Wen-Chen Huang

Cathay General Hospital · Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Objective To explore the difference between two brands of outside-in transobturator midurethral sling (TOT) for urodynamic stress incontinence (USI). Materials and methods Women who underwent an outside-in TOT procedure by either Monarc or Obtryx were retrospectively reviewed. Data of women with available information at baseline and postoperative...

Objective To report the management for a urethral diverticulum presenting with pure stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Case Report A 67-year-old postmenopausal woman resorted to urogynecological outpatient department for the treatment of bothersome SUI. She denied other lower urinary tract symptoms and previous pelvic surgeries. On examination, th...

Objective We report a case of an ovarian solitary fibrous tumor (SFT), which rarely occurs in the female genital system. Case report A 63-year-old postmenopausal woman resorted to the tertiary center seeking management for an intra-abdominal mass. Physical examination disclosed a local abdominal distention. Ultrasound revealed an 18-cm complex mas...

Background The presence of reactive and strong pelvic floor muscle (PFM) activities is supposed to be associated with better urinary and sexual functions in female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Aim This study was to explore the association of baseline PFM activities, both volitional and reflex, with urinary and sexual functions in women with...

Objective To explore the significance of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) on pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function among women with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Materials and methods Four-dimensional ultrasound data of 577 women with LUTS were retrospectively analyzed. The bladder neck and genital hiatus were assessed during resting, coughing, and...

Purpose Research on the use of ultrasound to explore the pelvic floor in women is rarely done with introital ultrasound. This study aimed to investigate the performance of four-dimensional (4D) introital ultrasound in the perioperative assessment of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function in women with cystocele. Materials and Methods The reliability an...

Objectives To report 5-year clinical and imaging outcomes of primary transoburator midurethral sling (TOT) procedures for uncomplicated urodynamic stress incontinence (USI). Materials and Methods We retrospectively investigated the data of 136 women who underwent primary TOT procedures for uncomplicated USI. All women received preoperative as well...

Aims: To compare the surgical outcomes of conventional surgeries with or without concomitant transobturator vaginal mesh (TVM) for ≥Stage 3 pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Methods: We retrospectively investigated 166 women who received conventional surgery including vaginal total hysterectomy, modified McCall culdoplasty, and AP-repair (conventiona...

Aims: To explore the effect of menopause on the movements of the bladder neck and genital hiatus during involuntary and voluntary pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contractions among women with pelvic floor symptoms. Methods: The data of 162 premenopausal and 215 postmenopausal women were retrospectively analyzed. The investigation encompassed clinical...

Objectives: To explore the clinical importance and surgical outcomes of Green type III cystocele in women with anterior vaginal prolapse. Methods: A database of 336 women with a Ba point higher than -3 cm on the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification system was retrospectively reviewed. Investigated data comprised those obtained from a clinical in...

Aims: To explore functional changes of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) after successful Perigee procedures. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed information from 145 women having achieved anatomic success, defined as <stage II cystocele according to the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system. The investigated data included results from th...

Objective: To explore factors affecting the presence of two reflex pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC) patterns in women with pelvic floor disorders. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of pelvic floor ultrasonography and urodynamic data for 667 consecutive symptomatic women with pelvic floor disorders. We identified on ultrasonography...

Objective: To determine morphologic differences between Monarc and TVT-O procedures in axial and coronal planes by three- and four-dimensional (3D and 4D) ultrasound. Study design: Retrospective chart audits and ultrasound analyses were conducted on 128 women who had undergone either Monarc or TVT-O procedures for urodynamic stress incontinence....

To explore function of the lower urinary tract and morphology of tape and urethra following Monarc or TVT-O suburethral tape placement for urodynamic stress incontinence (USI). We recruited prospectively women undergoing either Monarc or TVT-O placement for USI. Before and 3 months after the procedure, participants were evaluated by a question-dire...

