Abstract Introduction Over/Under is a sportsbook wager term. Peyronie’s disease (PD) affects men of all ages with an estimated prevalence of up to 9% of the population. The Peyronie’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ) Scale provides an opportunity to assess patient perception of their disease and the impact it has on quality of life. A potential discrepancy between patient-perceived and physician-measured curvature is important aspect of triaging care for patients with PD. Counseling, management and treatment risks are impacted by PD triage. Objective To investigate patient accuracy in perceived degree of curvature in Peyronie’s disease. Are patients over estimating or underestimating PD curvature? Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on 57 patients with diagnosis of Peyronie’s disease at our institution. Patients in the study completed a Peyronie’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ) Scale with additional prompts including, but not limited to, penile curvature with erection, number of penile curvatures, and degree of each penile curvature. All patients had office based testing with intracavernous injection of Alprostadil and color duplex Doppler assessment (CDDU). The primary outcome was estimation of concordance of curvature estimated by patient and measured by provider. Patient overestimation was defined as perceived curvature more than 15 degrees greater than measured curvature. Underestimation was defined as patient-estimated curvature 15 degrees less than measured curvature. Results Of the 57 patients, 51 patients met study criteria with a completed questionnaire, documented physician-measured curvature, and absence of an hourglass deformity on examination. Patient concordance with physician-measure curvature within 15 degrees was observed in forty patients (78%). Overestimation of curvature was recorded in eight patients (16%), while three patients (6%) underestimated their curvature. Conclusions The PDQ Scale is a useful tool in assessing degree of curvature in patients with PD. We carefully selected men who had normal vascular erection responses to Alprostadil in office and compared provider measurements to patient’s home estimate of curvature. Our study finds that in men with no co-existing erectile dysfunction and no hourglass deformities the majority (78%) accurately estimate their penile curvature within 15 degrees of measured curvature. PDQ cannot replace physical examination of Peyronie’s disease or office based intracavernous induced erections as discordance between percieved and measured curvature is 22%. Disclosure No.
Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA)/American Urological Association (AUA) telemedicine and men’s health white paper
The Journal of Sexual Medicine | March 2, 2024 | Volume: 21 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 318-332
Abstract Purpose The purpose of this white paper is to educate health care professionals about the evolution of telemedicine (TM) and to propose a hybrid model that leverages the strengths of traditional in-person medicine as well as virtual medicine while maximizing the safety and quality of men’s sexual health care. Literature Search Strategy A literature search focused on the use of TM in urology and men’s health was performed through PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science (January 1, 2012–April 26, 2022). Keywords included all known permutations of the terminology used to refer to virtual health, care as well as the terminology used to refer to urologic diseases, issues specific to men’s health, and men’s sexual health concerns. Publications that emerged after the literature search that met this criterion also were incorporated. Opinion pieces, letters to the editor, meeting abstracts, and conference proceedings were excluded. Additional resources were retrieved, such as governmental technical reports, legislative updates and reviews, and blogs. This search strategy yielded 1684 records across databases after removal of duplicates. Abstracts from the retrieved records were reviewed for relevance. Relevant publications were defined as those that reported data on any aspect of TM use specific to urology, men’s health, and/or men’s sexual health. If relevance was unclear from the abstract, then the full text of the article was retrieved for a more detailed review. In addition, the published evidence-based practice guidelines relevant to care for erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, ejaculatory dysfunction, and hypogonadism were retrieved. The most common reasons for article exclusions were a focus on TM use in disciplines other than urology and the absence of data (ie, opinion pieces). After exclusions, a total of 91 publications remained and constituted the evidence base for this paper.
