BACKGROUND: The repeated or lengthy use of general anesthesia (GA) in children under three years old is cautioned against due to potential neurodevelopment effects. Spinal anesthesia (SA) has emerged as a safe and effective alternative for routine pediatric urologic procedures. In this study, we describe the use of SA in the urgent surgical treatment of neonatal testicular torsion.
OBJECTIVE: We aim to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SA for urgent scrotal exploration in neonates.
METHODS: We retrospectively collected data on neonates younger than 30 days old undergoing SA for the indication of testicular torsion from May 2018 to June 2022. We recorded patient demographics, adjuvant medications use, and time points for start/stop of spinal injection, procedure, and operating room utilization.
RESULTS: Six neonates, with an average age of 1.9 days of life and average weight of 3.4 kg, underwent scrotal exploration for testicular torsion using SA. Four patients (67%) required orchiectomy of the nonviable torsed testicle, and all patients underwent orchiopexy of the unaffected testicle. Mean total operative time was 45.3 (SD 11.7) minutes, including Gomco circumcision in five patients. One patient received preoperative intranasal dexmedetomidine for sedation. Mean time for SA administration was 6.3 (SD 5.5) minutes, with a mean total time in the operating room of 77.3 (SD 9.8) minutes. There were no perioperative or postoperative complications.
CONCLUSIONS: We describe a single institution experience of surgical management of neonatal torsion under SA. In this case series, SA was safely utilized for all neonates involved without the need for conversion to GA or intravenous (IV) sedation.
CONCLUSIONS: The use of SA is safe and efficacious for urgent scrotal exploration for testicular torsion in neonates, even those under 48 h of age. More widespread utilization requires collaboration between pediatric urologists and experienced pediatric anesthesiologists trained in SA.

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Neurogenic bladder dysfunction (NB) represents a challenge in pediatric urology. Intravesical botulin toxin-A (BTX-A) bladder injection is part of the armamentarium for the treatment of this condition, usually after failed first-line medical strategies and before the escalation to more invasive options such as neuromodulation or augmented cystoplasty in severe cases. However, there is still a lack of consensus about the appropriate treatment modality for the pediatric population. A review of the last 10 years\' research was performed on the PubMed database by two authors. Articles doubly selected and meeting the inclusion criteria were collected and analyzed for their study type, demographics, neurological disease(s) at diagnosis, BTX-A treatment modality and duration, previous treatment, clinical and urodynamic parameters, adverse events, outcomes, and follow-ups. A total of 285 studies were initially selected, 16 of which matched the inclusion criteria. A cohort of 630 patients was treated with BTX-A at a median age of 9.7 years, 40% of which had a diagnosis of myelomeningocele. The results of the selected publications show the overall efficacy and safety of BTX-A injections in children and confirmed BTX-A as a valuable strategy for NB treatment in pediatric population. Nevertheless, up to now, the literature on this topic offers scarce uniformity among the published series and poor protocol standardization.

BACKGROUND: Requests for circumcision revision are common in our American pediatric urology clinic. As parents are the surrogate decision maker for their child, there are several influences that can impact a parent\'s decision for or against circumcision.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess parents\' regret regarding their child\'s circumcision status and to correlate regret to factors that might have affected the original decision.
METHODS: From March 2023 to January 2024, we surveyed parents who brought their male child to our office for any reason, independent of circumcision status. The questionnaire was two-fold: a validated Decisional Regret Scale (DRS) (0-100 where higher scores = higher regret) and our questions regarding their decision-making process and outcome. Regret scores served as a function of each of the independent decision making and outcome variables.
RESULTS: Overall, decisional regret scores from both uncircumcised and circumcised parent groups were positively skewed with a median 0, mean 22, and ranged from 0 to 75. For those circumcised (n = 91), the median regret score was 0 (IQR 0-25). For those uncircumcised (n = 28), median regret score was 0 (IQR 0-24). Overall, 55% of both groups reported no regret (DRS = 0), 24% had low-mild regret (DRS 5-25), and 21% yielded moderate-strong regret (DRS 30-100). Parents who felt they made an informed decision or were counseled by any physician had lower regret scores. Parents who presented for issues related to their child\'s uncircumcised or circumcised penis (DRS score 37.5 and 25 respectively) had higher regret scores.
CONCLUSIONS: We found that a large portion of parents expressed no regret regarding their decision to have or not have their child circumcised (55%). There also was no difference in median regret scores between parent groups. However, a significant portion of parents did express moderate-strong regret (21%) and several influential factors were correlated with regret scores. These factors included informed decision making, physician counseling, appearance satisfaction, and problems related to their child\'s circumcised or uncircumcised penis. These factors are supported by other literature using the DRS and population studies. The limitations of our study included the limited recruitment of participants and potential time dependent bias of responses.
CONCLUSIONS: One in five parents of both circumcised and uncircumcised boys expressed moderate to strong regret regarding their decision about neonatal circumcision in our pediatric urology clinic. Our data suggests that ensuring parents have sufficient counseling prior to a decision regarding neonatal circumcision is important.

