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Highlights from the Engineering & Urology Society Annual Meeting
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| A Steerable Kidney Stone Basket |
| Peter Connor |
| Peter Connor and his team from Vanderbilt presented a novel steerable kidney stone basket designed to improve access to hard-to-reach calyces, especially in the lower pole, which is often challenging with current tools. Their device, using concentric push-pull technology, significantly improved stone retrieval rates in simulations, enabling users to remove stones nearly three times faster than with standard baskets. |
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| Feasibility of Wireless Catheter-Free Ambulatory Urodynamics in Male Patients
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| Madison Lyon, MD
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| Madison Lyon presented promising results on the feasibility of the UroMonitor (UM), a wireless catheter-free ambulatory urodynamic device, in male patients. The UM produced physiological readings comparable to standard multichannel urodynamics while offering a significantly more comfortable experience, with lower pain scores and no trauma upon deployment. These findings support UM as a potential alternative for urodynamic testing with improved patient tolerance.
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| Improved Control of Renal Pelvis Pressure Using A Prototype Fluid Management System Incorporating Ureteroscope Pressure Feedback
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| Leilane Glienke MD
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| Leilane Glienke presented a study on a prototype fluid management system (pFMS) designed to automatically adjust irrigation rates based on real-time ureteroscope pressure feedback to maintain low intrarenal pressure (IRP) during ureteroscopy. The study showed that the pFMS effectively kept IRP below the critical 40 cmH₂O threshold across various outflow resistance scenarios, reducing the risk of complications compared to conventional irrigation methods.
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| A New Ultrasound Probe and Robot for Prostate Biopsy
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| Dan Stoianovici, PhD
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| Dan Stoianovici introduced ProBot, a compact, hands-free robotic system for prostate biopsy that uses a novel ultrasound probe and only two degrees of freedom for simplified operation and enhanced targeting accuracy. Early clinical testing showed successful, complication-free procedures with sub-millimeter precision and no prostate deformation, marking a promising advancement in robotic-assisted TR and TP biopsies.
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| The Effect of Prostate Size and Number of Cores at Systematic Prostate Biopsy – Study Update
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| Dan Stoianovici, PhD
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| Dan Stoianovici presented updated data showing that prostate size significantly influences the effectiveness of systematic prostate biopsy (SB). In smaller prostates (<30 cm³), SB can detect clinically significant prostate cancer with high accuracy using fewer cores, even without MRI guidance. In contrast, larger prostates require more cores and still risk under-sampling, highlighting the need to tailor biopsy strategies by gland size and to consider MRI-targeted methods for larger prostates.
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| Prostate Ductal Anatomy as a Cancer Contrast Mechanism for Ultrasound
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| Dan Luca
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| Dan Luca presented a novel prostate cancer imaging approach using micro-ultrasound (MicroUS) to visualize ductal anatomy as a new contrast mechanism, offering a real-time, high-resolution alternative to MRI. In a pilot study of 10 radical prostatectomy specimens, Luca's team showed that cancerous tissue exhibited significantly reduced duct size and ductal density compared to benign areas—differences detectable only by MicroUS (resolution: 70 μm vs. 200 μm in conventional ultrasound). Their algorithm, applied to over 150,000 ducts, revealed strong statistical separation between benign and cancerous ducts.
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| Biopsy Needle Design Matters – 96% Reduced Bacterial Transfer and Significantly Improved Targeting May Challenge TR vs TP Prostate Biopsy Paradigms (Session 1, Poster #2) |
| Andreas Forsvall, MD, PhD |
| Andreas Forsvall presented a novel prostate biopsy needle that achieved a 96% reduction in bacterial transfer and significantly improved targeting accuracy compared to the standard Tru-cut needle. In simulations and a clinical trial, the Forsvall needle demonstrated superior performance with less deviation and better lesion sampling across both transrectal and transperineal approaches, suggesting it could reshape current biopsy route preferences. |
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| Optimization of Gold-Silver Nanoparticle Coatings with Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Properties |
| Alejandro Bautista-Pérez-Gavilán, MD |
| Alejandro Bautista-Pérez-Gavilán presented advancements in gold-silver nanoparticle coatings optimized for antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties in dynamic urinary tract environments. The optimized coating, incorporating a polydopamine matrix, maintained high nanoparticle concentration under various flow conditions and demonstrated sustained antimicrobial efficacy, though some reduction occurred under high bacterial loads. Ongoing studies are exploring the mechanical stability of these coatings under physiological flow to assess long-term durability. |
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| High-Precision Detection of Difficult-to-Detect Lesions in Bladder Cancer Diagnosis Using a Lightweight AI Model |
| Ryotaro Okazaki |
| Ryotaro Okazaki presented a lightweight AI model that significantly improves real-time detection of difficult bladder cancer lesions—including small tumors, flat lesions, and CIS—using a fusion of EfficientNetV2, U-Net, and specialized loss functions. The model achieved high sensitivity, specificity, and speed, demonstrating its feasibility for clinical deployment and its potential to enhance early detection and outcomes in bladder cancer care. |
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| Robotic Transurethral Bladder Tumor Resection: A New Era Of Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery |
| Nicolas Soputro, MD |
| Nicolas Soputro presented promising preclinical results on a robotic transurethral bladder tumor resection system developed by Agilis Robotics, which aims to address limitations of conventional TURBT such as poor visualization, tissue damage, and lack of detrusor muscle in specimens. In porcine and cadaveric trials, the system achieved consistent resection across bladder regions with confirmed detrusor muscle presence and minimal electrocautery artifact. This novel approach may mark a significant evolution in bladder cancer surgery, with clinical trials anticipated. |
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