Purpose: An incompetent urethral sphincter can be a significant factor contributing to urinary incontinence in patients with neurogenic bladders. We review our experience with 12 men who underwent a puboprostatic sling.Materials and Methods: The study included 12 men (mean age 37.1 years) with neurogenic bladder due to spinal cord injury in 9 and spina bifida in 3. All patients were diagnosed with urethral incompetence based on fluorourodynamic evaluation. Medical therapy failed in all 12 patients and all complained of urine leakage with activity. All patients underwent placement of an autologous fascial sling distal to the prostatic urethra via an abdominal approach. Ten patients also underwent simultaneous bladder augmentation to correct high intravesical pressures.Results: Followup, ranged from 1 to 39 months (average 14.25). All patients manage the bladder with intermittent catheterization. Of the patients 8 are completely dry between catheterizations and 2 had significant improvement with only minimal leakage (1 pad per day), with an overall success rate of 83%. One patient improved initially but subsequently underwent placement of an artificial urinary sphincter for residual stress incontinence. In 1 patient several external sphincterotomies failed despite adequate sling placement. There were no complications related to the placement of the sling and all patients are able to perform intermittent catheterization without difficulty.Conclusions: In select male patients the puboprostatic sling can be an effective and safe method to treat urethral incompetence secondary to neurogenic voiding dysfunction.

PURPOSE:In a prospective randomized multicenter trial we compared the treatment results of conventional external sphincterotomy with those of UroLume sphincteric stent prosthesis placement in men with spinal cord injury and external detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We randomized 57 men with spinal cord injury in whom urodynamics verified external detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia into 2 groups to undergo either sphincter defeating procedure. We compared the primary urodynamic parameter of maximum detrusor pressure, and secondary urodynamic parameters of bladder capacity and post-void residual urine volume in men who underwent sphincterotomy or sphincteric stent placement. Parameters were measured preoperatively, and 3, 6, 12 and 24 months postoperatively. Patients completed questionnaires regarding voiding sensation and quality of life issues at each followup visit. RESULTS:Demographic data of the 26 patients treated with sphincterotomy and the 31 treated with sphincteric stent placement were statistically similar. Preoperatively mean maximum detrusor pressure plus or minus standard deviation in sphincterotomy and stent cases was 98.3 +/- 27.6 and 95.7 +/- 27.7 cm. water, respectively (p = 0.73). At 12 months mean maximum detrusor pressure decreased to 48.9 +/- 16.4 and 52.6 +/- 31.6 cm. water in the sphincterotomy and stent groups, respectively (p = 0). Preoperatively mean bladder capacity in sphincterotomy and stent cases was 245 +/- 158 and 251 +/- 145 ml., respectively (p = 0.87). Bladder capacity did not change significantly in either treatment group throughout followup. Preoperatively mean post-void residual urine volume in the sphincterotomy and stent groups was 212 +/- 163 and 168 +/- 114 ml., respectively (p = 0.33). Residual urine volume decreased in each group at some but not all followup evaluations. The duration of hospitalization was greater for sphincterotomy than stenting (p = 0.036). Six stents required explantation. CONCLUSIONS:The UroLume stent is as effective as conventional external sphincterotomy for treating external detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia. However, sphincteric stent placement is advantageous because it involves shorter hospitalization and is potentially reversible.

This study is a prospective multicenter cooperative survey of the evaluation and treatment of erectile dysfunction in men with spinal cord injury (SCI). Uniform database questionnaires were completed prospectively by patients seeking therapy for erectile dysfunction. Eighty-five SCI men aged 17-68 years (mean age = 26 +/- 17) were enrolled. Mean duration of traumatic SCI was 3 +/- 3.2 years (Range = 0.3-18 years). The level of injury was cervical in 20 patients, thoracic in 31, lumbar in 29 and sacral in five. Patients were fully evaluated and then counseled as to their therapeutic options. Twenty-eight chose to use a vacuum erection device (VED), 26 preferred pharmacological penile injection and five used both intracorporeal therapy and VED. The remainder were managed with marriage and sexual counseling in 10 patients, three underwent penile prosthesis placement and two used topical pharmacotherapy. Four patients used other forms of treatment and in nine no therapy was recommended. Of the patients that used pharmacologic injection only, 74 percent used papaverine as a single agent, 20 percent used papaverine with phentolamine, five percent used prostaglandin E (PGE1) alone and one percent used a mixture. Patients using injection therapy report sexual intercourse a mean of 3 +/- 3.4 times per month as compared with 5 +/- 3.2 times per month in those using VED. Five intracorporeal injection patients developed priapism while two patients using the VED developed subcutaneous bleeding and one developed penile ischemia. We conclude that although a spectrum of erectile dysfunction treatment is present among SCI centers, VED and pharmacological penile injection are by far the two most popular methods of treatment and papaverine is the most common drug. The incidence of complications is small in the model centers.

