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European Urology Focus Mar 2021Genital reconstructive surgery (GRS) is a necessary part of transitioning for many transwomen, and there is evidence of positive effects on a person's well-being and... (Review)
Review
Genital Reconstructive Surgery in Male to Female Transgender Patients: A Systematic Review of Primary Surgical Techniques, Complication Profiles, and Functional Outcomes from 1950 to Present Day.
CONTEXT
Genital reconstructive surgery (GRS) is a necessary part of transitioning for many transwomen, and there is evidence of positive effects on a person's well-being and sexual function. Surgical techniques have evolved, from pursuing aesthetic outcome to now functional outcome with natal females as the standard.
OBJECTIVE
To systematically review the evidence, identifying the surgical techniques used in primary GRS, their complications, functional outcomes, and the tools used to assess them.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
The clinical question was designed using the standard PICOS format. The search complied with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2009 statement and was performed by two independent reviewers.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Europe, USA, and Thailand favour the penoscrotal technique for vaginoplasty, whereas in the UK, the penile inversion (PI) technique predominates. Primary vaginoplasty using a segment of bowel is less common, and all three techniques have comparable rates of intraoperative rectal injury. The incidence of rectovaginal fistula is reportedly higher in the PI technique. Wound haematoma and vaginal prolapse rates are comparable. Higher rates of clitoral necrosis, urethral meatal stenosis, and wound infection are reported in PI. However, the ability to orgasm, ability to have penetrative sexual intercourse, and satisfaction with aesthetic result are better with PI.
CONCLUSIONS
The evidence for GRS complications and functional outcomes is of low level. Standardised nomenclature reporting of adverse events and robust patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are lacking. PROMs are a powerful assessment tool, and standardised definitions of adverse events and functional outcomes should be a priority of future research.
PATIENT SUMMARY
We looked at all studies published on genital reconstructive surgery from 1950 to the present day. We assessed each surgical technique and their associated complication rates, sexual and urinary function outcomes, and how they were reported. We found the evidence to be low and weak. We suggest more robust ways of reporting complications, and the impact on patients' quality of life should be investigated.
Topics: Europe; Female; Genitalia; Genitalia, Female; Genitalia, Male; Humans; Male; Quality of Life; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Transgender Persons
PubMed: 32061539
DOI: 10.1016/j.euf.2020.01.004 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Oct 2019The preclinical studies in vivo provide means of characterizing physiologic interactions when our understanding of such processes is insufficient to allow replacement... (Review)
Review
The preclinical studies in vivo provide means of characterizing physiologic interactions when our understanding of such processes is insufficient to allow replacement with in vitro systems and play a pivotal role in the development of a novel therapeutic drug cure. Chemically induced colitis models are relatively easy and rapid to develop. The 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) colitis model is one of the main models in the experimental studies of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) since inflammation induced by TNBS mimics several features of Crohn's disease. This review aims to summarize the existing literature and discuss different protocols for the induction of chronic model of TNBS-induced colitis. We searched MEDLINE via Pubmed platform for studies published through December 2018, using MeSH terms (Crohn Disease.kw) OR (Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.kw) OR (Colitis, Ulcerative.kw) AND (trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid.kw) AND (disease models, animal.kw) AND (mice.all). The inclusion criteria were original articles, preclinical studies in vivo using mice, chronic model of colitis, and TNBS as the inducer of colitis and articles published in English. Chronic TNBS-induced colitis is made with multiple TNBS intrarectal administrations in an average dose of 1.2 mg using a volume lower than 150 μL in 50% ethanol. The strains mostly used are Balb/c and C57BL/6 with 5-6 weeks. To characterize the preclinical model the parameters more used include body weight, stool consistency and morbidity, inflammatory biomarkers like interferon (IFN)-γ, myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10, presence of ulcers, thickness or hyperemia in the colon, and histological evaluation of the inflammation. Experimental chronic colitis is induced by multiple rectal instillations of TNBS increasing doses in ethanol using Balb/c and C57BL/6 mice.
PubMed: 31581545
DOI: 10.3390/jcm8101574 -
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Nov 2019Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists are considered the cornerstone therapy for fistulizing perianal Crohn's disease (PCD), yet a substantial proportion of patients...
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists are considered the cornerstone therapy for fistulizing perianal Crohn's disease (PCD), yet a substantial proportion of patients fail to achieve healing. Therefore, we reviewed the evidence for strategies to enhance the efficacy of TNF antagonists for PCD. A systematic search of electronic databases through July 2018 was performed to identify studies that assessed the effectiveness of TNF antagonists combined with another medical or surgical intervention for PCD; or assessed the association between anti-TNF serum concentrations and fistula healing. Twelve studies compared anti-TNF therapy alone versus a combined approach: four with surgery, three with antibiotics, and five with immunomodulators. Only two studies, both with antibiotics, were rated high quality. The addition of antibiotics to anti-TNF therapy resulted in significantly higher rates of fistula response and healing in one study, and a trend toward reduction in fistula drainage in the other. Three of four studies found higher rates of fistula healing when surgery was combined with TNF antagonists. In contrast, one of five studies found a trend toward higher rates of fistula healing in patients treated concomitantly with immunomodulators. Five observational studies assessed the association between anti-TNF concentration and fistula healing. Higher infliximab serum concentrations were consistently associated with fistula healing. In conclusion, few high-quality studies assessing strategies to optimize anti-TNF therapy for PCD exist. Although antibiotics, possibly surgery, and higher serum infliximab concentrations appear to improve fistula healing, future prospective studies are needed to determine the optimal treatment strategy.
Topics: Combined Modality Therapy; Crohn Disease; Gastrointestinal Agents; Humans; Rectal Fistula; Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
PubMed: 31030304
DOI: 10.1007/s10620-019-05635-1