Antonio Ruffo

Center of Genito-urethral Reconstructive Surgery

Introduction Pregnancy and childbirth bring biological, psychological, and social changes which may influence women's health. Objective Second degree tears are the most common type of tear. A female urethral stricture is a less common condition. Buccal mucosa graft (BMG) is widely used tissue for urethral stricture repair. Methods We present a 38...

Introduction Acquired buried penis is a common condition in obese patients. Abnormal excess fat accumulation under the pubic skin leads to the partially or completely disappearance of the penis. This condition is related to voiding difficulties and sexual dysfunction. The goal of surgical treatment is to expose full penile lengthy by excising the a...

Introduction Total phalloplasty (TP) is used for the creation of a penis in female to male sex reassignment surgery (FTM SRS). Objective We focused our work on free flap transfer technique using latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap (MLDF) in order to create a neophallus that allows safe performance of urethroplasty and two cylinders prosthesis impla...

Introduction Peyronie's disease (PD) is a fibrotic disorder of the tunica albuginea. It is both a physically and psychologically devastating disorder that causes penile deformity, curvature, narrowing and shortening, which eventually compromise sexual function. Objective The presented technique is a less invasive approach that gives few complicati...

Introduction Nowadays it is proved that low intensity shockwave therapy (LISW) have a positive effect in men with erectile dysfunction (ED). Platelet rich plasma (PRP) as well is used to treat ED. PRP contains many growth factors, such as IGF-1, BDNF and VEGF play a significant role in neural regeneration and up-regulation nNOS, as well as in the r...

Introduction Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can be the cause of Lower urinary tract symptomps (LUTS). Endoscopic treatments like the trans-urethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is still the gold standard technique to treat this condition. This technique often leads to sexual dysfunction as retrograde ejaculation. Objective The objective of...

Background To evaluate the stiffness of the tunica albuginea (TA), we used a new noninvasive diagnostic technique called shear wave elastography (SWE). We determined whether SWE values are correlated with the degree of penile curvature, the time of disease onset, and pain severity experienced by patients during erection. This study analyzed the ela...

Purpose The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the testicular stiffness by ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) both in men with oligo-astheno-teratozospermia (OAT) and in control group. The secondary objective was to identify a possible correlation between semen quality with testicular stiffness. Methods This was a prospective ca...

Background: Peyronie’s disease (PD) is a little-known disease characterized by pain during erections, the presence of penile curvature, and consequent psychological disorders. In addition, concomitant erectile dysfunction may be present. The treatment of PD is adapted to the patient, especially when the penile curvature is >60°; with stabilized pat...

Objective Shear wave elastosonography (SWE) could be used to evaluate the elasticity of penile tissue. Few studies in the literature, however, have investigated its use in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) or have attempted to correlate findings with International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) scores. The primary aim of this study was t...

Background: Peyonie's disease (PD) mostly affects males in the fifth decade of life, with a prevalence in the general population ranging between 0.5% and 20.3%. The pathology of PD is characterized by fibrosis of the tunic albuginea of the cavernous bodies of the penis, with the presence of pain in the erection and penile deformity. This is associ...

Objective: The aim of the study is the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of the treatment with topical alprostadil (Vitaros©) in post-robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) rehabilitation therapy of patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). Methods: Seventy-four patients were enrolled and underwent non-nerve-sparing RARP. Inclusion crite...

Introduction: Infertility affects 50 to 80 million (between 8 and 12% of couples). Male factor is a cause of infertility in almost half of the cases, mainly due to oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. DNA fragmentation is now considered an important factor in the aetiology of male infertility. We studied the effects on semen analysis and on DNA fragmenta...

The primary goal in the management strategy of a patient with ED would be to determine its etiology and cure it when possible, and not just to treat the symptoms alone. One of the new therapeutic strategies is the use of low intensity extracorporeal shockwave (LISW) therapy. The mechanism of shockwave therapy is not completely clear. It is suggeste...

