Background: Our aim was to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 infection on male fertility and sexual function. Methods: Thirty-one patients were investigated over a mean follow-up of 90 days (22–527) after a COVID-19 infection. Erectile dysfunction (ED), blood tests for sexual hormones, semen analysis including analysis of oxidative stress (OS), as well as COVID-19 antibody titer and the nasal COVID-19 PCR test were evaluated pre- and post-infection. Results: Five patients reported a mild de novo ED (16.13%). One patient had a de novo positive mixed antiglobulin reaction test after the infection. We found no significant difference between pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 spermiogram parameters (p = 0.815). OS showed no significant association with COVID-19 infection, but with pathological spermiogram categories, sperm concentration, total sperm count, testis volume, FSH and testosterone. Conclusion: COVID-19 infection does not appear to affect sperm quality and OS negatively in the intermediate term. Further investigations will be needed to assess the potential long-term effects of the infection and vaccination on male sexual function and fertility.

Background: This study investigates endocrine and exocrine testicular function, oxidative stress (OS) in semen, and erectile function in patients who underwent surgery for suspected testicular torsion (TT). Methods: We evaluated 49 patients over a mean follow-up of 101 months: n = 25 patients treated with surgical exploration, n = 20 patients treated with detorsion, and n = 4 treated with orchiectomy. We performed semen analysis including Male infertility Oxidative System (MyOxSIS) analysis, physical examination, and evaluation of endocrine and erectile function. Results: OS, erectile function and spermiogram categories did not differ significantly between the groups. The interval from the onset of symptoms to surgery differed significantly between groups (p < 0.001). Preservation of the testes was associated with a higher round cell count (p = 0.002) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH, p = 0.003). OS showed a significant positive correlation with the spermiogram category (0.337; p = 0.022). A negative correlation was observed between OS and age (p = 0.033), sperm concentration (p < 0.001) and total sperm count (p = 0.006). Conclusions: Endocrine, exocrine and erectile function are not significantly affected by TT in the long term. Orchiectomy results in elevated FSH and a lower round cell count compared to preservation of the testis.

Background Over the last few years the number of flexible ureterorenoscopies, used for renal stone treatment, has risen steadily. This was associated with an increase in costs for maintenance and repair of the fragile ureterorenoscopes used. To overcome this problem single-use devices have been introduced to the market. The aim of this study was to assess surgical outcome and workability for LithoVue™, a single-use flexible ureterorenoscope. Methods We retrospectively analyzed all flexible ureterorenoscopies performed at our department between January and October 2017. We included a total of 108 interventions for renal stone therapy, all performed using the single-use device LithoVue™. We assessed patients’ characteristics including stone size, count and location. We evaluated the surgical outcome, analyzing stone-free rates, reintervention rates, complication rates, as well as surgery time. Learning curve for single-use ureterorenoscopes was evaluated by comparing the surgical outcome between residents and consultants. Results The average time needed per intervention was 52,31 min ± 28,11. In 77 out of 108 (71,30%) patients we were able to remove all stones by a single intervention. In 8 patients (7,41%) intra- or postoperative complications occurred, none of which was graded higher than Clavien-Dindo III B. We did not find any statistical differences comparing the surgical outcome between residents and consultants. No technical difficulties occurred during surgery. Conclusion Single-use flexible ureterorenoscopes provide decent working properties resulting in good surgical outcome. Furthermore, they are proven to be easy to handle even for unexperienced surgeons, making them a feasible choice for high volume academic centers.