Surgical Management of Kidney and Ureteral Stones: AUA Guideline (2026). Part II: Evaluation and Treatment of Patients With Kidney and/or Ureteral Stones
Purpose: Surgical video review can be used in urologic training, yet significant barriers to the implementation of video review programs exist, and formal assessment of usage and utility for trainees is limited. Here, we evaluate a novel video review platform to describe patterns of use and determine perceived utility. Materials and Methods: We analyzed learning points entered by trainees during video review of radical prostatectomy cases using our surgical intelligence–enabled Film Room platform between September 2023 and July 2024. Learning point content was categorized according to surgical coaching domains as technical, cognitive, nontechnical, or descriptive. Entries were compared by surgical step and level of training. Anonymous surveys were distributed to trainees to determine perceived utility and reveal patterns of video review. Results: Thirteen trainees entered 480 unique learning points across all radical prostatectomy steps and spanning surgical coaching domains during the study period. Learning points varied by training level, with junior trainees entering points more often than senior trainees for Retzius-space dissection ( N = 73 vs 17, p < 0.01) and seminal vesicle and posterior dissection ( N = 58 vs 27, p < 0.01). Trainees used video review in preparation for both upcoming cases and performance analysis. Ninety-four percent of survey respondents reported they either agreed or strongly agreed that video review helped them develop surgical skills. Conclusions: We found usage across training levels and high perceived utility of our Film Room platform for video review of robotic prostatectomy. Implementation of video review platforms holds promise to augment existing urologic training and should be explored further.
A Multiomics Study of Circulating Proteins and Kidney Stone Risk
Key Points Circulating proteins independently associated with kidney stone diagnosis are related to kidney stone matrix. Lower circulating uromodulin and higher scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain-containing group B protein levels were associated with higher kidney stone risk, whereas kidney stone presence elevates plasma matrix metalloproteinase 7 level. The protective effect of uromodulin against kidney stones was independent of kidney function. Background Kidney stones are increasingly recognized as a systemic disorder with a high global prevalence. However, large proteomics studies are lacking. Methods An individual-level proteomics study with rigorous adjustments was performed on 35,331 UK Biobank participants to uncover the independent associations between 2922 circulating proteins and prevalent kidney stone disease. Mendelian randomization analysis was used to assess causal relationships. Findings were validated using genomic data from the Mayo Clinic Biobank ( N =43,744), concentration-response analysis, transcriptomics analyses, and additional genome-wide association studies. Results Nine plasma proteins were independently associated with a kidney stone diagnosis, including reduced uromodulin (UMOD; β , −0.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.15 to −0.05) and elevated scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain-containing group B protein (SSC4D; β , 0.28; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.38) and were enriched in extracellular matrix pathways. Mendelian randomization analysis revealed that the presence of kidney stone contributed to elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase 7. Conversely, lower plasma UMOD (odds ratio [OR], 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90 to 0.97) and higher plasma SSC4D (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.18) were associated with kidney stone risk. These associations were consistently replicated in the Mayo Clinic Biobank dataset (UMOD; OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86 to 0.98; SSC4D; OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.27) and further validated by a concentration-response analysis. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing and quantitative trait loci analyses confirmed consistent associations between thick ascending limb UMOD expression and stone former status and with blood and urine UMOD concentrations. Genome-wide association study analysis, adjusted for eGFR, suggested that the protective role of UMOD against kidney stones was independent of kidney function. Conclusions This study highlights significant associations between concentrations of specific blood proteins and a history of kidney stones. Several implicated proteins are related to kidney stone matrix, with UMOD independently associated with lower risk and SSC4D with higher risk of kidney stones.
Letter: National and Location-Specific Medicare Physician Fee Reimbursement Trends in Urologic Oncology from 2002 to 2024