Introduction: Varicocele is the main cause of infertility in male and the most correctable cause of it too. In this study, we present our experience on 34 patients affected by bilateral varicocele and other scrotal comorbidities treated underwent surgery with a scrotal access. Materials and methods: 34 patients were enrolled with clinical palpab...

Objective: A precise characterization of erectile dysfunction (ED) of vascular origin has not yet been achieved, although cavernous peak systolic velocity (PSV) is generally considered a major parameter. Nevertheless the penile dynamic color Doppler is invasive and linked to several complications. The intima-media thicknesses (IMT) of cavernosal a...

Background Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a frequent disease among elderly, and is responsible for considerable disability. Benign prostatic hyperplasia can be clinically significant due to lower urinary tract symptoms that take place because the gland is enlarged and obstructs urine flow. Transurethral resection of the prostate remains the gold s...

Background Bladder exstrophy occurs in approximately 1 in 35,000 live births and is associated with an increased incidence of bladder cancer. The primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the bladder is an extremely rare urologic entity, which is found in less than 2% of all urinary bladder tumours and is often presented as metastatic. This is the first c...

Background The open Burch colposuspension, first described in 1961 had been widely employed for the surgical treatment of women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) caused by urethral hypermobility. We evaluated the long-term efficacy of laparoscopic Burch colposuspension (LBC) for SUI in women. Methods A randomized prospective trial was conduct...

The objective of this work is to compare the effectiveness of hormonal treatment (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists and/or antiandrogens) as an early or as a deferred intervention for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer (LAPC) and/or asymptomatic metastasis. Systematic review of trials published in 1950-2007. Sources include...

Background: We investigated the efficacy of a combination therapy with tamoxifen citrate and a natural composite containing Tribulus terrestris, alga Ecklonia bicyclis and polymers of d-glucosamine and n-acetyl d-glucosamine in treating male idiopathic infertility. Methods: In this prospective, randomized double blind, placebo-controlled study, we...

Background: Reduced libido is widely considered the most prominent symptomatic reflection of low testosterone (T) levels in men. Testosterone deficiency (TD) afflicts approximately 30% of men aged 40-79 years. This study seeks to evaluate the effect of a new natural compound "tradamixina "in order to improve male sexual function in elderly men, pa...

Over the past years laser technology has played a predominant role in prostate surgery, for the treatment of benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH). Various laser devices have been introduced in clinical practice, showing good results in terms of complications and urodynamic outcomes efficacy compared with TURP and Open Prostatectomy.In this study we de...

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are associated with great emotional costs to individuals and substantial economic costs to society. This study seeks to evaluate the effect of a new natural compound "Tradamixina plus Serenoa Repens" in order to improve lower urinary tract symptoms. 100 patients (≥45years) who had had LUTS/BPH for >6 mo at screen...

Background: Peyronie's disease is an acquired connective tissue disorder of the penile tunica albuginea with fibrosis and inflammation. The disease produces palpable plaques, penile curvature and pain during erections. Patients report negative effects in four major domains: physical appearance and self-image, sexual function and performance. These...

We studied the possible correlation between age, testosterone deficiency, cavernosal fibrosis and erectile dysfunction (ED). 47 patients with ED were enrolled between September 2010 and October 2011. IIEF-EF score, NPTR test using the Rigiscan method, total and free testosterone levels, and cavernosum biopsy were carried out on all patients. Patien...

Background We investigated the therapeutic efficacy of a new composite natural drug based on Tribulus terrestris, BIOVIS® and the alga Ecklonia bicyclis in order to improve male sexual function, selecting patients using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), Nocturnal Penile Tumescence and Rigidity Testing (NPTR) using the RigiScan® d...

Giant Cell Tumor of Bone (GCTB) is a very rare neoplasm of the skeleton (about one new case per million population per year). In literature there is a great confusion about GCTB. The majority of authors think that GCTB is a benign locally aggressive tumor, others think that this is a malignant neoplasm and some authors think that GCTB is a reactive...