IPET-CT in inflammatory diseases of kidneys and bladder: diagnostic efficacy

Introduction. The incorporation of combined positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) into clinical practice has significantly expanded the understanding of the pathogenesis of many diseases. Evidence-based data on the diagnostic efficacy in infectious and inflammatory diseases is increasing, making this imaging method very promising. Purpose of the study. To study the diagnostic efficacy of 18F-FDG PET-CT in various chronic inflammatory diseases of kidneys and bladder.Materials and methods. A retrospective study of the results of whole-body 18F-FDG PET-CT in 45 patients was carried out. Patients underwent an investigation at various times after surgical treatment of localized oncology of the anogenital zone at the T1N0M0 stage without the involvement of the genitourinary system. It was found that 24 patients had a history of chronic pyelonephritis and 21 patients had manifestations of radiation cystitis. Repeated PET/CT scans were performed after a course of therapy for inflammatory urological diseases to assess the treatment results of the underlying pathology.Results. The latent course of chronic renal failure was accompanied by a diffuse decrease in 18F-FDG metabolism in the renal parenchyma with its partial recovery after etiotropic therapy and urine sanitation. Hypermetabolism of 18F-FDG was detected in the bladder wall during manifestations of radiation cystitis, which was leveled during therapy and relief of urinary syndrome manifestations. Bacterial and radiation inflammation differed in molecular-cell responses to the pathogen, while the results of urinalysis, indicating the effectiveness of the treatment, coincided with the visual and digital indicators of the restoration of adequate energy metabolism in the studied tissues.Conclusions. Metabolism of 18F-FDG in the kidneys and bladder can objectively reflect the nature of inflammation and complement the data on the effectiveness of the treatment.

Sodium Deoxyribonucleate Prevents Radiation Cystitis in Uterine or Cervical Cancer Patients

Results: To develop a method for reducing the frequency and severity of early radiation reactions in patients with cancer of the uterus or cervix. Material and methods: We analyzed the results of treatment of 60 patients with cancer of the uterus and cervix, patients received a postoperative course of external beam radiotherapy combined with the intramuscular administration of the Derinat® radioprotector (sodium deoxyribonucleate); in the second arm, they received a postoperative course of external beam radiotherapy and standard therapy in case of radiation cystitis. The assessment of radiation reactions severity was performed with the EORTC QLQ-C30 criteria, WBC count, IPSS scale, urine analysis and cystoscopic examination evaluated with the developed by us scale. Results: Evaluation of the quality of life in patients with cervical or uterine cancer at the final stage of treatment using the IPSS scale showed that in the arm of patients with sodium deoxyribonucleate, there was a 30.4 % (p> 0.05) decrease in the symptoms of urinary disorders. The use of the radioprotector sodium deoxyribonucleate also statistically significantly reduced the incidence of radiation cystitis by 73 %. According to cystoscopy, the total bladder injury score at the end of treatment was 147 % lower. The number of leukocytes in the urine analysis at the end of treatment was 116.3 % lower (p≤0.01) in those who received sodium deoxyribonucleate Conclusion: The data obtained indicate the radioprotective efficacy of sodium deoxyribonucleate and make it possible to recommend its intramuscular administration to patients with cancer of the uterus and cervix against the background of external beam radiation therapy to reduce the frequency and severity of acute radiation cystitis in patients with cancer of the uterus or cervical cancer receiving external beam radiation therapy.

Voiding defects in acute radiation cystitis driven by urothelial barrier defect through loss of E-cadherin, ZO-1 and Uroplakin III

Long term-side effects from cancer therapies are a growing health care concern as life expectancy among cancer survivors increases. Damage to the bladder is common in patients treated with radiation therapy for pelvic cancers and can result in radiation (hemorrhagic) cystitis (RC). The disease progression of RC consists of an acute and chronic phase, separated by a symptom-free period. Gaining insight in tissue changes associated with these phases is necessary to develop appropriate interventions. Using a mouse preclinical model, we have previously shown that fibrosis and vascular damage are the predominant pathological features of chronic RC. The goal of this study was to determine the pathological changes during acute RC. We identified that radiation treatment results in a temporary increase in micturition frequency and decrease in void volume 4–8 weeks after irradiation. Histologically, the micturition defect is associated with thinning of the urothelium, loss of urothelial cell–cell adhesion and tight junction proteins and decrease in uroplakin III expression. By 12 weeks, the urothelium had regenerated and micturition patterns were similar to littermate controls. No inflammation or fibrosis were detected in bladder tissues after irradiation. We conclude that functional bladder defects during acute RC are driven primarily by a urothelial defect.

The Intraoperative Use of a Portable Cone-Beam Computed Tomography System for the Diagnosis of Intraperitoneal Bladder Perforation

Background. Intraoperative imaging for endourologic procedures is generally limited to single-plane fluoroscopic X-ray. The O-arm™ is a mobile cone-bean CT scanner that may have applications in urologic surgeries. Case Presentation. We present a case of an 85-year-old male with radiation cystitis and recurrent gross hematuria who was identified to have a bladder perforation on cystoscopy during emergent clot evacuation. Single-view fluoroscopic evaluation was inconclusive as to whether an intraperitoneal bladder perforation occurred. A portable cone-beam CT scan was used to acquire a 3-D CT cystogram, which demonstrated intraperitoneal contrast extravasation, confirming the diagnosis of an intraperitoneal bladder perforation. Conclusion. We report the first use of a portable cone-beam CT scanner to perform an intraoperative CT cystogram to diagnose an intraperitoneal bladder perforation and guide surgical management.

Late Changes in the Extracellular Matrix of the Bladder after Radiation Therapy for Pelvic Tumors

Radiation therapy is one of the cardinal approaches in the treatment of malignant tumors of the pelvis. It leads to the development of radiation-induced complications in the normal tissues. Thus, the evaluation of radiation-induced changes in the extracellular matrix of the normal tissue is deemed urgent, since connective tissue stroma degradation plays a crucial role in the development of Grade 3–4 adverse effects (hemorrhage, necrosis, and fistula). Such adverse effects not only drastically reduce the patients’ quality of life but can also become life-threatening. The aim of this study is to quantitatively analyze the bladder collagen state in patients who underwent radiation therapy for cervical and endometrial cancer and in patients with chronic bacterial cystitis and compare them to the normal bladder extracellular matrix. Materials and methods: One hundred and five patients with Grade 2–4 of radiation cystitis, 67 patients with bacterial chronic cystitis, and 20 volunteers without bladder pathology were enrolled. Collagen changes were evaluated depending on its hierarchical level: fibrils and fibers level by atomic force microscopy; fibers and bundles level by two-photon microscopy in the second harmonic generation (SHG) mode; general collagen architectonics by cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP OCT). Results: The main sign of the radiation-induced damage of collagen fibrils and fibers was the loss of the ordered “basket-weave” packing and a significant increase in the total area of ruptures deeper than 1 µm compared to the intact sample. The numerical analysis of SHG images detected that a decrease in the SHG signal intensity of collagen is correlated with the increase in the grade of radiation cystitis. The OCT signal brightness in cross-polarization images demonstrated a gradual decrease compared to the intact bladder depending on the grade of the adverse event. Conclusions: The observed correspondence between the extracellular matrix changes at the microscopic level and at the level of the general organ architectonics allows for the consideration of CP OCT as a method of “optical biopsy” in the grading of radiation-induced collagen damage.