OBJECTIVE: To assess how virtual reality (VR) patient-specific simulations can support decision-making processes and improve care in pediatric urology, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
METHODS: Children diagnosed with urological conditions necessitating complex procedures were retrospectively reviewed and enrolled in the study. Patient-specific VR simulations were developed with medical imaging specialists and VR technology experts. Routine CT images were utilized to create a VR environment using advanced software platforms. The accuracy and fidelity of the VR simulations was validated through a multi-step process. This involved comparing the virtual anatomical models to the original medical imaging data and conducting feedback sessions with pediatric urology experts to assess VR simulations\' realism and clinical relevance.
RESULTS: A total of six pediatric patients were reviewed. The median age of the participants was 5.5 years (IQR: 3.5-8.5 years), with an equal distribution of males and females across both groups. A minimally invasive laparoscopic approach was performed for adrenal lesions (n = 3), Wilms\' tumor (n = 1), bilateral nephroblastomatosis (n = 1), and abdominal trauma in complex vascular and renal malformation (ptotic and hypoplastic kidney) (n = 1). Key benefits included enhanced visualization of the segmental arteries and the deep vascularization of the kidney and adrenal glands in all cases. The high depth perception and precision in the orientation of the arteries and veins to the parenchyma changed the intraoperative decision-making process in five patients. Preoperative VR patient-specific simulation did not offer accuracy in studying the pelvic and calyceal anatomy.
CONCLUSIONS: VR patient-specific simulations represent an empowering tool in pediatric urology. By leveraging the immersive capabilities of VR technology, preoperative planning and intraoperative navigation can greatly impact surgical decision-making. As we continue to advance in medical simulation, VR holds promise in educational programs to include even surgical treatment of more complex urogenital malformations.

Onabotulinum Toxin-A (BTX-A) is a second-line treatment for neurogenic bladder (NB). It requires repeated injections over time, which is a possible limit for long-term adherence, especially in children, as general anesthesia is required. Almost 50% of adults discontinue therapy; few data on pediatric patients are present. The aim of this study is to share our long-term experience of BTX-A adherence in children. This study is a retrospective review of 230 refractory NB patients treated with BTX-A. The inclusion criteria were ≥3 treatments and the first injection performed ≥10 years before the study endpoint. Fifty-four patients were included. Mean follow-up was 10.2 years; mean treatment number was 6.4 for each patient. During follow-up, 7% did not need BTX-A anymore; 76% discontinued therapy, with a prevalence of acquired NB (64% acquired vs. 34% congenital; p = 0.03); sex-based and urodynamic findings did not influence the discontinuation rate (p = 0.6, p = 0.2, respectively). Considering those who withdrew from the therapy, 43% were lost to follow-up/died after a mean of 7.5 years (although 33% still experienced clinical efficacy); 33% changed therapy after a mean of 5.8 years (with reduced efficacy in 22%, persistent efficacy in 11%). BTX-A is a safe and effective therapy for pediatric patients. The treatment abandonment rate is higher for children than for adults; no specific reasons were highlighted. It is necessary to evaluate any age-specific factors to explain these data.

BACKGROUND: Lost objects and equipment malfunctions during robotic and laparoscopic cases can lead to an increase in operating time and potential risk to the patient. The literature on the management of foreign bodies during pediatric robotic-assisted surgery is limited. The purpose of the video is to review proper instrument handling to prevent loss of an object and to propose our technique for retrieving lost objects through two pediatric case examples.
METHODS: The first case is a robotic-assisted laparoscopic left pyeloplasty in a 6-week-old male with congenital uteropelvic junction obstruction during which a needle was lost. In the video, we describe our techniques for safe needle passage, proper suturing technique, and recovering a lost needle. The second case is a robotic-assisted right upper pole heminephrectomy in a 14-month-old female with a duplicated renal collecting system and hydroureteronephrosis. We present the management of a rare case during which a harmonic scalpel jaw malfunctioned leading to a lost foreign body. We describe our technique for retrieving the lost fragment.
RESULTS: All objects were safely removed, and patients were discharged post-op day one without complication.
CONCLUSIONS: Our video presents two case examples of foreign bodies lost during pediatric robotic surgeries and approaches to manage each of these incidents.