Conversion to Disposable Cystoscopes Decreased Post-procedure Encounters and Infections Compared to Reusable Cystoscopes
Urology Practice | May 25, 2023 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 312-317
Abstract Introduction Erectile dysfunction continues to be a concern for patients and physicians after surgical treatment of prostate pathology. Objective To analyze doppler diagnosis on patients who underwent prostate surgery for benign or malignant pathology of the prostate. Methods We retrospectively analyzed all patients who underwent either robotic assisted prostatectomy (RALP), open retropubic prostatectomy (RRP), endoscopic procedures such as greenlight procedure, laser resection of the prostate or transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP); and High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) treatment for prostate pathology and who underwent intracavernous injection followed by Color Doppler Duplex Ultrasound (CDDU) at our institution between 2005 and 2019. CDDU findings were recorded following injection of low dose alprostadil (10-20 mcg) and again after a period of privacy and visual sexual stimulation. CCDU findings including peak systolic velocities (PSV), and resistive indices (RIs) were recorded. Arterial insufficiency (AI) was defined as either a post-stimulation PSV < 25 with any RI or a PSV 25-34.9 with RI≥0.9. Cavernous Venous Occlusion Disease (CVOD) was defined as post-stimulation PSV ≥35 with RI < 0.9. Mixed was defined as post-stimulation PSV 25-34.9 with RI < 0.9. Vascular normal was defined as post-stim PSV ≥ 35 with RI ≥ 0.9. Results 380/1917 (19.8%) patients had a past surgical history of prostate surgery. 111/380 (29.2%) underwent RRP, 168/380 (44.2%) patients underwent RALP, 85/380 (22.3%) underwent endourological resection of the prostate and 2/380 (0.5%) patients underwent HIFU. Median age for the RALP group was 60.5 (IQR 23.7-82.8), RRP group was 64.2 (29.7-87.7), endourological resection of the prostate 64.6 (30.8 – 85.6) and HIFU 65.0 (46.9-79.4). 87.1% of patients who had an endoscopic procedure were using phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors at the time of CDDU. CVOD was the most common etiology of ED in patients who underwent RRP (28.8%) and Endourological procedures of the prostate (32.9%); In patient who underwent RALP the most common etiology of ED was noted to be AI (28.6%), however none of these values were statistically significant (p=0.428). Conclusions There is no difference in etiology of ED in patients who underwent open, robotic or endoscopic manipulation of the prostate as shown by CDDU. Disclosure No
(437) Post-Vasectomy Semen Analysis (PVSA) Compliance Rates and Associations
The Journal of Sexual Medicine | May 22, 2023 | Volume: 20 | Issue: Supplement_1 | Pages: No page available
Abstract Introduction Vasectomy is a highly effective, permanent method of contraception. Poor compliance rates have been observed for patients in obtaining their post-vasectomy semen analyses (PVSA). Few studies have looked at associations with low compliance. Objective The objective of our study was to identify compliance rates of post-vasectomy semen analysis and to identify associations that may increase or decrease the rates of compliance. Methods We studied 111 patients between November 2018 and April 2022 who underwent vasectomy at a single institution. Only patients who underwent vasectomy for fertility-related reasons were included in our final analysis. We excluded any patients who had undergone previous vasectomy or vasectomy reversal. Variables analyzed included age, relationship status, presence of primary care provider, anxiety diagnosis, and race. Variables were obtained via chart review which included but was not limited to reviewing notes, summary diagnostic pages, problem lists, and medication lists. All analyses were performed using R version 4.1.2 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). Categorical data were described with the number and percentage of patients. Continuous data were described with the median, minimum, and maximum. Associations of race and anxiety diagnosis with PVSA were explored using Fisher’s exact test. All p-values were two-sided at the 5% significance level without adjustment for multiple testing. Results Our cohort included 111 men who underwent vasectomy with exclusion of 1 patient who underwent vasectomy for non-fertility reasons. The median age of vasectomy was 38 years (range 26-59 years). Of 110 patients, 83 (75%) returned for PVSA. There were 103 (94%) married patients. Additional cohort characteristics can be seen in Table 1. As shown in Table 2, African American patients were less likely to return for PVSA than either white patients (14% vs. 79%, p<0.001) or Hispanic patients (14% vs. 100%, p=0.015). we did not find evidence of difference between white and Hispanic patients (p=0.58). Patients with an anxiety diagnosis were more likely to undergo PVSA compared to patients without an anxiety diagnosis (p<0.001). Conclusions Patients in our cohort of African American race were significantly less likely to undergo PVSA compared to white and Hispanic patients. This suggests an opportunity for improved counseling in the African American population. We do recognize a disparity in the number of white patients studied (n=95) versus African American (n=7) and Hispanic (n=5) patients. Additionally, patients with an anxiety disorder were more likely to undergo PVSA compared to patients without an anxiety disorder. The prevalence of anxiety disorder in our cohort is somewhat high relative to the overall population in the United States. This could be due to questionnaires used at our institution and the timeliness of those questionnaires. Personality traits could also lead to confounding in anxiety diagnoses. Overall, a 75% rate of PVSA speaks to an opportunity for better counseling regarding PVSA, especially in particular populations such as the African American population. Disclosure No