We conducted this study to evaluate the intra- and interobserver reliability of a new method in assessing the tension and configuration of transobturator suburethral tape (TOT) at different tape points using 4-dimensional (4D) ultrasound. We randomly recruited 20 women following TOT procedures. Postoperative ultrasound datasets acquired during rest...

To explore the functional and morphological impact of concomitant anterior vaginal reconstructive surgery on outcome of transobturator suburethral tape (TOT) procedures. This was a retrospective review and analysis of data from 196 women who had undergone a TOT procedure with or without concomitant anterior vaginal reconstructive surgery during a 3...

Purpose: To explore the impact of two reflex pelvic floor muscle contraction patterns during coughing on incontinence severity and incontinence-related quality of life in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Materials and methods: A total of 208 women with the symptomatic and urodynamic evidence of SUI and 126 women with no experience o...

To explore, using 4D ultrasound, the importance of location and tension of transobturator sub- urethral tape (TOT) with respect to surgical outcome. Enrolled into the study were 56 women who had undergone TOT placement in the treatment of urodynamic stress incontinence. Tape location and tension were assessed by 4D ultrasound with the women at rest...

Nipple hypertrophy is a frequently encountered problem in Asian women. It may be congenital or caused by hormones, breast feeding, or gestation. The hypertrophy has been linked primarily to aesthetics. The nipples of Asian women usually are 6-10 mm in diameter and 5-8 mm in height, and women with nipples larger than 1.5 cm in diameter or height fre...

To evaluate the intra- and interobserver reliability of a new method of assessing resting and dynamic urethral compression after midurethral tape procedures using three- and four-dimensional (3D and 4D) ultrasound. Thirty-one women who had undergone transobturator midurethral tape procedures at Cathay General Hospital were enrolled in the study and...

BackgroundWe hypothesized that voiding symptoms in women with normal free uroflow were not related to irritative symptoms and bladder storage dysfunction.PurposeThis study was designed to explore the clinical associations between voiding symptoms in women without obvious anatomic urethral obstruction and dysfunctional voiding.MethodsWe retrospectiv...

The pathophysiology of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is multifactorial. The aim of this study was to explore the factor determining the symptom severity of SUI. One hundred twenty-four women with SUI were retrospectively investigated. Clinical data for analyses included demographics, pelvic organ prolapse quantification, SUI severity using a 4-...

We sought to explore the correlations of incontinence-related quality of life (QoL) measures with the symptom severity and pathophysiological factors for female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We retrospectively reviewed the records of 707 women who had primary SUI. Clinical data for analysis included Ingelman-Sundberg scales, 1-h pad tests, inc...

We determined the reliability of real-time ultrasound for detecting involuntary or reflex pelvic floor muscle contraction. A total of 118 women with the symptomatic and urodynamic evidence of stress urinary incontinence were recruited in a 3-year period from tertiary referral urogynecology clinics. Under the oral instruction of strong coughing invo...

To determine the reliability and validity of new ultrasound parameters, measured in the polar coordinate system, for quantifying pelvic floor muscle action. This was a prospective study, from January 2005 to December 2007, in 209 women with urodynamic stress incontinence, to validate new ultrasound parameters for quantifying pelvic floor muscle con...

Stress urinary incontinence is extremely common in women. Conservative management includes pelvic floor muscle exercises to increase strength and muscular contraction forces to improve incontinence. We examined the effects of passive and active ankle flexion on pelvic floor muscle activity during exercises. A total of 31 married women performed ran...

We explored the morphological features associated with functional impairment in patients undergoing the tension-free vaginal tape obturator procedure. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 98 women who underwent the tension-free vaginal tape obturator procedure alone or with concomitant pelvic surgery. Postoperative assessment included a sympt...

We explored the static and dynamic morphological characteristics of the tension-free vaginal tape obturator procedure by ultrasound cystourethrography. From July 2005 to December 2006, 98 consecutive women who had undergone the tension-free vaginal tape obturator procedures alone or with concomitant pelvic surgery were evaluated. Preoperative and p...