Purpose: We determined whether the self-expanding sphincter stent, a potential alternative to conventional external sphincterotomy for the treatment of detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia, causes a permanent effect on the lower urinary tract.Materials and Methods: Four spinal cord injured men with voiding symptoms of detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia as noted by complete urological evaluation, including a video urodynamic study, were treated with the self-expanding sphincter stent. However, the device was explanted 6 months or longer after insertion in all 4 cases due to stent migration (3) and difficulty with condom catheter urinary drainage (1).Results: All stents were removed completely without damage to the urethra. Mean voiding pressure decreased from 62.5 +/- 39.4 to 20.7 +/- 6.5 cm. water after sphincter stent placement. One year after stent explantation mean voiding pressure remained unchanged from preoperative values of 58.5 +/- 21.5 cm. water. No patient had stress urinary incontinence or endoscopically apparent urethral strictures.Conclusions: The stent can be removed even after complete epithelialization and an extended interval without damage to external sphincter function or urethral stricture formation. The urinary sphincter stent is an effective, reversible treatment for patients with detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia.

This effort represents a subset analysis of the long-term Multicenter North American Trial of the UroLume sphincter stent prosthesis to determine the effect of the sphincter stent prosthesis in SCI men afflicted with detrusor-external sphincter dyssynergia (DESD) and chronically managed with an indwelling urinary catheter. Forty-one of 153 male patients in this study were evaluated urodynamically before and after placement of the sphincter stent prosthesis. Of the 41 patients, 34 (81 percent) suffered cervical-level injury while 10 patients (25 percent) had been treated previously with external sphincterotomy. Forty patients (98 percent) were troubled with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI), with a mean of 4.6 +/- 3 episodes of UTI per year. Seven patients (17 percent) demonstrated hydronephrosis prior to stent placement. Follow-up ranged from six to 44 months. Voiding pressures decreased from a mean of 77 +/- 23 cmH2O preoperatively to 35 +/- 18 cmH2O at 12 months (n = 34) and 33 +/- 20 cmH2O at 24 months (n = 22) after stent insertion (p = 0.001). Post-void residual urinary volume decreased from 202 +/- 187 ml preinsertion to 64 +/- 69 ml at 24 months (p = 0.001) postinsertion. Maximum cystometric capacity remained constant at 201 +/- 144 ml preinsertion to 203 +/- 79 ml at 24 months (p = 0.75) postinsertion. No significant changes in any of the urodynamic parameters occurred after 24 months of follow-up between patients with (n = 10) and without (n = 31) previous external sphincterotomy. Neither hemorrhage requiring blood transfusion, obstructive hyperplastic epithelial overgrowth, stent encrustation or stone formation, nor soft tissue erosion occurred in any patient.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

OBJECTIVE:Failure to ejaculate may be overcome by use of electroejaculation. However, such semen samples are often unsuitable for therapies like intrauterine insemination. The combination of electroejaculation with in vitro fertilization, including gamete micromanipulation, should improve chances of fertilization and pregnancy in such cases.STUDY DESIGN:Within a private infertility clinic electroejaculation in combination with intrauterine insemination was carried out in 18 cycles (10 couples). Four couples went on to receive therapy by electroejaculation plus in vitro fertilization, along with six other couples (15 cycles total) with semen too poor for intrauterine insemination.RESULTS:One term pregnancy arose in the electroejaculation-intrauterine insemination group, and one term pregnancy plus one continuing pregnancy arose from two couples (three cycles) who underwent in vitro fertilization with conventional insemination after electroejaculation. Six couples (nine cycles) had embryos arising only from gamete micromanipulation transferred, and this yielded two term pregnancies, one spontaneous abortion, and a biochemical pregnancy. Two couples (three cycles) failed to achieve fertilization even with micromanipulation; however, donor-inseminated eggs gave rise to two term pregnancies and one continuing pregnancy in these patients.CONCLUSIONS:This report confirms the feasibility of in vitro fertilization in conjunction with electroejaculation and extends the therapy to incorporate gamete micromanipulation.

A technique to correct a bifid scrotum in patients with severe hypospadias is described. The operation is used as a second stage procedure to 1) repair the bifid scrotum, 2) add length to the penis and 3) correct the tendency for the erect penis to point into the scrotum, eventually interfering with intromission. The procedure, which advances the penis superiorly, detaches the urethra from the prominent median raphe to correct the bifid scrotum, It has been used successfully in 3 patients.