Early Experience of Transurethral Laser Induced Thermotherapy for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Park, Chun Soo; Oh, Kil Hyun

Abstract

Transurethral laser induced thermotherapy by Prostalase is a new modality being evaluated for the treatment of BPH. We performed transurethral laser induced thermotherapies on 30 patients from April 1993 to December 1993. After treatment, 27 patients of them were followed up (urinary retention in 13 cases, non-urinary retention in 14 cases). Mean age of patients was 72 year-old. Prostalase in system was run for 40 minutes with single session without anesthesia. We evaluated patients with Boyarsky symptom score, urine flow rate. volume of residual urine, prostatic volume. Mean Boyarsky symptom score decreased from 16.5 to 7.8 for a 52.7% improvement on non-retention group, mean Boyarsky symptom score decreased from 16.7 to 6. 2 for a 62.8% improvement on retention group at 6 months after treatment. Mean peak flow rate increased 84.7% from a preoperative average of 7.2ml/s to 13.3ml/s at 6 months on non- retention group, mean peak flow rate increased 61.7 % from a postoperative 1-month average of 10.2ml/s to 16.5ml/s at 6 months on retention group. Prostatic volume decreased 22.4 % from a preoperative average of 37.5gm to 29.1 gm at 3 months on non-retention group, prostatic volume decreased 23.5% from a preoperative average of 42.0gm to 32.1gm at 3 months on retention group. There have been no urinary tract infection or retrograde ejaculation. Acute urinary retention occurred in 2 patients, gross hematuria in 1, urinary incontinence in 1. Our study number is small, but we think transurethral laser thermotherapy (Prostalase) to be a safe and less morbid alternative to transurethral resection of prostate.