Reprint - Bipolar vs. monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate for lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic obstruction: A Cochrane review

Metabolic acidemia due to saline absorption during transurethral and transcervical surgery: a report of 2 cases

BACKGROUND

The development of endoscopic systems that include bipolar electrocautery has enabled the use of normal saline irrigation in transurethral or transcervical endoscopic surgery. However, excessive saline absorption can cause hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis.

CASE PRESENTATION

Patient 1: A 76-year-old man was scheduled for transurethral resection of the prostate with saline irrigation. Approximately 140 min after the surgery, abdominal distension and cervical edema were observed. Abdominal ultrasound examination indicated a subhepatic hypoechoic lesion, which suggested extravasation of saline. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. The patient was extubated 2 h after the operation with no subsequent airway problems, and the electrolyte imbalance was gradually corrected. Patient 2: A 43-year-old woman was scheduled for transcervical resection of a uterine fibroid with saline irrigation. When the drape was removed after the operation was finished, notable upper extremity edema was observed. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. The patient's acidemia, electrolyte imbalance, and neck edema gradually resolved, and the patient was extubated 16 h after the operation without subsequent airway problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Anesthesiologists should be aware of acidemia, cardiopulmonary complications, and airway obstruction caused by excessive saline absorption after saline irrigation in endoscopic surgery.

Emerging Technologies for the Surgical Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Secondary to Benign Prostatic Obstruction. A Systematic Review

CONTEXT

Surgical management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)/benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) aims at ablating prostate adenoma by resection, enucleation, or vaporisation. Apart from established ablation modes according to the European Association of Urology guidelines, various technologies have emerged as safe/effective alternatives but remain under investigation.

OBJECTIVE

To explore short-term benefits/harms of emerging technologies for surgical management of LUTS/BPO.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL via Ovid up to June 18, 2022. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) exploring aquablation, prostatic arterial embolisation (PAE), Rezum, prostatic urethral lift (PUL), and temporary implantable nitinol device (iTIND) versus sham/transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

We included ten RCTs (1108 men). Aquablation versus TURP: insignificant change in International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS; mean difference [MD] 0.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.44 to 2.44), quality of life (QoL; MD 0.30, 95% CI -0.81 to 0.21), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax; MD -0.30, 95% CI -3.71 to 3.11), retreatment (risk ratio [RR] 0.18, 95% CI 0.02-1.66), and urinary incontinence (UI; RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.26-1.95). PAE versus monopolar TURP (M-TURP): insignificant change in IPSS (MD 3.33, 95% CI -28.39 to 35.05), QoL (MD 0.12, 95% CI -0.30 to 0.54), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5; MD 3.07, 95% CI -1.78 to 7.92), and UI (RR 0.15, 95% CI 0.01-2.86), and significant change in Qmax (MD -9.52, 95% CI -14.04 to -5.0), favouring M-TURP. PAE versus bipolar TURP: insignificant change in IPSS (MD -2.80, 95% CI -6.61 to 1.01), QoL (MD -0.69, 95% CI -1.46 to 0.08), Qmax (MD -3.51, 95% CI -8.08 to 1.06), UI (RR 0.14, 95% CI 0.01-2.51), and retreatment (RR 1.91, 95% CI 0.19-19.63). PUL versus TURP: insignificant change in QoL (MD 0.40, 95% CI -0.29 to 1.09), UI (RR 0.13, 95% CI 0.02-1.05), and retreatment (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.12-1.86), and significant change in IPSS (MD 3.40, 95% CI 0.22-6.58), and IIEF-5 (MD 3.00, 95% CI 0.41-5.59) and Qmax (MD -9.60, 95% CI -13.44 to -5.76), favouring PUL and TURP, respectively. Rezum and iTIND have not been evaluated in RCTs against TURP to date.

CONCLUSIONS

Supporting evidence for clinical use of aquablation, PAE, PUL, Rezum, and iTIND is very limited. Benefits/harms should be investigated further in high-quality RCTs.

PATIENT SUMMARY

This review summarises the evidence for the clinical use of aquablation, prostatic arterial embolisation (PAE), prostatic urethral lift (PUL), Rezum, and temporary implantable nitinol device (iTIND) to manage lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic obstruction. The supporting evidence for the clinical usage of aquablation, PAE, PUL, Rezum, and iTIND is very limited. Benefits and harms should be investigated further in high-quality randomised controlled trials.

