Laser Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Patients on Oral Anticoagulant Therapy

The Efficacy and Safety of Laser and Electrosurgical Transurethral Procedures for the Treatment of BPO in High-Risk Patients: A Systematic Review

Objective

To compare efficacy and safety outcomes of GreenLight, Holmium and Thulium laser  techniques with standard monopolar and bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in high-risk patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic obstruction (BPO).

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature review of studies in patients undergoing BPO surgeries who may be considered high-risk for standard TURP, with higher risk defined as follows: large prostates (≥80 mL) and/or taking antithrombotic agents and/or urinary retention and/or age >80 years and/or significant comorbidity.  Outcomes summarised included bleeding complications, re-intervention rates, hospital length of stay, and standard measures of disease and symptom severity for all available timepoints.

Results

A total of 276 studies of 32,722 patients reported relevant data. Studies were heterogeneous in methodology, population and outcomes reported. IPSS reduction, Qmax improvement and PVR were similar across all interventions. Mean values at baseline and after 12 months across interventions were 13.2−29 falling to 2.3−10.8 for IPSS, 0−19 mL/s increasing to 7.5−34.1 mL/s for Qmax and 41.4−954 mL falling to 5.1−138.3 mL for PVR. Laser treatments show some advantages compared with monopolar and bipolar TURP for some adverse events and safety parameters such as bleeding complications. Duration of hospital stay, reinterventions and recatheterisations were lower with GreenLight, HoLEP, Thulium lasers, and bipolar enucleation than TURP.

Conclusions

Laser therapies are effective and well-tolerated treatment options in high-risk patients with BPO compared with monopolar or bipolar TURP. The advantageous safety profile of laser treatments means that patients with a higher bleeding risk should be offered laser surgery preferentially to mTURP or bTURP.

Efficacy and Safety of 1470-nm Diode Laser Enucleation of the Prostate in Individuals With Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Continuously Administered Oral Anticoagulants or Antiplatelet Drugs

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 1470-nm Diode Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (DiLEP) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia continuously receiving oral anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs.

METHODS

From January 2016 to June 2017, 144 patients were submitted to 1470-nm DiLEP, including 49 (34.0%) continuously administered anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs per os due to cardiac and/or cerebrovascular diseases (group A), while 95 (66.0%) were not (group B). Evaluation was performed preoperatively, and at postoperative 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Patient baseline features, operative data, perioperative complications, and postsurgical outcomes were assessed.

RESULTS

Both groups had comparable preoperative parameters, except age (77.3 ± 7.5 vs 73.2 ± 8.8 years, P = .007). Meanwhile, surgical time, sodium decrease, catheterization duration, and hospital stay markedly differed between the 2 groups. In comparison with group B, group A patients had statistically higher blood loss (14.9 ± 7.3 g/L vs 10.2 ± 7.0 g/L, P < .001) and increased bladder irrigation time (21.1 ± 10.9 hours vs 16.1 ± 9.0 hours, P = .004). One case required blood transfusion in group A, because of moderate anemia preoperatively. Both groups showed similar blood transfusion and complication rates. International Prostate Symptom Score, quality of life score, maximum flow rate, and postvoid residual were markedly improved in both groups at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up postoperatively compared with baseline values. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in various assessment parameters at follow-up (P > .05).

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrated that 1470-nm DiLEP is efficient and safe in benign prostatic hyperplasia cases receiving continuous oral anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs. Anticoagulation therapy did not significantly influence the results and complication rates.

Best practice in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia in the patients requiring anticoagulation

In today’s aging population, urologists are often treating older patients with multiple comorbidities. Lower urinary tract symptoms from benign prostate hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH) is a common condition that affects men, with increasing prevalence as men age. In a subset of patients, the symptoms are too severe or refractory to medical therapy and, therefore, surgical therapy is required to improve their LUTS. The use of medical therapy often delays the need to intervene surgically in men with LUTS/BPH and with advances in the management of cardiovascular disease, urologists are increasingly encountering more men requiring BPH surgery on chronic anticoagulation therapy. The decision of when to offer surgical intervention and how to manage anticoagulation medication in the perioperative setting is a dilemma with which surgeons are dealing with increasing frequency. The purpose of this review is to clarify the optimal approach to the surgical patient with LUTS/ BPH requiring anticoagulation therapy.

Thulium laser vaporesection of the prostate: Can we operate without interrupting oral antiplatelet/anticoagulant therapy?

