The Guidelines Project, an initiative of the Brazilian Medical Association, aims to combine information from the medical field in order to standardize producers to assist the reasoning and decision-making of doctors. The information provided through this project must be assessed and criticized by the physician responsible for the conduct that will be adopted, depending on the conditions and the clinical status of each patient.

ABSTRACT Objective: To elucidate the current scenario of endourology in Brazil for the treatment of urinary lithiasis, with an emphasis on regional differences and the reasons why certain techniques are still underutilized. Materials and Methods: An electronic questionnaire was sent by email to the 4,745 members of the Brazilian Urological Society (BSU) in 2016 to collect information on the 3 main endourological procedures used in the treatment of nephrolithiasis: Semi-rigid ureteroscopy (URS), Flexible ureteroscopy (F-URS) and percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL). Results: A total of 1,267 urologists answered the questionnaire. It was observed that the vast majority perform URS (95.6%), while 80.2% perform F-URS and only 72.1% perform PCNL. Regarding the surgical volume, most perform up to 10 procedures per month (73.4% to 88.2%) and the main impediment was the lack of patients with the pathology (42.1% to 67.7%). The lack of equipment or hospital infrastructure was one of the main limiting factors for rigid (23%) and flexible (38.1%) URS, mainly in the North and Northeast regions of the country. Regarding PCNL, most of them reported lack of practical experience in the method (29.9%). Finally, most urologists expressed interest in taking courses in endourology. Conclusion: Ureteroscopy, rigid or flexible, is already well established in the country, requiring the direction of more resources for its practice, especially in less developed regions. Regarding PCNL a significant part of Brazilian urologists still lack practical experience in this procedure, emphasizing the need for greater investment in teaching this technique.

The Guidelines Project, an initiative of the Brazilian Medical Association, aims to combine information from the medical field in order to standardize producers to assist the reasoning and decision-making of doctors. The information provided through this project must be assessed and criticized by the physician responsible for the conduct that will be adopted, depending on the conditions and the clinical status of each patient.

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a crioterapia percutânea como tratamento primário para o câncer de próstata de alto risco. PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: De outubro de 2000 a fevereiro de 2005, 21 pacientes com câncer de próstata de alto risco foram submetidos a 24 crioablações de próstata como tratamento primário. A mediana de idade dos pacientes foi de 70,9, e a média do PSA pré-tratamento de 19,5 ng/dl. O tempo de seguimento variou de 6 a 60 meses (mediana de 41 meses). RESULTADOS: Os índices de falha do PSA foram de 39% e 52,9% respectivamente aos 12 e 24 meses de seguimento. A sobrevida livre de doença em 5 anos foi de 42,8%. De maneira geral os índices de complicações foram baixos, com 8% de incontinência urinária e nenhum caso de lesão retal. Os índices de impotência foram de 96%. Em doze pacientes (57,2%) onde houve falha da crioablação, 7 (58,3%) apresentaram recidivas locais (biópsia positiva) e os demais recidiva a distância. CONCLUSÃO: A crioablação percutânea da próstata é um tratamento minimamente invasivo da próstata, seguro, porém ainda com resultados modestos em pacientes com câncer de próstata de alto risco, quando se considera a sobrevida livre de doença em 5 anos, havendo portanto necessidade de associação de outras modalidades terapêuticas no tratamento deste grupo específico de doentes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate percutaneous cryotherapy as a primary treatment option for high-risk prostate cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From October 2000 to February 2005, 21 high-risk (Gleason e•8 and/or PSA > 10 and/or stage > T2a) prostate cancer patients underwent 24 percutaneous prostate cryoablation procedures. Patients' median age was 70.9, and the average pretreatment PSA was 19.5 ng/dL. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 60 months (median, 41 months). RESULTS: The PSA failure rate was 39%, 52.9%, and 42.8% at 12, 24, and 60 months of follow-up, respectively. Overall complication rates were low, with 8% of urinary incontinence and no cases of rectal injury; however, 96% of erectile dysfunction occurred. The cryoablation procedure failed in 12 patients (57.2%); 7 (58.3%) of these were local failures (positive prostate biopsies). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous cryoablation of the prostate is a safe minimally invasive treatment, but it has poor PSA-free survival outcomes in high-risk prostate cancer patients.