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Background To evaluate the outcome and complication rate in a single institution experience using the two most commonly used techniques of ureteroenteric anastomosis, the Bricker and Wallace anastomosis. Methods A total of 137 patients underwent ileal conduit for bladder cancer. Ureters were anastomosed by two experienced surgeons, one performing a Bricker and the other, a Wallace anastomosis. Stricture was identified during clinical follow-up. Results Seventy-five patients underwent a Bricker anastomotic, and 65 received a Wallace anastomosis. The average age was 70 in both groups, males were predominant (66% Bricker, 70% Wallace). Follow up period was 36.5 months in Bricker group and 17 months in Wallace group. In both groups, the body mass index (BMI) was similar (26.1 kg/m2 Bricker and 26.4 kg/m2 Wallace). We observed that the stricture rate after performing the Bricker anastomosis technique was 25.3% (19/75) as compared to 7.7% (5/65) after Wallace anastomosis technique, which was statistically significant (p = 0.001). In the Bricker group, patients with strictures had higher BMI (28.3 vs. 25.7 kg/m2, p = 0.05). On average it took 8.5 months in the Bricker group and three months in the Wallace group (p = 0.6) to develop stricture. Conclusions The stricture rate was significantly higher when Bricker technique was applied. Although the BMI was not different in both groups, patients with a higher BMI were more likely to develop stricture. We believe that the approach of the separate and refluxing technique of Bricker anastomosis especially in obese patients poses a higher risk for anastomotic stricture formation.

We report on a new approach to measure the accumulated B-integral in the regenerative and multipass amplifier stages of ultrashort-pulse high-power laser systems by B-integral-induced coupling between delayed test post-pulses and the main pulse. A numerical model for such non-linear pulse coupling is presented and compared to data taken at the high-power laser Draco with self-referenced spectral interferometry (SRSI). The dependence of the B-integral accumulated in the regenerative amplifier on its operation mode enables optimization strategies for extracted energy vs. collected B-integral. The technique presented here can, in principle, be applied to characterize any type of ultrashort pulse laser system and is essential for pre-pulse reduction.

Tin-vacancy color centers in diamond are promising for quantum communication and information applications. Here, we determine the coherence time of orbital qubit states through coherent population trapping.