapsed since the last meal, as well as the presence of concomitant injuries are important prognostic factors.

Real-life effects of benralizumab on allergic chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis associated with severe asthma.

The aim of this study has been to evaluate the efficacy of the IL-5 receptor blocker benralizumab on chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), associated with severe eosinophilic allergic asthma. Ten patients with severe eosinophilic allergic asthma and CRSwNP were enrolled. Sino-nasal outcome test (SNOT-22), numerical rating scale (NRS), endoscopic nasal polyp score, Lund Mackey CT (computed tomography) score, and blood eosinophil count were measured at baseline and after 24 weeks of treatment with benralizumab.

Radiofrequency thermoablation in locally advanced breast cancer.

The authors report their experience of 8 cases of breast cancer in six patients, treated by radiofrequency thermoablation. Two patients had bilateral breast cancer infiltrating the skin. All patients, but one, were alive at two years follow-up.