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) has a great impact on the quality of life and sexual function. We hypothesized that specific risk factors for SUI may be correlated with reduced sexual function in women with SUI. To explore significant associations between the risk factors for SUI and female sexual function. Women with SUI (N=223) were surveyed ab...

Background: To explore the morphologic association of female lower urinary tract symptoms with anterior vaginal wall relaxation in women with primary urodynamic stress incontinence. Patients and Methods: The records of 782 women who were diagnosed with primary urodynamic stress incontinence and also had ultrasonographic evaluation of the lower urin...

Ureterovaginal fistula is an uncommon but serious sequela of unrecognized distal ureteral injury during pelvic operations. Traditionally, it is managed either by endoscopic internal ureteral stenting or by ureteral reimplantation. We report a case of ureterovaginal fistula that failed to respond to ureteral stenting. Because the patient had a histo...

To explore the morphological characteristics and normal biometry of the anal sphincter complex in nulliparous Chinese women using three-dimensional (3D) transperineal ultrasound. 3D sonographic data from 55 nulliparous Chinese women (aged 19-38 years) who had no pelvic organ prolapse and no symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction were retrieved from a...

The management of urethral obstruction depends on its pathogenesis, which can be anatomic or functional. Localization of the site of anatomic urethral obstruction usually requires some invasive procedures.1,2 Ultrasonography has been reported to be a noninvasive method of evaluating voiding disorders originating in the female urethra.3-10 We report...

To identify using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound the morphological features and normal biometry of the levator hiatus in nulliparous Chinese women and to explore ethnic differences between these measurements and those in nulliparous Caucasian women. 3D sonographic data from 59 nulliparous Chinese women (aged 19-38 years) who had no pelvic organ...

To evaluate the anatomic and functional efficacy of a surgical technique designed to prevent overcorrection of the bladder neck in laparoscopic Burch colposuspension for primary urodynamic stress incontinence. Prospective, observational study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). Medical center, Taipei, Taiwan. One hundred fifty-five consecuti...

To examine the effect of individual patient factors (age, parity, body mass index, menstrual cycle, menopause, hormone replacement therapy, bladder neck position and urethral mobility) on the appearance of Doppler flow in urethral vessels, to investigate the association between the Doppler flow parameters and intrinsic urethral function, storage an...

To present the ultrasonographic findings and explore cystoscopic correlates of endophytic cervical cancer invading the bladder wall. We retrospectively reviewed the imaging files in 19 cases of cervical cancer, comprising six cases of endophytic lesions invading the bladder wall (study group) and 13 cases of endo- or exophytic, clinical stage IB1 l...

Female bladder outlet obstruction is uncommon. We report a case of bladder outlet obstruction secondary to urethral stenosis leading to bladder wall trabeculation. The patient presented at our clinic because of lower urinary tract symptoms including nocturia, urgency, bed wetting, hesitancy, straining to void, and incomplete emptying. Urodynamic st...

Primary megaureter presents a spectrum of findings ranging from mild, clinically unimportant, stable ureterectasis to severe, progressive obstructive hydroureteronephrosis. We report a patient with a double uterus and ipsilateral renal dystrophy. A previous imaging study had revealed a double uterus and obstructed left hemivagina, into which a sing...

To explore the correlations of anatomical and functional sonographic parameters of urogenital hiatus in primary urodynamic stress incontinence. We reviewed retrospectively our urodynamic database from July 1996 to June 2003 and identified subjects with primary urodynamic stress incontinence who had had anatomical assessment of the lower urinary tra...

To explore the morphological and functional findings of transvaginal sonography (TVS) in the diagnosis and management of distal ureteral calculi. We retrospectively reviewed the imaging studies in seven cases of distal ureteral calculi (study group) and 20 cases of female volunteers without urinary tract infection (control group). All 27 patients h...

Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube is the least common malignant neoplasm of the female reproductive tract, accounting for 0.18% to 1.6% of all malignancies. Approximately 8% of tubal carcinomas are confined to the fimbriae. Because of its low prevalence, fallopian tube carcinoma is rarely diagnosed before surgery. Recently, ultrasonography ha...

The cause of bladder outlet obstruction in women may be categorized generally into two types, functional and anatomical. On ultrasonography, the urethra appears as a tubular structure with a central echolucent part and surrounding hyperechogenic structures. Morphological changes in the echolucent portion of the urethra have been reported to be asso...

To evaluate dynamic morphological changes in the anterior vaginal wall in primary urodynamic stress incontinence before and after laparoscopic Burch colposuspension and to explore the related effects on urethral and voiding functions. Ultrasound cystourethrography and urodynamic study were performed in 112 patients with primary urodynamic stress in...

Most urethral diverticula are thought to result from infection and obstruction of the paraurethral ducts and glands. When rupture of a resulting retention cyst or abscess occurs into the urethra, a diverticulum is formed. We report two cases of paraurethral abnormalities: urethral diverticulum and paraurethral abscess. Transvaginal sonography, with...

The SUMO proteins are a class of small ubiquitin-like modifiers. SUMO is attached to a specific lysine side chain on the target protein via an isopeptide bond with its C-terminal glycine. There are at least four SUMO proteins in humans, which are involved in protein trafficking and targeting. A truncated human SUMO-2 protein that contains residues...

To explore the significance of hyperechogenic spots in the urethra on ultrasound cystourethrography. One hundred and five women with lower urinary tract symptoms who had undergone urodynamic study and ultrasound cystourethrography were included. Ultrasound cystourethrography was used to evaluate the morphology of the lower urinary tract, including...

We present a case of urethral mucosa prolapse in a postmenopausal woman. Transperineal gray-scale sonograms revealed a clover-shaped, hypoechoic mass protruding from the urethral meatus. Doppler studies revealed blood flow within the protruding mass. Detection of feeding arteries and draining veins contributed to exclude the possibility of necrosis...

To explore the pathophysiology of acute urinary retention in women with a retroverted gravid uterus and to suggest measures to prevent its recurrence. In five women with a retroverted gravid uterus and acute urinary retention necessitating catheterization, the morphology of the genitourinary system was assessed by using transabdominal, transvaginal...

To examine the anatomic results after laparoscopic and open Burch colposuspension for primary stress urinary incontinence. A cohort study was conducted of patients treated during a 7-year period, predominantly with an open Burch procedure for the first 2.5 years and laparoscopy thereafter. The actual suspension technique, including placement of sut...

The tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure was introduced as a minimally invasive surgical technique for treating female stress urinary incontinence. This procedure is supposed to be associated with less postoperative voiding dysfunction because the vaginal tape, theoretically, remains tension-free. Nevertheless, significant voiding dysfunction...

The prevalence of bladder outlet obstruction in women is variously reported to be from 2.7% to 8%. In a series in which the prevalence of urodynamic outlet obstruction was 6.5%, 13% of cases were secondary to urethral stricture. Urethral stricture or stenosis, which is rare in women, may be congenital or acquired. It may be due to traumatic injury...

A 37-year-old, gravida 3, para 3 woman presented with intermittent fever, chills, and vague lower abdominal pain for 2 days. Ten days previously, she had undergone a transperitoneal laparoscopic Burch colposuspension for stress urinary incontinence. Physical examination and ultrasonography showed a tender mass, about 7 x 6 cm in size, occupying the...

Hemorrhagic cystitis after radiotherapy is clinically important because it is relentlessly progressive, and treatment options are suboptimal. The treatment of this entity depends on its extent and severity. We present the sonographic findings in a case of hemorrhagic cystitis secondary to pelvic irradiation before, during, and after hyperbaric oxyg...

