Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the axial skeleton. In recent years, several authors reported an increased prevalence of sexual dysfunction among AS patients. We aimed to find out, whether the prevalence of erectile dysfunction among AS patients is different from age-matched healthy controls. Thirty-seven male patients with AS who were diagnosed according to the modified New York criteria and 67 normal healthy controls (NHC) were included in this study. Clinical characteristics of patients including age, disease duration and morning stiffness were noted. Disease activity was evaluated by using Bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI), functional statement was evaluated by using Bath AS functional index, and scores of spinal measurements were done by using Bath AS metrology index. Erectile function is evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scoring system. Health-related quality of life was assessed by short form 36. The mean age of the patients and controls were 42.8 + 10.8 and 43.6 + 5.9 years (P = 0.666). The prevalence of erectile dysfunction in AS patients and NHC were 35.1 and 26.9%, respectively (P = 0.335). There was no statistically significant difference between IIEF domain scores of AS patients and NHC except for the sexual desire domain (P = 0.014). Duration of morning stiffness and BASDAI was negatively correlated with sexual desire and overall satisfaction; however, they have no negative impact on erectile function, orgasmic function and intercourse satisfaction domains of IIEF. In this report, we showed that only the sexual desire domain of IIEF was significantly lower in AS patients. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction among AS patients is similar to NHC, which is a finding contrary to previous reports. AS patients do not suffer from erectile dysfunction, they rather have problems of satisfaction from the intercourse.
In this study, we found that "W" ileal neobladder reconstruction offers similar storage and voiding functions to normal bladder. Urodynamic evaluation of the "W" neobladder revealed similar results to that of a normal bladder. We conclude that "W" ileal neobladder construction results in a near-normal-functioning orthotopic reservoir that can be safely offered to patients.
Splenogonadal fusion is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by congenital fusion between the spleen and testicular tissue. In the literature, there are approximately 175 reported cases, and most of them are associated with cryptorchidism. In this article, we report an unusual case of splenogonadal fusion that was pre-diagnosed as a solid testicular mass in a patient who underwent orchiectomy.
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