Ioannis Katafigiotis

Hadassah Medical Center | hadassah · Department of Urology

Background and objective: The complex focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/Src and paxillin seem to play a key role in the pathogenesis and progression of cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression of these proteins in renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), considering the immunoreactive score (IRS), the positivity and the intensity, and to find any...

Psoriasis continues to affect a large percentage of patients worldwide and strongly appears to be a systematic disease. Efforts are being made to understand its etiology, which have led to research extended to genomic analysis with a focus on the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which play a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Plasma...

(1) Background: Somatic and germline alterations can be commonly found in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. The aim of our present study was to perform a comprehensive review of the current literature in order to examine the impact of BRCA mutations in the context of PCa as well as their significance as genetic biomarkers. (2) Methods: A narrative re...

The Fontan procedure is a palliative operation for patients with single ventricle congenital heart disease. In this case-report, we present the case of a 36-years-old man, with Fontan physiology and ureteropelvic junction obstruction, undergoing laparoscopic pyeloplasty. He presented with right flank pain and mild hydronephrosis of his right kidney...

Zinner's syndrome is a rare congenital disorder presenting with unilateral renal agenesis or dysgenesis, ipsilateral seminal vesicle cysts, and ejaculatory duct obstruction. Treatment of this syndrome can be conservative or surgical. In this case report, we describe the case of a 72-year-old patient who was diagnosed with Zinner's syndrome and unde...

PurposeRecurrent urinary retention due to benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), requiring permanent catheterization, represents one of the most challenging issues geriatric patients can face. Rezūm, as a minimal invasive treatment for BPH, takes the advantage of sterile water vapor injections directly into the prostate. The purpose of this Systematic...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men. Diagnosis and risk assessment are widely based on serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and biopsy, which might not represent the exact degree of PCa risk. Towards the discovery of biomarkers for better patient stratification, we performed proteomic analysis of Formalin Fixed Paraffin E...

(1) Background: Following radical prostatectomy (RP), the absence of a demonstrable tumor on the specimen of a previously histologically proven malignancy is known as the pT0 stage. The aim of our present study is to perform a narrative review of current literature in order to determine the frequency and oncological outcomes in patients with pT0 di...

The purpose is to present our preliminary results where ultra-mini PCNL (UMPCNL) with the new 120-watt laser with the anti-retropulsion (Lumenis® MOSES Pulse™120H Holmium: YAG laser) was used for the first time to our knowledge. Twelve patients underwent ultra-mini PCNL in prone position under general anesthesia using a 12-F nephroscope with a 14-F...

Background The Paris System for reporting urinary cytology was introduced in 2013 and has a global impact. In our study, we assess the risk of malignancy (ROM) for each diagnostic category and our diagnostic accuracy in urinary cytology. Methods We have conducted a prospective study during 2019, including only new cases of urothelial neoplasms, al...

Subcutaneous pyelovesical bypasses are the best choice for the long-term palliative treatment of ureteral obstructions. In rare cases this obstruction is due to polyarteritis nodosa. We present the only reported patient with a bilateral Detour bypass in a Hautmann’s neobladder. The patient also suffers from polyarteritis nodosa.

In this case study, we present an unusual case with squamous cell carcinoma surrounding the penis involving foreskin and glans of penis. In addition, multiple satellite nodules were noted in the pubis. A 57-year-old circumcised heterosexual male patient presented with a penile lesion existing for 10 years. At the same time, he was referred to an ou...

Background: Ureteral injuries are not very common and can occur after many surgical procedures. Kidney salvage is desirable. Renal autotransplantation is a final option for some cases. In this case, we report an autotransplantation of the kidney after an iatrogenic injury of the ureter with totally extraperitoneal approach. Case report: A 41 years...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of death in men worldwide. The molecular features, associated with the onset and progression of the disease, are under vigorous investigation. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are valuable resources for large-scale studies; however, their application in proteomics is limited due to p...

Purpose: We aimed to thoroughly search and identify studies referring to risk factors associated with postoperative delirium (POD) in patients undergoing open as well as en-doscopic urological surgery. Methods: The review after a systematic literature search included 5 studies. Results: The incidence of POD was reported to be between 7.8 and 3...

