The ABSST is a valuable tool to identify MS patients with urinary symptoms who will likely follow up for genitourinary evaluation. However, other barriers beyond awareness exist and prevent patients from being evaluated.
The thulium fiber laser (TFL) is a novel technology under active investigation as an conceivable alternative to the Holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) laser, which is currently the gold standard for an array of urologic procedures. The purpose of this review is to discuss the existing literature on the functionality and effectiveness of TFL in urological practice. We conducted a search of the PubMed, Medline, Web of Science Core Collection, SCOPUS, Embase (OVID), and Cochrane Databases for all full articles and systematic reviews on the TFL. We found a total of 35 relevant pieces of literature. The early research findings pertaining to the TFL exhibit numerous potential advantages over the Ho:YAG laser.
In vitro
and
ex vivo
studies have highlighted the TFL's ability to utilize smaller laser fibers, obtain faster stone ablation rates, and achieve less retropulsion when tested against the Ho:YAG laser in lithotripsy. Currently, there is limited
in vivo
research that investigates the utilization of the TFL. The
in vivo
results that are available, however, look promising both for laser lithotripsy and soft tissue ablation. Indeed, the existing literature suggests that the TFL has great potential and may possess numerous technological advantages over the Ho:YAG laser, especially in laser lithotripsy. Although these early studies are promising, randomized control trials are needed to assess the full applicability of the TFL in urology.
Background: To evaluate Coronavirus Disease 2019-(COVID19) patients treated within our academic medical system to determine if history of malignancy, both in general and specifically in genitourinary oncology patients, is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in a multi-hospital, academic medical institution in New York City. Outcomes included mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and AKI among hospitalized patients. We also evaluated risk of hospitalization among all patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Multilevel logistic regression models were used for analysis. Results: We identified 6,893 patients who met inclusion criteria, of which 4,018 were hospitalized. Among hospitalized patients 374 (9%) had a history of cancer, 281 (7%) experienced AKI, and 1,045 (26%) died. In adjusted analyses, patients with a history of cancer had 1.33 (95% CI = 1.05, 1.69) times the odds of death compared to those without cancer and this appeared to be driven by lung cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 2.44, 95% CI= 1.05, 4.39). Patients with a history of genitourinary cancer were not at higher risk of mortality compared to those without cancer (OR=0.99, 95% CI= 0.61, 1.62). History of cancer was not associated with ICU admission or AKI in overall and subgroup analyses. Conclusions: Patients with a history of cancer who are hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection are not at greater risk for AKI, though they are at higher risk for mortality as compared to patients without a history of cancer. The increased risk in mortality appears driven by patients with pulmonary neoplasms. Patients with a history of genitourinary malignancies do not appear to be at higher risk for AKI or for mortality compared to the general population.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) can be a debilitating neurological condition that attributes significant morbidity to bladder dysfunction. Although many effective treatment options exist, symptomatic patients are often underdiagnosed and undertreated. The purpose of this article is to give an overview of the current literature including new screening tools to identify symptomatic patients and updates on treatment options including medications, botulinum toxin, and neuromodulation.
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