[Clinical application of the needle electrode in transurethral plasmakinetic resection of bladder tumor around ureteral orifice: A report of 16 cases].

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinical application value of using needle electrode in transurethral plasmakinetic resection of bladder tumor around ureteral orifice.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 16 cases who had bladder tumors around ureteral orifice and underwent transurethral resection using plasmakinetic needle electrode in Department of Urology, Peking University International Hospital from June 2015 to December 2019. There were nine cases with the tumor of one to two centimeters from the ureteral orifice. The rest of the seven cases had tumor that was within one centimeter from the ureteral orifice, including two cases whose ureteral orifice was invaded by the tumor. All the patients studied were diagnosed before surgery and contraindications were excluded. The plasmakinetic needle electrode was used to treat the tumor with en bloc resection, and all the excised tissue was sent for pathological examination. Intravesical chemotherapy and postoperative follow-ups were performed. Statistical analysis was performed on the operation time, the incidence of obturator nerve reflex, the peri-operative bleeding, the parameters of indwelling ureteral catheter or double-J stent, the incidence of postoperative hydronephrosis, the clinical stage of tumor, and the recurrence rate.

RESULTS

The operation was successfully completed for all the sixteen cases. The operation time was 16 to 57 minutes, with an average of (32.6±11.8) minutes. No obvious obturator nerve reflex and perioperative bleeding occurred in all the patients. Ureteral catheters were indwelled prior to the operation of tumor resection in seven cases. Four of the seven cases had the ureteral catheters remained while the rest three were replaced by double-J stent after surgery. Postoperative pathological analysis showed that all the tumors were urothelial carcinoma, including 9 cases of low grade and 7 cases of high grade. Pathological staging: 10 cases were in Ta stage, 5 cases in T1 stage, and 1 case in T2a stage. All tumor bases and lateral margins were negative. All the patients received 3-56 months, with an average of (26.0±18.1) months of follow-up. There was no case of upper urinary tract hydronephrosis or tumor recurrence.

CONCLUSION

The transurethral plasmakinetic resection of bladder tumor using needle electrode can realize en bloc tumor resection without obturator nerve reflex and reduce the risk of ureteral orifice injury. It is a safe and effective surgical method for treating bladder tumors around the ureteral orifice.