To explore factors affecting bladder wall thickness on ultrasonographic cystourethrography in female patients with lower urinary tract symptoms. The records of 492 female patients with lower urinary tract symptoms who had undergone a urodynamic study and ultrasonography of the lower urinary tract and who had normal urinalysis findings, negative uri...

After a major procedure in which surgical damage to the lower urinary tract or postoperative bladder bleeding is a possibility, bladder drainage with an indwelling catheter should be instituted despite the small risk of bladder infection. Postoperative bladder care in such cases requires ensuring that the bladder is adequately drained and does not...

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between voiding function and factors such as age, gravidity, parity, menopause, and anterior vaginal wall relaxation. One hundred twenty-five women were identified from urodynamic records, 83 premenopausal and 42 postmenopausal. All had had a sonographic assessment of the lower urinary tract and...

The inverted nipple may be congenital or caused by repeated inflammation and breast surgery. The reported prevalence of congenital inverted nipple ranges from 1.77% [1] to 3.26%, and most of them are bilateral and umbilicated [2]. The inversion has been linked to many aesthetic, functional, and psychological problems. Many methods have been propose...

To elucidate the implications of bladder neck funneling during straining in primary stress urinary incontinence. Ultrasonography was performed in 320 consecutive patients who underwent a full urodynamic study and whose only diagnosis was primary genuine stress incontinence. The ultrasound assessment included measurement of the bladder neck angle at...

To evaluate morphologic features of bladder disorders in female lower urinary tract symptoms using ultrasonographic cystourethrography and to elucidate the anatomic association of these morphologic characteristics. Ultrasonographic cystourethrography was performed in 1049 women with lower urinary tract symptoms and 1 single urodynamic diagnosis, in...

About 2% of all bladder calculi occur in women. Their presence necessitates a careful assessment of the cause. Most bladder calculi secondary to female pelvic surgery result from either obstruction or foreign objects. The presence of nonabsorbable suture material in the bladder is a well-known cause of urinary tract infection and stone formation. W...

To describe the sonographic findings in a series of cases of acute urinary retention due to an impacted pelvic mass. The anatomic changes of the lower urinary tract in 6 patients with impacted pelvic masses and acute urinary retention (3 cases of an impacted uterine leiomyoma and 3 cases of a retroverted gravid uterus) were evaluated with transabdo...

Normal cardiovascular and respiratory changes in pregnancy can predispose women to the development of pulmonary edema. Conditions and treatments unique to pregnancy, such as multiple gestation or tocolysis, further increase this risk. Recognition of risk factors and signs and symptoms of pulmonary edema allows the nurse to intervene quickly, thus d...

To explore the urodynamic significance of abdominal straining during voiding in female subjects with lower urinary tract symptoms. We retrospectively reviewed a urodynamic database to identify the 180 patients who met the inclusion criteria for this study. None had a history of pelvic surgery, neuropathy, diabetes mellitus, or subjective complaints...

Urethral stenosis, which is rare in women, may be congenital or acquired. Extensive stenosis is frequently secondary to inflammation. The treatment for urethral stenosis may include urethral dilation, internal urethrotomy, and urethral reconstruction. A vesicovaginal fistula frequently results from hysterectomy, either abdominal or vaginal. Therape...

Although ischemic injury to skeletal muscle is a matter of great clinical importance, relatively little is known about the mechanisms which determine systemic responses. One purpose of this study is to elucidate the systemic antioxidant status following an episode of acute ischemic limb injury and subsequent reperfusion. Twelve New Zealand white ra...

It is not easy to detect oxygen free radicals directly because of their very short half-life. In the present study, a sensitive ultra-weak chemiluminescence detector was used to detect the generation of oxygen free radicals following thermal injury. Twelve New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. After anesthesia, the bilateral hind-limbs...