Purpose

Thulium vaporesection of the prostate (ThuVARP) is a new and safe approach for patients receiving anticoagulant therapy in whom transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) may possess a high bleeding risk. We aimed to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of ThuVARP in patients receiving oral antiplatelet/anticoagulant (OAP/OAC) therapy.

Materials and Methods

A total of 103 patients who underwent ThuVARP between 2011 and 2013 were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group A consisted of 47 patients who underwent low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) bridging and group B consisted of 56 patients who were operated on while receiving OAP/OAC therapy.

Results

The drop in hemoglobin levels in the pre- and postoperative periods was significantly higher in group A than in group B. When subgroups were analyzed, the mean drop in hemoglobin was significantly lower in the warfarin and ticlopidine subgroups of group B than in group A. International Prostate Symptom Scores were significantly lower 3, 12, 18, and 24 months after surgery in group A than in group B. Quality of life scores, maximal flow rate values, and postmicturition residual urine volumes (mL) were similar between the 2 groups. A total of 38 and 41 patients in groups A and B, respectively, had no complications.

Conclusions

Our study showed the safety profile of continuing different OAP/OAC therapies in terms of bleeding problems in patients undergoing ThuVARP. We strongly recommend abandoning LMWH bridging and maintaining the OAP/OAC regimen patients are already receiving.

Trends in the surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia in a tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND

To assess current treatment trends and perioperative outcomes of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) in a tertiary institution.

METHODS

We prospectively collected a database of all patients undergoing TURP and PVP for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) at a tertiary hospital between January 2011 and December 2013. Patient characteristics such as length of stay, readmission, anticoagulation status, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score and need for blood transfusion were recorded and analysed.

RESULTS

In total, 560 cases were included: 204 (36.4%) underwent TURP and 356 (63.6%) PVP. Patients undergoing PVP had higher ASA scores (P < 0.001) and were more frequently on continuing anticoagulant therapy (P < 0.001). With regards to non-aspirin/asasantin coagulation therapy, 61 (17.1%) patients underwent PVP with their anticoagulants continued while no patients who received TURP continued anticoagulation. Blood transfusion percentages were similar at 1.0% for TURP and 1.7% for PVP but readmission proportions were higher after PVP (32 patients, 9.0%) compared to TURP (10 patients, 4.9%). These differences were attenuated when excluding patients continuing anticoagulation during the procedure.

CONCLUSION

At our institution, the use of PVP has been increasing on a year-by-year basis. The results of the current study demonstrated that PVP is safe in patients with increased anaesthetic risk or on active anticoagulation when compared to traditional TURP. While this makes PVP an attractive alternative to TURP in high-risk anticoagulated patients, these patients may have complex post-discharge issues that should be addressed during the informed consent process.

[Anesthesia in endourological and robot-assisted interventions]

The improved drug therapy leads to increasingly older patients with complex comorbidities in the discipline of operative urology. Today, improved technical equipment provides new operational capabilities in the field of urology. The prone and lithotomy position during surgery leads to physiological changes that affect anesthesia management. The surgical risk of procedures such as transurethral surgery of the prostate or bladder is being altered by laser surgery and other new technologies. Although the incidence of transurethral resection (TUR) syndrome has been reduced in recent years, the intrusion of irrigation fluid still has to be considered during anesthesia. Robot-assisted surgery has successfully completed the experimental stage and is widely used so that new targets have to be challenged. Ureterorenoscopy is performed with flexible, small caliber ureteroscopes which even allow treatment of renal calculi under analgosedation within short time periods. Percutaneous nephrostomy and litholapaxy are still frequently performed in the prone position. With respect to the risks arising from patient positioning, supine or lateral positioning should be considered in individual cases. A good communication between the surgeon and anesthetist allows deviation from daily routine procedures if special indications require a modified approach. In conclusion, a profound knowledge of the (patho-)physiology of general anesthesia and endourological diseases enables anesthetists to provide a prospective type anesthesia, which should prevent the occurrence of life-threatening incidents.

Major urologic problems in geriatrics: assessment and management

Elderly urologic patients require the same cautions as used in development of treatment programs for them in other disciplines. Because of potential interference with poor renal function or crossover effects with central or peripheral nervous system, however, many urologic drugs must be titrated appropriately. In treating cancer, erectile dysfunction, incontinence or urinary infection, patient quality of life and life span become dominant factors in making therapeutic decisions, by behavioral change, medication, or surgical intervention.