Introduction and Objectives: Ureteroscopy is the gold standard for most urinary tract calculi. Our institute recently incorporated a powerful 120 W holmium laser machine integrating innovative technology (Lumenis® MOSES PulseTM120H Holmium:YAG laser; Lumenis Ltd.). In this retrospective comparative study, we evaluated the influence of stone density...

Αbstract We report the first case of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RARN) and Robot assisted cholecystectomy in a 66 years old female overweight patient with organ-confined right kidney tumor identified on the investigation of gastrointestinal symptoms with a single docking. A modified position of the patient and a slight altered placement of...

Penile fractures are generally rare and underreported. The mechanism of injury is due to a rupture of the corpora cavernosa following blunt or sexual trauma to the penis when fully erect. Penile fractures usually present with a ‘popping’ sound with concomitant sudden swelling and ecchymosis of the penis followed by rapid detumescence. Urethral invo...

Purpose To compare percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) operations between patients with a preoperative nephrostomy tube and patients that the renal access was obtained at the time of the surgery. Materials and Methods We retrospectively evaluated PCNL cases. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 – a non-nephrostomy tube (percutaneous neph...

Introduction: Although the prostate specific antigen revolutionized the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa), it has its limitations. We prospectively examined the potential use of the platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) as a urine biomarker for the early diagnosis of PCa. Materials and methods: The urine samples of 118 patients were colle...

The purpose of the review was to present the latest updates on percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) procedure in terms of indications and evolving techniques, and to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each modality. The data for this review were collected after a thorough PubMed search in core clinical journals in English language. The key...

Introduction: A "Negative" ureteroscopy (URS) is defined as a URS in which no stone is found during the procedure. It may occur when the stone has already been passed spontaneously or when it is located outside the collecting system. The aim of the study was to outline risk factors for Negative-URS. Materials and methods: We retrospectively anal...

The goal of the study is to examine the possible use of HA (hyaluronic acid) and HAase (hyaluronidase) as novel urine biomarkers for the early diagnosis for prostate cancer (Pca). After a prostatic massage, the urine of 118 high-risk patients for Pca was collected, and the patients were submitted to ultrasound-guided transrectal biopsy. HA and HAas...

Leiomyosarcoma of the bladder is an aggressive and rare tumor, with less than 200 reported cases. The treatment of bladder leiomyosarcoma is controversial although in most cases an aggressive surgical therapy is preferred. Usually, a radical cystectomy is performed, as it is considered to have a better disease-specific survival rate. A 43-year-old...

Background and purpose: Temporary drainage of the upper urinary tract following ureterorenoscopy for the treatment of urinary stones is almost a routine in endourological practice. In these cases, a double J Stent (DJS) is left for 7 or more days. In borderline cases, a ureteral catheter (UC) attached to the urethral catheter may be left for 24-48...

Endometriosis-associated intestinal tumors represent the malignant transformation of gastrointestinal endometriosis. Approximately 50 cases have been reported in the literature. They are most commonly found among women aged 30–60 years, whereas exogenous hormone therapy and obesity are primary risk factors for the malignant transformation of endome...

Introduction: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of single lower calyceal tract combined with flexible nephroscopy for the management of staghorn renal stones by percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy for the management of staghorn stones were analyzed. We included pati...

Introduction: Ureteral endometriosis is a rare disease affecting women of childbearing age which presents with nonspecific symptoms and it may result in severe morbidity. The aim of this study was to review evidence about incidence, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of ureteral endometriosis. Materials and Methods: PubM...

Introduction: Painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC) is an enigmatic disease characterized by lack of evidence-based knowledge and an ongoing scientific debate regarding its definition, pathogenesis, diagnostic and treatment algorithm. An autoimmune theory for PBS/IC etiology has suggested immunotherapy as a potential treatment ch...

Objectives: The aim of this report was to study the specific characteristics of bladder cancer in patients younger than 30 years. Materials and methods: Five patients with a mean age of 24 ± 2.83 years were included in the study. All patients had painless macroscopic hematuria as the first symptom. Three patients had pTa as a first diagnosis, on...

Objectives: From the first time that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered, till today both the quality of life and survival expectancy of HIV-infected patients have markedly improved. As the life expectancy of these patients increases due to the use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) also increases the number of HIV-posi...