Oxygen-derived free radical injury has been associated with several cytopathic conditions. Oxygen radicals produced by chondrocytes is an important mechanism by which chondrocytes induce matrix degradation. In the present study, we extend these observations by studying oxidative processes against osteoblasts. Osteoblasts were mixed in in vitro cult...

Effects of glyceryl nonivamide (GLNVA), a nonpungent analogue of capsaicin, on spinal substance P release, blood pressure and renal function were investigated in rats. GLNVA was administered intrathecally or intracerebroventricularly, and renal clearance function was measured. The addition of GLNVA at concentrations of 2, 20 and 200 mumol/l during...

A simple, sensitive, non-stimulated assay was developed to measure the superoxide anion concentration in whole blood, using an ultra-sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) analyzer and lucigenin amplification. The assay system can be performed without leukocyte isolation or stimulant administration. The blood CL levels of healthy males (362.8 +/- 337.7 c...

To evaluate the incidence of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), oxygen desaturation during sleep and sleep quality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 30 COPD patients and 20 healthy snorers (without SAS) were studied. Each subject received a pulmonary function test (PFT) (simple spirometry), arterial blood gas determination and...

The clinical triad of Kartagener's syndrome (KS) includes situs inversus, sinusitis and bronchiectasis or at least chronic bronchitis. Immotile cilia with various ultrastructural defects have been seen in KS. Because the enhanced susceptibility to infections seen in KS it had been suspected due to significant abnormality of neutrophil function in a...

To evaluate the efficacy of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, 20 patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (respiratory disturbance index greater than or equal to 20) were studied. The patients were evaluated using the Grass polysomnograph model 78 during an o...

The authors compared the inhaled methacholine and exercise responses in 22 stable unmedicated asthmatic patients. The exercise and methacholine challenges were performed at one to three week intervals. Bronchial responsiveness to methacholine was measured in relation to the concentration of methacholine (PC20M). The response to exercise was express...

Some evidence suggests a capability of peripheral blood monocytes to destroy tumor cells, while this ability by human alveolar macrophages, the main defense cells in the alveoli, is still debatable. We measured the chemiluminescence and antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity in the PBMs and HAMs of 12 lung cancer patients and 20 healthy sub...

Twenty seven healthy individuals were divided randomly into three groups. The first group of nine subjects received only a routine bronchoscopic examination. The second group of nine subjects was examined with the bronchoscope followed by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) with 200 ml of 25 degrees C normal saline solution. The third group of nine subjec...

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a new diagnostic tool which could be applied repeatedly to investigate the nature of lesion in pulmonary diseases. To evaluate the clinical significance of the difference in immunoglobulin content for the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant pulmonary diseases, we performed bronchoalveolar lavage for 6...

Diffuse interstitial lung diseases include more than 100 varieties. Even for a chest specialist differential diagnosis is difficult; accurate diagnosis without transbronchial lung biopsy or open lung biopsy was particularly hard. Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) is a new diagnostic procedure which is relatively safe and repeatable. It takes about 30 mi...

A total of 50 lung cancer (CA) patients and 20 normal persons as controls were included in our study. We obtained lymphocytes from heparinized blood by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient method, and after the macrophages were removed, they were incubated with 51Cr-labelled K562 cells at concentrations of 100:1, 50:1, 12.5:1 for four hours. We calculated the c...

A 33-year-old male presented with right side pleural plasmacytoma with secretion of Bence Jones (BJ) protein and deposition of amyloid. The pleural effusion contained a prominent peak of kappa-type BJ protein on the background of polyclonal gammopathy. Pleural biopsy disclosed features of plasmacytoma with amyloid deposition. A small peak of BJ pro...

A total of 50 lung CA patients and 20 normal persons as control were included in our study. We obtained lymphocytes from heparinized blood by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient method and after incubation with Cr51 labelled K562 cells at concentrations of 100: 1, 50:1, 12.5:1 for four hours, we calculated the cytotoxicity activity of NK cells. Significant imp...