(259) Computed Tomography for Evaluation of Complex Calcified Peyronie's Disease
The Journal of Sexual Medicine | May 22, 2023 | Volume: 20 | Issue: Supplement_1 | Pages: No page available
Abstract Introduction The presence and extent of penile calcifications is an important factor in disease management of Peyronie’s Disease (PD). Calcified plaques may necessitate plaque excision and grafting (E&G) in addition to other therapies or surgeries. PD pathology such as corporal septal involvement, multifocal calcifications, and circumferential corporal calcification can be difficult to assess on color doppler ultrasound (CDDU) due to device limitations. Computed tomography (CT) can be utilized for further characterization of PD. Objective The objective of our study was to review patients who underwent CT imaging for characterization of their Peyronie's Disease. Methods Twenty-three patients with a diagnosis of PD were retrospectively evaluated between 2017 and 2021. Patients underwent CDDU examination with artificial erection and were evaluated based on erectile function, plaque dimension, hourglass deformity, plaque septal involvement, and suspected calcification status. Patients with CDDU examination suggestive of calcification or significant complexity underwent non-contrast CT scan for 3-dimensional evaluation of the plaque prior to surgical discussion. CT complexity was defined as concern for multifocal calcified plaques (>2), partial/complete circumferential corpus cavernosum involvement, or septal involvement. Results All 23 patients had concerning findings on initial examination for calcified plaque which led to their CT evaluation; 9 of 23 (39.1%) patients had exam findings with hourglass deformity. On CT evaluation, calcification was confirmed in 22 of 23 patients (95.7%). Plaque dimensions on CT scan ranged from 0.4 x 0.2 x 0.5 cm to 4.0 x 2.0 x1.7 cm. Many of these measurements were approximations due to circumferential calcified plaque. A classic “gull-wing” appearance was noted in 6 of 23 (26%) patients; 12 of 23 (52.2%) of patients had septal involvement on CT; 8 of 23 patients (34.8%) had significant multifocal disease; 8 of 23 patients (34.8%) decided to proceed with surgical correction via E&G (n = 3), IPP with E&G (n =1), or via IPP with manual remodeling via Wilson technique (n = 4). Conclusions Non-contrast penile CT scan identifies calcification well in patients with Peyronie's Disease. CT allows for increased accuracy of surgical planning especially when evaluating for multifocal disease, circumferential plaque and/or septal involvement. These elements are critical for for providing accurate surgical recommendations and preoperative discussions. Disclosure No
(257) Ultrasound Classification System for Peyronie's Disease
The Journal of Sexual Medicine | May 22, 2023 | Volume: 20 | Issue: Supplement_1 | Pages: No page available
Abstract Introduction Peyronie’s Disease (PD) is characterized by a fibrous scar of the tunica albuginea. PD is typically imaged with 2D ultrasound. We propose a classification system of these ultrasound findings in the evaluation of PD. Objective The purpose of this study is to establish a functional sonographic classification system for evaluating PD and to examine the relationship between PD grading and curvature, duration of PD, and vascular erectile status. Methods In our study, 395 patients with PD underwent intracavernosal injection with an erectile agent (ICI) followed by Color Doppler Duplex Ultrasound (CDDU). All CDDU studies were performed by a single examiner and all PD grading was done by two independent reviewers using saved images. Ultrasound findings including peak systolic velocities (PSV) and resistive indices (RIs) were recorded. PD grades of 2D images were classified into three grades: Grade 1 acoustic shadowing without calcification; Grade 2 focal microcalcifications of the tunica, pillars, or septal fibers; Grade 3 confluent calcification of the dorsal, septal, ventral tunica albuginea. Results There were 250 patients classified with Grade 1 (63%) sonographic changes, 75 with Grade 2 (19%), and 70 with Grade 3 (18%). All groups had similar median ages and body mass index (BMI): Grade 1 (59.3 yr), Grade 2 (59 yr) and Grade 3 (60.3 yr), p = 0.711; BMI 27.6, 28.2, 27.7, p = 0.813. Additionally, medical and surgical risk factors for erectile dysfunction were similar across the three groups; these included hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking history, and history of prostate surgery. Most patients had previously used PDE5-Inhibitors (293/395). History and/or physical findings of Dupuytren’s palmar contracture was noted in 30/395 (7.6%) of men. The median duration of PD was not significantly different across the three groups (12, 12, 14 months p = 0.639). Neither CDDU diagnoses (Table 1) nor curvature varied by sonographic grades (Table 2). Conclusions The scar resulting from PD seals together the outer longitudinal and inner circular layers of the tunica albuginea causing deformity of the erect shaft. PD plaques are usually palpable and associated with focal thickening of the tunica. On 2D ultrasound, the typical appearance is an acoustic shadow. Most of our patients presented with Grade I acoustic shadowing and no calcifications 250/395 (63%). On the other hand, 19% had acoustic plaque shadowing and additional findings of focal tunica or deep microcalcifications and 18% had confluent calcification of the dorsal, septal or ventral tunica. We propose a unique and reproducible classification system for Peyronie's Disease. This grading system is based on grayscale ultrasound of Peyronie’s plaques may serve the purpose of diagnostic evaluation, didactic teaching and integrated research. Disclosure No
(258) Agatston Calcium Score Assessment of Plaque Calcification in Peyronie’s Disease
The Journal of Sexual Medicine | May 22, 2023 | Volume: 20 | Issue: Supplement_1 | Pages: No page available