Patients with advanced bladder cancer have poor outcomes, indicating a need for more efficient therapeutic approaches. This study characterizes proteomic changes underlying bladder cancer invasion aiming for the better understanding of disease pathophysiology and identification of drug targets. High resolution liquid chromatography coupled to tande...

Involvement of the prostate gland, as an early extra-nodal manifestation of a hematologic disease, or as a secondary infiltration is rare. Even rarer is the acute urinary retention due to infiltration by lymphocytes and simultaneously enlarged prostate. We present a case of a 61 years old male patient with a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia,...

Double-strand breaks are among the first procedures taking place in cancer formation and progression as a result of endogenic and exogenic factors. The histone variant H2AX undergoes phosphorylation at serine 139 due to double-strand breaks, and the gamma-H2AX is formatted as a result of genomic instability. The detection of gamma-H2AX can potentia...

Introduction: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare pathology that increases patients' susceptibility to infections, given the inability to generate oxygen radicals to fight microorganisms.In the context of CGD, primary prostatic involvement has been described only once in the past, in a pediatric patient. Case report: We report the case...

Illustrates the main studies with ureteral endometriosis and their characteristics

Objective: To evaluate double immunocytochemical staining with p53 and CK20, as a tool for improving the accuracy of urinary cytology. The aim of the present study was to clarify the diagnostic significance of the expression of these markers and to investigate the possibility of using this information for better monitoring of bladder cancer patien...

Objective: To search which category of proteins can be detected in urine in order to examine subsequently its ability to improve our accuracy for the diagnosis of Prostate Cancer (PCa) as biomarkers in clinical useful fluids like urine and serum. Material and method(s): Urine samples of 127 patients were obtained after a vigorous transrectal prost...

Purpose To externally validate Resorlu–Unsal stone score (RUSS) and to evaluate its predictive accuracy. Methods Data of patients who underwent retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) between October 2013 and June 2015 were collected. RUSS was applied to all patients, and the nomogram was externally validated. Area under the curve (AUC) was used for c...

Primary adenocarcinoma of the seminal vesicles (SV) are extremely rare and approximately only 60 cases have been reported in the literature. Due to the lack of specific symptoms the patients often present in an advanced stage of their disease. The only clinical examination that can indicate the presence of a neoplasm in the SVs is the digital recta...

Purpose: Urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) presents high recurrence rates, mandating continuous monitoring via invasive cystoscopy. The development of non-invasive tests for disease diagnosis and surveillance remains an unmet clinical need. In this study, validation of two urine-based biomarker panels for detecting primary and recurrent UBC was cond...

Objective: Cytology is an essential tool for the investigation of urinary tract malignancy. In this audit, we aimed to assess our laboratory performance in the diagnosis of upper urinary tract malignancy and to use the information provided to improve our service. Methods: We retrieved cytology reports of upper urinary tract specimens from two pe...

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of 365- and 550-μm Ho:YAG laser fiber in semirigid ureteroscopic lithotripsy and to identify parameters that may affect laser energy and time during the procedure. Methods: A database of 111 patients who undergone a semirigid ureteroscopy (SRURS) for ureteral stone lithotripsy was analyzed. A 365-μm co...

Objective: To examine the efficacy of a two staged treating strategy with the use of a non-permanent urethral ALLIUM(®) stent for the management of recurrent bladder neck stenosis and subsequently the use of an artificial sphincter AUS800(®) by AMS for the management of the incontinence. Materials and methods: We progressively identified patient...

High resolution proteomics approaches have been successfully utilized for the comprehensive characterization of the cell proteome. However, in the case of quantitative proteomics an open question still remains, which quantification strategy is best suited for identification of biologically relevant changes, especially in clinical specimens. In this...

Robotic assisted pyeloplasty (RAP) is rapidly adopted by surgeons around the world. We present a unique complication of the technique, consisting of pigtail misplacement, which was endoscopically resolved. We discuss the clinical findings, differential diagnosis and principles of endoscopic treatment. A 41 years old female patients underwent transp...

A 40-year-old male presented to our outpatient department with the chief complaint of a painless mass on his right testis with gradual size increase over the past two months. Physical examination and ultrasound revealed a firm and nontender mass both on the right and on the left testis. The only elevated biomarker was b-hcG (24,7 mIU/mL) and comput...

