Brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic disease caused by intracellular gram-negative coccobacilli called Brucella. This infectious disease may implicate many farm animals and is transmissible to exposed humans. Brucellosis is potentially life-threatening and may lead to granulomatous multi-organ involvement with tendency to chronicity and recurrence. The treatment of brucellosis requires combined and protracted antimicrobial therapies to eliminate the disease and to avoid its relapse. Genitourinary brucellosis is common among infected humans in endemic areas and is considered the second-most affected focal site, which commonly manifests as epididymo-orchitis. Testicular abscess, however, is an extremely rare complication of brucellosis. To the best of our knowledge, in the literature, there are to date only 16 previously published case reports, including 22 patients of brucellar testicular abscesses, emphasizing the extreme rarity of this condition. Most of these cases harbored small abscesses, which were treated conservatively using antibiotics therapy only, or with added drainage of the abscesses. Larger abscesses were reported to necessitate orchiectomy. In some cases, the abscesses were mimicking tumors, and surgeries for orchiectomy were done accordingly. A summary of the previously reported cases in the literature is presented. Here, we present the 17th case report of a 34-year-old man with a right-side huge multilocular brucellar testicular abscess apparently replacing the entire testicle, who was successfully treated with organ-sparing management by incision-drainage of the large abscess with antibiotics, to eventually preserve his testis. In conclusion, brucellosis should be considered among the differential diagnoses of any testicular swelling, especially in endemic areas. Drainage of brucellar testicular abscess with appropriate medical treatment is feasible and may preserve the testicle, even with large abscess apparently replacing the entire testicle.
Purpose: This study investigated the functional outcomes and complication rates of cuff downsizing for the treatment of recurrent or persistent stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in men after the implantation of an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS).Methods: Data from our institutional AUS database spanning the period from 2009 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The number of pads per day was determined, a standardized quality of life (QoL) questionnaire and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ) were administered, and postoperative complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification were analyzed.Results: Out of 477 patients who received AUS implantation during the study period, 25 (5.2%) underwent cuff downsizing (median age, 77 years; interquartile range [IQR], 74–81 years; median follow-up, 4.4 years; IQR, 3–6.9 years). Before downsizing, SUI was very severe (ICIQ score 19–21) or severe (ICQ score 13–18) in 80% of patients, moderate (ICIQ score 6–12) in 12%, and slight (ICIQ score 1–5) in 8%. After downsizing, 52% showed an improvement of >5 out of 21 points. However, 28% still had very severe or severe SUI, 48% had moderate SUI, and 20% had slight SUI. One patient no longer had SUI. In 52% of patients, the use of pads per day was reduced by ≥50%. QoL improved by >2 out of 6 points in 56% of patients. Complications (infections/urethral erosions) requiring device explantation occurred in 36% of patients, with a median time to event of 14.5 months.Conclusions: Although cuff downsizing carries a risk of AUS explantation, it can be a valuable treatment option for selected patients with persistent or recurrent SUI after AUS implantation. Over half of patients experienced improvements in symptoms, satisfaction, ICIQ scores, and pad use. It is important to inform patients about the potential risks and benefits of AUS to manage their expectations and assess individual risks.
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