Reasons to go for thulium-based anatomical endoscopic enucleation of the prostate

Treating LUTS in Men with Benign Prostatic Obstruction: A Review Article

Benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) is a prevalent condition that affects men, primarily toward their old age. The condition is often accompanied by lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), which can significantly impair a patient's quality of life and lead to other medical complications. Accurate diagnosis of BPO is essential for effective management of complications secondary to BPO, and treatment plans should be tailored patients, and occasionally according to surgeon experience. As such, this literature review aims to analyze the current available data on male LUTS secondary to BPO by providing a comprehensive overview of relevant studies, as well as the surgical and medical management guidelines from the Canadian Urological Association (CUA), American Urological Association (AUA), and European Association of Urology (EAU). By synthesizing the existing literature, this review purports to summarize the current body of knowledge surrounding BPO and male LUTS, and support healthcare providers in making informed decisions about the management of male LUTS secondary to BPO, ultimately improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

Long-Term Outcomes Following Bipolar Transurethral Plasma Enucleation of the Prostate: 10-Year Follow-Up

Background and Purpose: The aim of our study is to assess the long-term outcomes and safety of bipolar transurethral plasma enucleation of the prostate (B-TUEP) in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in a single-center cohort study. Our focus is to evaluate the impact on outcomes after 10 years of follow-up (FUP) in terms of recurrence, LUTS, and patients' quality of life after B-TUEP in prostates between 30 and 80 cc. Materials and Methods: Between May 2010 and December 2011, all consecutive patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia undergoing B-TUEP were prospectively enrolled in our study. Data on patients' history, physical examination, prostate volumes, erectile function, prostate-specific antigen levels, International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS), and uroflowmetry were collected at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 60, and 120 months. Early and long-term complications were recorded. Results: A total of 50 consecutive patients underwent B-TUEP in our facility, all performed by a single surgeon (R.G.). Twelve patients were excluded during the 10 years. No patients had persistent bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) requiring reoperation. In terms of results, the improvement in IPSS was sustained throughout 5 years, and the mean difference from baseline at 5 years was 17 points, with similar results at 10 years. Erectile function was also slightly improved after surgery and maintained for the next 5 years, with a slight age-related decrease at 10 years. Furthermore, the improvements in maximum urine flow rate (Qmax) were maintained at 5 years, with a mean improvement of 16 mL/s, while at 10 years, it settled on a mean improvement from baseline of 12 mL/s. Conclusions: In our 10 years' experience, B-TUEP is a safe and highly effective technique for relieving BOO, with excellent outcomes and no recurrence at 10 years of FUP. Further multicenter studies should confirm our results.

Urethral and bladder neck stenosis after thulium laser enucleation of the prostate: Analysis of risk factors in a series of 1003 patients

We assessed the incidence and risks factors of bladder neck and urethral stenosis after Thulium laser enucleation of the prostate. Patients who underwent surgery at two centres were retrospectively reviewed (December 2014-June 2020). Exclusion criteria: previous urethral/prostatic surgery, pelvic irradiation, prostate cancer, neurogenic bladder, history of bladder neck and urethral stenosis, concomitant transurethral surgery, active urinary tract infection. Significant variables at univariate analysis (p < 0.05) were included in a multivariate logistic regression analysis to establish their association with bladder neck/urethral stenosis. One thousand and three patients were included. Median age was 69.0 (63.0-75.0) years. Median prostate volume was 65.0 (46.3-82.0) ml. Median follow-up was 31 (25-75) months. Thirty patients (2.99%) developed bladder neck stenosis [median time after surgery: 15 (11-17.75) months], 50 patients (4.98%) urethral stenosis [median time after surgery: 9 (7-11) months]. Men with bladder neck and urethral stenosis had significantly smaller prostate volume (median volume 43.5 ml vs. 66.0 ml, p = 0.008, and 52.0 ml vs. 66.0 ml, p = 0.009, respectively). At multivariable analysis, short surgical time predicted for bladder neck stenosis (OR 0.973; 95% CI 0.957-0.994, p = 0.002), and re-catheterization (OR 3.956; 95% CI 1.867-8.382, p < 0.001) for urethral stenosis, whereas prostate volume was significantly associated with a lower incidence of US (OR 0.984, 95% CI 0.972-0.998, p = 0.03).

Thulium fiber laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuFLEP). Prospective study of mid- and long-term outcomes in 1328 patients

The objective of our study was to estimate the long-term efficacy and safety of thulium fiber laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuFLEP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analysed patients who underwent ThuFLEP due to LUTS related to BPO. Both the pre- and perioperative data as well as the follow-up data for 3 years were evaluated: prostate volume, post-void residual (PVR), Qmax, IPSS and QoL, PSA level and the complication rate. Intraoperative data relating to the weight of resected tissue, the duration of surgery, catheterization and data on hospital stays were also collected. A sub-group analysis was performed to assess whether older patients (>65 years) or those with larger glands (>80 cc) are prone to increased complication risks.

RESULTS

A total of 1328 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 66.9±7.5 years. Mean prostate volume was 86.9±41.9 (20-330) cc. All the functional parameters (IPSS, QoL, PVR, Qmax) significantly improved after surgery (p<0.05) and showed durable improvement up to 3-years of follow-up. The frequency of late complications was as follows: stress urinary incontinence - 1.2%; urethral stricture -1.1%; bladder neck contracture - 0.9%. Sub-group analyses revealed increased UTI frequency in older patients (3.5% vs 0.8%, p=0.003) as well as higher rate of SUI (0.4% vs 1.8%, p=0.002) and higher rate of clot retention (11.3% vs 4.4%, p<0.001) in those with larger glands.

CONCLUSIONS

Irrespective of the patient's age and prostate volume, ThuFLEP represents an effective and durable technique of endoscopic enucleation characterized by a low incidence of complications after 3 years of follow-up. In the hands of an experienced surgeon, ThuFLEP can rightly be considered to be a promising alternative to HoLEP for treatment of LUTS associated with BPO.

[Minimally invasive treatment options for the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia]

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is one of the most common diseases of aging men. Hyperplasia of the glandular tissue can cause distressing lower urinary tract symptoms, which can be treated with both drugs and interventions. For a long time, transurethral resection of the prostate and simple prostatectomy were considered the gold standard of surgical treatment. In order to be able to offer patients an outpatient treatment with few complications, shorter hospital stays and high efficiency, a variety of minimally invasive treatment options have been developed. While recommendations have already been made for the excision by focused waterjet, prostatic urethral lift, and prostatic artery embolization, there are several other very promising procedures for which, however, long-term data and data from comparative studies with reference procedures must still be awaited.