Our objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of the PerigeeTM transoburator (TOT) mesh kit [American Medical Systems (AMS)-Minnetonka, MN, USA] in the treatment of ≥ stage 2 symptomatic AVP following a 2-year follow up and to discuss the role of the pre-, peri- and postoperative measures taken to prevent complications. A total of 50 patients were e...

GnRH agonists have been shown to intervene in the mechanism of adhesion formation in a variety of ways. Influence on the hormonal state, the inflammatory and coagulation processes contribute to the reduction of adhesion formation postoperatively. Most studies on this topic have been conducted in animal models and have indicated the possible clinica...

Bladder cancer constitutes the ninth most common cancer worldwide and approximately only 30% of cases are muscle invasive at initial diagnosis. Regional lymph nodes, bones, lung, and liver are the most common metastases from bladder cancer and generally from genitourinary malignancies. Muscles constitute a rare site of metastases from distant prima...

Background: Myoma incidence during pregnancy is estimated to be 0.5%–5%, with 1 in 10 of these women having myoma-related complications. In recent years, the percentage of these ocurrences appears to be higher, as more myomas have been noted in older pregnant women. Myomectomy during cesarean section is controversial because of the risks of uncontr...

Tumors of the paratesticular region most often arise from the soft tissue surrounding the spermatic cord and the epididymis or from the soft tissue (dartos muscle) of the scrotal wall. Paratesticular tumors, despite their rarity, present a high incidence of malignancy (30%), and the therapeutic approach of choice is surgical resection with negative...

Spontaneous perforation of the collecting system constitutes a rare entity masked by the presentation of a typical renal colic. However, it should not be forgotten when managing patients with colic, since missed diagnoses may carry significant morbidity. We herein present a series of spontaneous perforation of the collecting system without an appar...

Eponyms are used almost daily in the clinical practice of dermatology. And yet, information about the person behind the eponyms is difficult to find. Indeed, who is? What is this person’s nationality? Is this person alive or dead? How can one find the paper in which this person first described the disease? Eponyms are used to describe not only dise...

We evaluate the role of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density to predict Gleason score upgrade between prostate biopsy material and radical prostatectomy specimen examination in patients with low-risk prostate cancer. Between January 2007 and November 2011, 133 low-risk patients underwent a radical prostatectomy. Using the modified Gleason criter...

INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: The incidence of bladder neck contractures after radical retropubic prostatectomy fluctuates between 0,48% and 32%. We present our experience in the management of difficult recurrent cases of bladder neck contractures. MATERIAL & METHODS: 14 patients with mean age 66 years(59-73 age range) with recurrent bladder neck ste...

INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: Spontaneous perforation of the collecting system constitutes a rare entity masked by the presentation of a typical renal colic. However, it should not be forgotten when managing patients with “renal colic symptoms” since missed diagnoses may carry significant morbidity MATERIAL & METHODS: We herein present a series of sp...

INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: It is well known today that conventional methods of treating urethral strictures, such as urethral dilation and internal urethrotomy, have well described limitations and poor long-lasting results. However due to complexity of open reconstruction surgery and lack of a referral centers many urologists prefer multiple endosc...

INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: The Pelvic kidney is the most common renal ectopia. When invasive bladder carcinoma is encountered, requiring a radical cystectomy, special surgical considerations occur due to the anatomic variations in the pelvis. We discuss those requirements, while proposing a modification of urinary diversion for such cases. Due to...

Improvement in bladder cancer (BC) management requires more effective diagnosis and/or prognosis of disease recurrence and progression. Urinary biomarkers attract special interest due to the non-invasive means of urine collection. Proteomic analysis of urine entails the adoption of a fractionation methodology to reduce sample complexity. In this st...

We present a very rare case of a 39 year old patient with dioctophyma renale depicted as a Bosniak cyst IV of the right kidney who was finally subjected to a robotic assisted radical nephrectomy.

Macroscopic hematuria regards the 4% to 20% of all urological visits. Renal artery aneurysms (RAAs) are detected in approximately 0.01%-1% of the general population, while intraparenchymal renal artery aneurysms (IPRAAs) are even more rarely detected in less than 10% of patients with RAAs. We present a case of a 58-year-old woman that came into the...