Urology Flashcards
What are the symptoms of Lower UTI?
Frequency and nocturia Dysuria Urgency Haematuria Smelly urine Suprapubic pain / tenderness Stranguary: painful, frequent urination of small volume, expelled only by straining despite a severe sense of urgency
What are the predisposing factors to lower UTI?
Female sex: due to short urethra
pregnancy: dip during and treat due to risk of premature Labour
Menopause
Obstruction / tract malformation
Catheter: always infected, do not investigate unless symptomatic
Diabetes: glycosuria, reduced host defences
What investigations should be done for a patient with a suspected infection?
Urine dipstick: double positive: nitrates and leucocytes
Midstream urine MCS (confirms diagnosis if >10^5 pathogenic organisms/ml
Urine dip is very often double positive in a hospital population
MSU
?ask about discharge
What are the causes of sterile pyuria? (raised WBC but no organisms grown)
Recently treated UTI Appendicitis TB chlamydia Bladder cancer
What circumstances should prompt further investigations for UTI?
Males, children, treatment resistant UTI, recurrent UTI, if pyelonephritis suspected or if an unusual organism is grown:
USS: to assess for renal scarring or obstruction (hydronephrosis)
CT/IV urography: to exclude small stones, tumours or bladder diverticula
What is the most common organism causing UTI?
E.Coli (75%)
Others: Proteus, Staphylococcus, streptococcus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas
What is the treatment of UTI?
Advice: drink plenty of fluids and urinate often
Empirical: Nitrofurantoin 100mg BD for 3 days (review when MCS comes back)
What is the treatment of pyelonephritis?
IV tazocin 4.5g TDS )review when MCS comes back)
therapy continued for at least 7 days
How is a UTI / asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women treated?
Treat - follow local guideline / speak to microbiology
How is recurrent UTI managed?
Advice on high fluid intake, frequent voiding (after sex)
avoidance of spermicidal jellies and avoidance of constipation
If this fails, prophylaxis with trimethoprim / nitrofurantoin at night may be started
What are the treatment outcomes for UTIs
Eradication: no further infection
Relapse: recurrence of the same infection within 7 days due to inadequate eradication of infection
Reinfection: bacteriuria absent for at least 14 days, but recurs due to susceptible tract
What does acute ureteric obstruction cause?
Enlargement of the urinary tract, superior to the obstruction
Dilation of the renal pelvis is known as hydronephrosis
What are the causes of ureteric obstruction?
Luminal, mural, extramural
What are the luminal causes of ureteric obstruction?
Calculus (stone) sloughed renal papilla (in diabetes / long term NSAID use) Blood clot TCC of the renal pelvis / ureter Bladder tumour
What are the mural causes of ureteric obstruction?
Ureteric stricture (TB, post-calculus, post-surgery) Congenital pelviureteric neuromuscular dysfunction Congenital megaureter
What are the extramural causes of ureteric obstruction?
Pelviureteric compression (due to external tumours, diverticulitis, AAA, retroperitoneal fibrosis)
What are the symptoms / signs of ureteric obstruction?
Varying loin pain to groin pain - greater when urine volume increases (alcohol / diuretics)
Anuria (if complete bilateral obstruction) / polyuria (if partial blockage causes renal impairment) due to post-renal AKI
Loin tenderness and palpable hydrfonephrotic kidney
What investigations should be done for ureteric obstruction?
Urine MCS
USS to confirm upper tract dilation
Abdominal plain film
CT to outline detailed cause of obstruction
Retrograde pyelogram may be used at cystoscopy to further outline ureteric abnormalities (e.g. TCC)
What is the management of ureteric obstruction?
Analgesia - rectal diclofenac
Nephrostomy may be required to decompress the pelvicalyceal system, preserving the kidney function and preventing infection from developing
Surgical management: e.g. stenting may be required depending on the cause
Where do renal calculi form?
In the collecting ducts - may be deposited anywhere from the renal pelvis to the urethra
Where are the classic sites of renal calculi deposition?
Pelviureteric junction, pelvic brim and vesicoureteric junction
What are renal stones most commonly made of?
Calcium oxalate (75%) with other being magnesium ammonium phosphate or urate based
Describe the lifetime risk of kidney stones?
15% lifetime risk, peak age 20-40 years, M:F 3:1
How do patients with kidney stones present?
Renal colic: excruciating loin to groin spasms, with nausea and vomiting, patient often cannot lie still
Occurs if stone is impacted in the ureter
Dull loin pain: if the stone is in a major/minor calyx
UTI: secondary to the partial / complete obstruction
What are the risk factors for kidney stones?
Obesity, Dehydration / low fluid intake
Family history, personal history of stone disease
Anatomical abnormalities
What are the investigations for kidney stones?
Bloods: include calcium, phosphate, glucose, bicarbonate and urate levels
Urine dip: 95% positive for blood, rule out infection
bHCG is vital
Urine MCS
Imaging:
AXR - 80% visible
Non-contrast CT: 99% visible, can exclude abdominal ddx
What is the acute management of renal stones?
A-E + fluids 75mg diclofenac PR (post renal Aki beware) IV metaclopramide IV abx if signs of infection Assess whether admission is required
What are the requirements for admission with a stone?
If there is still severe pain at 1 hour
If there is a risk of AKI
If there are signs of shock / infection
If there is uncertainty over diagnosis
What are the indications for active treatment of renal stones?
Low chance of spontaneous passage (>10mm) Persistent pain Ongoing obstruction Signs of infection Renal insufficiency
What are the active treatments of renal stones?
Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) - shock waves to break the stone
Uretoscopy
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy
What is ESWL?
Outpatient procedure that focuses shock waves on the stone to break it up, and it can then be passed spontaneously
If there is a hydronephrosis present, they may need a percutaneous nephrostomy to decompress the pelvicalyceal system prior to outpatient ESWL
What is uretoscopy?
Small telescope passed into the ureter - basket retrieval or laser / shock waves / electrical energy to fragment
What is percutaneous nephrolithotomy used for?
Renal (NOT ureteric calculi) that do not respond to ESWL
Scope inserted through small incision in the back to remove kidney stones