Abstract Introduction Peyronie’s disease (PD) is characterized by penile pain, penile deformation and curvature, sexual dysfunction, and psychological implications. Fibrosis and plaque formation are often part of PD pathophysiology. Calcified plaques can alter treatment planning. Penile ultrasound with Doppler (PUS) is used to exclude erectile dysfunction and identify plaques. However, plaque extent and distribution can be obscured by acoustic shadowing, limiting complete plaque characterization. Non-contrast pelvis computed tomography (CT) provides a noninvasive method to identify plaques in 3 dimensions and quantify plaque Ca burden. Objective Our objective was to utilize Agatston Ca scoring measure Ca burden in patients with Peyronie's disease. Methods A retrospective database from 1/1/2017 and 6/30/2021 identified 25 men with calcified plaques on CT after PUS performed by a single urologist. Two abdominal radiologists reviewed CTs in consensus to measure calcified plaque size and distribution on Visage PACS. Semiautomated Agatston Ca scoring values were obtained with Syngo.via. Total Ca volume (mm3), total Ca score were correlated with hourglass deformity on clinical exam, plaque complexity on CT (>2 discrete calcified plaques, circumferential corpus cavernosum involvement, septal involvement), and surgical management using descriptive statistics and t-test. Results Mean Ca volume was 1417 mm3 (range 1.4-5425.7, standard deviation (SD) 1570); mean Ca score was 1691 (range 1.6-6048; SD 1862) with significantly higher Ca volume in patients with complex plaques (265 mm3 vs 472 mm3, p<0.05), and significantly longer plaque dimension for longest plaque dimension measured by CT vs US (31 vs 23, p<0.05). There was no significant difference in Ca volume for nonsurgical vs surgical (1791 vs 893, p=0.06) or for no hourglass vs hourglass deformity (1173 vs 1904, p=0.19). Conclusions CT scan and calcium scoring are useful tools in the assessment of PD. Semiautomated Ca scoring may help noninvasively identify complex calcified penile plaques to guide medical and surgical therapy for Peyronie’s disease. Disclosure No
(151) Development of a New Peyronie’s Disease Self-Assessment Screening App
The Journal of Sexual Medicine | May 22, 2023 | Volume: 20 | Issue: Supplement_1 | Pages: No page available
Abstract Introduction Peyronie’s disease (PD) is a connective tissue disorder associated with the formation of fibrotic plaques in the tunica albuginea, leading to penile curvature. PD is underdiagnosed, and this may be related to the reluctance of some men to seek consultation with a health care provider (HCP). Objective The aim was to develop an English-language digital application (app) to increase PD awareness, give men concerned about penile curvature a self-screening tool, and provide a link for locating HCPs with expertise in PD. Methods The Peyronie’s Disease Self-Assessment App is Android- and iOS-compatible. It was developed as a self-assessment tool for screening purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition, disease, or health problem and should not be considered a replacement for a consultation with a physician. The app provides instructional videos on general features and how to perform a penile scanning procedure. Results The PD Self-Assessment App includes a questionnaire related to penile curvature, penetration difficulty, degree of bother for partner, and impact on sexual activity. An innovative feature of the app is a live scanning technology, which uses the phone’s camera to detect the contours of the penis from multiple angles and applies an algorithm that determines the degree of curvature. The resulting image is a 3D penile simulation in the app, which allows the user to mark the location of any “lumps.” The app will also produce a 2D outline to determine the maximum curvature. External links are provided to a PD education website and to locate an HCP. The patient can share both the questionnaire responses and penile curvature simulation with his HCP via the user’s native email. This tool has password protection features and encrypts sensitive data. The scan images are representations of the penis, not photographs. Images are stored in the app library and are not stored in the user’s photo gallery. To enhance security, all data are erased when the app is uninstalled. The app is adaptable and scalable as needed for future updates. Conclusions The PD Self-Assessment App will help improve patient knowledge of the condition, document penile deformity, and facilitate consultation with an HCP. For men with PD, the app will help ease their journey with PD. The app will assist HCPs with evaluation and diagnosis. Sequential documentation of penile curvature during medical treatment, during mechanical traction protocols, or following surgery will provide an evidence basis for tracking long-term outcomes in PD. Disclosure Yes, this is sponsored by industry/sponsor: Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. Clarification Industry initiated, executed and funded study Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Survivorship, Version 1.2022
Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network | October 14, 2022 | Volume: 20 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 1080-1090
The NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship are intended to help healthcare professionals who work with survivors to ensure that the survivors’ complex and varied needs are addressed. The NCCN Guidelines provide screening, evaluation, and treatment recommendations for the consequences of adult-onset cancer and its treatment; recommendations to help promote physical activity, weight management, and immunizations in survivors; and a framework for care coordination. This article summarizes updates to the NCCN Guidelines pertaining to preventive health for cancer survivors, including recommendations about alcohol consumption and vaccinations.