No abstract

Objective(s) The incidence of urinary tract stone disease is steadily increasing in both adult and paediatric populations. This condition develops due to different factors: dietary or metabolic alterations, infection, and congenital anatomic malformations. Standard indications and treatments for children are analogous to the ones indicated for adults. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, ureterorenoscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) should be preferred to more invasive techniques. Moreover, the introduction of laparoscopic and robot‐assisted laparoscopic approaches have improved surgical outcomes, lowering the bleeding risk with higher stone‐free rates, even in complicated cases. Despite these well‐known improvements, there are few reports regarding laparoscopic robot‐assisted management for urinary tract stone disease in paediatric patients under the age of 10, especially with concomitant treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction and multiple calyceal stones. Patient and Method(s) A 4‐year‐old child was referred for recurrent right abdominal flank pain, macroscopic haematuria and a previous history of urinary tract infections. A computed tomography of the abdomen showed right ureteropelvic junction obstruction associated with multiple unilateral stones located in the renal pelvis and in the interpolar renal calyces. Due to its complexity, we held a multidisciplinary meeting with paediatric surgeons and nephrologists to determine optimal treatment. As a result, a combined robot‐assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) and renal calculi holmium laser lithotripsy using a digital flexible ureteroscope through an abdominal robotic trocar was performed. No post‐surgical complications were recorded, and the patient was discharged within 48 h following surgery. At subsequent regular follow‐up examinations over a period of 24 months, no signs of recurrence were detected for both ureteropelvic junction obstruction and stone disease. Result(s) Robot‐assisted LP with concomitant laser lithotripsy is a reasonable treatment option for designated young paediatric patients with challenging ureteropelvic junction obstruction complicated by urolithiasis, especially in cases where stones are not amenable with standard procedures.

This collection includes some unusual cases and how they were diagnosed and treated. Case 1: A case of a patient with primary hyperthyroidism presenting with a submucosal ureteral stone after endoscopic lithotripsy was described. After multiple endoscopic treatment, the stone was successfully removed by open ureterolithotomy recovering ureteral patency and normal renal function. Case 2: A case of burned-out testicular cancer with atypical lymphatic spread (stage II A) was presented. After right orchiectomy and complete remission of tumor markers, due to atypical metastases location and uncertain histology, the patient was treated with systemic therapy based on bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (PEB). At re-staging after chemotherapy computed tomography showed reduction of all node metastases and an observation protocol was proposed. Case 3: A patient was readmitted to hospital after 12 days from an uneventful Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer due to lower abdominal pain plus abdominal distension, nausea and constipation not responsive to medical therapy. Computed Tomography showed colon and small bowel dilatation without any evidence of anatomical or mechanical obstruction. Laparoscopic abdominal exploration confirmed bowel distension without evidence of obstructing lesions. Ogilvie’s Syndrome or acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (ACPO) was diagnosed. The patient fully recovered and was discharged six days after the procedure. Case 4: A case of recurrent Acute Idiopathic Scrotal Edema (AISE) was diagnosed on clinical signs together with the decisive help of pathognomonic ultrasound findings as the “fountain sign”. Case 5: Small bilateral testicular nodules were diagnosed in a 30-years old patient undergoing scrotal ultrasound in follow up of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Ultrasound guided testis sparing surgery was performed demonstrating Leydig cell tumors.

In the treatment of renal stones, PCNL may be a safe and effective choice; nevertheless, patients' anatomic abnormalities or staghorn-stones may influence the outcomes. Thus, a prospective study with a larger population is needed to verify our outcomes.

Pseudoaneurysm (PA) associated with an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) of the internal pudendal artery branches are very uncommon. We report a case of post-traumatic PA with AVF connected to Santorini plexus. Diagnosis was made with trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) after recurrent hematuria. TRUS reported a 1.7 × 1.4 × 1.5 cm anechoic area, on anterior prostate apex close to Santorini plexus. The use of color Doppler in this area revealed high flow velocity that was indicative for AVF. The feeding artery was a distal branch of the left pudenda artery. After selective embolization was observed complete occlusion of the feeding branches and disappearance of PA with AVF. Prostate PA with concomitant symptomatic AVF detected with TRUS has not yet described in literature after pelvic trauma and represents complex diagnostic challenges. This case report suggests that the use of TURS and color Doppler can provide an important diagnostic and follow-up to address the clinical suspicion of occult vascular injuries using a noninvasive approach.