We report on the long-term followup of 7 patients 11 to 50 years old treated for arterial priapism following perineal or penile trauma with arteriographic evidence of contrast medium extravasating from a lacerated cavernous artery into surrounding erectile tissue lacunae (an arterial-lacunar fistula). All patients underwent medical record review and completed a mailed questionnaire. The priapism erections were described as devoid of pain or tenderness, incompletely but constantly rigid and able to increase rigidity with sexual stimulation. Bright red corporeal aspirates were observed in all cases. Color flow Doppler ultrasound findings of focal areas of high flow turbulence correlated with diagnostic arteriography (correlation coefficient 1.00). Initial treatment by mechanical or pharmacological means was unsuccessful when performed. Superselective transcatheter embolization of the ipsilateral common penile artery resolved the priapism in all cases. The interval from onset to resolution of priapism was 4 to 126 days. Full erectile function return was delayed from 2 weeks to 5 months, most likely from resolving clot lysis. Full erection quality was restored in 6 of 7 patients with persistent function and restored frequency of intercourse at 6 to 67 months. Reestablished cavernous artery flow in previously embolized arteries was demonstrated on followup ultrasonography. Surgical treatment was not required in any case. We conclude that arterial priapism occurs in the absence of neurogenic-mediated relaxation, and is sustained by high oxygen tension and shear stress associated with the cavernous artery laceration. Embolization therapy offers effective management of the pathophysiology with high preservation of premorbid erectile function.

This combined multi-institutional series reveals that robot-assisted pyeloplasty with the daVinci Surgical System is safe and reproducible. These intermediate results appear comparable to those of open and laparoscopic pyeloplasty repairs.

There are a variety of publications advocating the ureteroscopic or the percutaneous approach for the treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis. The diagnostic tool of choice for the upper urinary tract and collecting system is the flexible ureteroscope. One of the major concerns about ureteroscopic management of renal disease initially was the lack of flexibility of the instruments and therefore the inability to deal with demanding sites. The advent of new ureteroscopic techniques, as well as the continuous evolution of the technology, have paved the way for safe and effective access to the upper urinary tract. In the hands of an experienced urologist, such procedures can provide reliable treatment options for small upper urinary tract lesions. Coupling minimal morbidity with ever-improving optics and flexibility, the ureteroscope of today leaves no area of the urinary tract unseen. In patients with bulky tumors or in whom easy access and resection is not possible ureteroscopically, the percutaneous approach to the renal pelvis, although more invasive, provides a better working environment. Clearly, the most difficult aspect of ureteroscopic access to the lower pole is not just visibility but the loss of deflection caused by passage of various instruments through the working channel. Direct access via percutaneous approach with a large resectoscope avoids these problems.

The use of small intestine submucosa is a novel, effective material for the scaffolding of ureteral defects and/or strictures of the upper ureteral segment in the pig model.