Early experience with endourologyat Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo

Abstract

Endourological practice has revolutionized the diagnosis and the management of patients with various urologic abnormalities.But the level of practice in developing countries is unusually low, basically due to lack of necessary equipment and experienced trainedmanpower. To present our initial experience with endourological procedures in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria with emphasis on the indications, complications and challenges encountered. The endourological section of our urology unit is new with some facilities for lower urinary tract endoscopes. A lot of the patients with various urological disorders who had endourological procedures were used in this study. Aprospective analysis of records of all patients who had diagnostic and therapeutic endourological procedures in our practice from September 2004 to December 2006 was carried out. Indications for the procedure, type of anesthesia, type of irrigation fluid used and complications and challenges encountered during the procedurewere noted. 201medical noteswere available for review. Atotal of 204 procedureswere carried out, representing twenty five percent of the total urological procedures done by the unit during the study period. The commonest indication for an endourological procedure was bladder outlet obstruction with benign prostate hyperplasia responsible in 108.0 (53.7%) of cases followed by cancer of the prostate in 36.0 (17.9%) and urethral stricture in 18 (9%) of cases. The commonest form of endourologoical procedure performed was urethrocystoscopy which constituted 89.6%while the secondmost common procedurewas urethroscopy alone (9.0%)mainly for patients with urethral stricture. There were three complications, acute urinary retention, epididymo-orchitis, and heamaturia, following the procedure. Endourological procedures have refined and improved the management outcome of diverse urological procedureswithminimal complications.

Keywords: Endourology, Indications,Complications