UNASSIGNED: Patient- and family-centered communication is essential to health care equity. However, less is known about how urologists implement evidence-based communication and dynamics involved in caring for diverse pediatric patients and caregivers. We sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability using video-based research to characterize physician-family communication in pediatric urology.
UNASSIGNED: We assembled a multidisciplinary team to conduct a multiphase learning health systems project and establish the Urology HEIRS (Health Experiences and Interactions in Real-Time Studies) corpus for research and interventions. This paper reports the first phase, evaluating feasibility and acceptability based on consent rate, patient diversity, and qualitative identification of verbal and paraverbal features of physician-family communication. We used applied conversation analysis methodology to identify salient practices across 8 pediatric urologists.
UNASSIGNED: We recruited 111 families at 2 clinic sites; of these 82 families (N = 85 patients, ages 0-20 years) participated in the study with a consent rate of 73.9%. The racial/ethnic composition of the sample was 45.9% non-Hispanic White, 30.6% any race of Hispanic origin, 16.5% non-Hispanic Black/African American, 4.7% any ethnicity of Asian/Asian American, and 2.3% some other race/ethnicity; 24.7% of families used interpreters. We identified 11 verbal and paraverbal communication practices that impacted physician-family dynamics, including unique challenges with technology-mediated interpreters.
UNASSIGNED: Video-based research is feasible and acceptable with diverse families in pediatric urology settings. The Urology HEIRS corpus will enable future systematic studies of physician-family communication in pediatric urology and provides an empirical basis for specialty-specific training in patient- and family-centered communication.

BACKGROUND: Many pediatric urology conditions affect putatively normal tissues or appear too commonly to be based solely on specific DNA mutations. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms in pediatric urology, therefore, has many implications that can impact cell and tissue responses to settings, such as environmental and hormonal influences on urethral development, uropathogenic infections, obstructive stimuli, all of which originate externally or extracellularly. Indeed, the cell\'s response to external stimuli is often mediated epigenetically. In this commentary, we highlight work on the critical role that epigenetic machinery, such as DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), Enhancer of Zeste Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 Subunit (EZH2), and others play in regulating gene expression and cellular functions in three urological contexts.
METHODS: Animal and cellular constructs were used to model clinical pediatric uropathology. The hypertrophy, trabeculation, and fibrosis of the chronically obstructed bladder was explored using smooth muscle cell models employing disorganised vs. normal extracellular matrix (ECM), as well as a new animal model of chronic obstructive bladder disease (COBD) which retains its pathologic features even after bladder de-obstruction. Cell models from human and murine hypospadias or genital tubercles (GT) were used to illustrate developmental responses and epigenetic dependency of key developmental genes. Finally, using bladder urothelial and organoid culture systems, we examined activity of epigenetic machinery in response to non uropathogenic vs. uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC). DNMT and EZH2 expression and function were interrogated in these model systems.
RESULTS: Disordered ECM exerted a principal mitogenic and epigenetic role for on bladder smooth muscle both in vitro and in CODB in vivo. Key genes, e.g., BDNF and KCNB2 were under epigenetic regulation in actively evolving obstruction and COBD, though each condition showed distinct epigenetic responses. In models of hypospadias, estrogen strongly dysregulated WNT and Hox expression, which was normalized by epigenetic inhibition. Finally, DNA methylation machinery in the urothelium showed specific activation when challenged by uropathogenic E.coli. Similarly, UPEC induces hypermethylation and downregulation of the growth suppressor p16INK4A. Moreover, host cells exposed to UPEC produced secreted factors inducing epigenetic responses transmissible from one affected cell to another without ongoing bacterial presence.
CONCLUSIONS: Microenvironmental influences altered epigenetic activity in the three described urologic contexts. Considering that many obstructed bladders continue to display abnormal architecture and dysfunction despite relief of obstruction similar to after resection of posterior valves or BPH, the epigenetic mechanisms described highlight novel approaches for understanding the underlying smooth muscle myopathy of this crucial clinical problem. Similarly, there is evidence for an epigenetic basis of xenoestrogen on development of hypospadias, and UTI-induced pan-urothelial alteration of epigenetic marks and propensity for subsequent (recurrent) UTI. The impact of mechanical, hormonal, infectious triggers on genitourinary epigenetic machinery activity invite novel avenues for targeting epigenetic modifications associated with these non-cancer diseases in urology. This includes the use of deactivated CRISPR-based technologies for precise epigenome targeting and editing. Overall, we underscore the importance of understanding epigenetic regulation in pediatric urology for the development of innovative therapeutic and management strategies.

Undescended testis is the most common genital disorder identified at birth. Boys who do not have spontaneous descent of the testis at 6 months of age, adjusted for gestational age, should be referred to pediatric urology for timely orchiopexy. Retractile testes are at risk for secondary ascent of the testes and should be monitored by physical examination annually. If there is concern for ascent of the testis, pediatric urology referral is recommended. Most cases of phimosis can be managed medically with topical corticosteroids and manual retraction of the foreskin.