The feasibility of endourological surgery in low-resource settings

One of the widest variations in contemporary surgical practice between high and low, or low-middle, income countries is the utilisation of endoscopy as a means of treating urological pathology. The endoscopic management of lower urinary tract problems such as benign prostatic hypertrophy, bladder cancer and urethral strictures was established in the UK in the late 1970s, whilst its adoption into everyday practice in sub-Saharan Africa has been significantly retarded. It is still neither a major feature of urological training in those countries nor widely available to the patients established consultants treat. Likewise, the explosion of less invasive technologies for treating upper tract stone disease in the 1980s, particularly the management of renal stone disease, has also lagged behind practice established in the UK over the last 40 years. This is not due to a lack of patients who could be treated endoscopically, or restricted by the abilities of the surgeons in sub-Saharan Africa. The restraint in assumption of these less-invasive management options is rather due to the physical availability of trained specialist surgeons, their access to basic infrastructure such as electricity and water, access to endoscopes and the peripheral equipment necessary to successfully deploy them and the ability of patients to afford the disposable items required for less-invasive forms of management. Some endoscopic procedures are viable in resource-poor settings. They are, however, largely dependent upon the supply of equipment from non-governmental organisations in high income countries, frugal innovation to reduce individual procedure costs, adequately skilled mentors, and maintenance and supply chains to make them a durable option in patient management. Urolink and the Medi Tech Trust present their experience of how endoscopic surgery can be taught, and used sustainably, in a resource-poor healthcare environment.

Short-term efficacy and safety of second generation bipolar transurethral vaporization of the prostate (B-TUVP) for large benign prostate enlargement: Results from a retrospective feasibility study

Background

To investigate the efficacy and safety of a second-generation bipolar transurethral electro vaporization of the prostate (B-TUVP) with the new oval-shaped electrode for large benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) with prostate volume (PV) ≥100ml.

Materials and methods

100 patients who underwent second-generation B-TUVP with the oval-shaped electrode for male lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) or urinary retention between July 2018 and July 2020 were enrolled in this study. The patients’ characteristics and treatment outcome were retrospectively compared between patients with PV <100ml and ≥100ml.

Results

17/41 (41.5%) cases of PV ≥100ml and 24/59 cases (40.7%) of PV <100ml were catheterised due to urinary retention. The duration of post-operative catheter placement and hospital-stay of PV ≥100ml (3.1±1.3 and 5.6±2.3 days) were not different from PV <100ml (2.7±1.2 and 5.0±2.4 days). In uncatheterised patients (N = 59), post-void residual urine volume (PVR) significantly decreased after surgery in both groups, however, maximum uroflow rate (Q_max) significantly increased after surgery only in PV <100ml but not in PV ≥100ml. Voiding symptoms and patients’ QoL derived from International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), IPSS-QoL (IPSS Quality of Life Index) and BPH Impact Index (BII) scores, significantly improved after B-TUVP in both groups. Catheter free status after final B-TUVP among patients with preoperative urinary retention was achieved in 18/24 (75.0%) and 14/17 (82.1%) cases in patient with <100ml and ≥100ml, respectively. There was no significant difference in post-operative Hb after B-TUVP, which was 97.0±5.4% of baseline for PV <100ml and 96.9±6.1% for PV ≥100ml and no TUR syndrome was observed.

Conclusions

This is the first study investigating short-term efficacy and safety of second-generation B-TUVP with the oval-shaped electrode on large BPE. B-TUVP appears to be effective and safe for treating moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms and urinary retention in patients with large BPE.

Minimally invasive treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia: a Cochrane network meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the comparative effectiveness and ranking of minimally invasive treatments (MITs) for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We searched multiple databases up to 24 February 2021. We included randomized controlled trials assessing the following treatments: convective radiofrequency water vapour thermal therapy (WVTT; or Rezūm); prostatic arterial embolization (PAE); prostatic urethral lift (PUL; or Urolift); temporary implantable nitinol device (TIND); and transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) compared to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or sham surgery. We performed a frequentist network meta-analysis.

RESULTS

We included 27 trials involving 3017 men. The overall certainty of the evidence of most outcomes according to GRADE was low to very low. Compared to TURP, we found that PUL and PAE may result in little to no difference in urological symptoms, while WVTT, TUMT and TIND may result in worse urological symptoms. MITs may result in little to no difference in quality of life, compared to TURP. MITs may result in a large reduction in major adverse events compared to TURP. We were uncertain about the effects of PAE and PUL on retreatment compared to TURP, however, TUMT may result in higher retreatment rates. We were very uncertain of the effects of MITs on erectile function and ejaculatory function. Among MITs, PUL and PAE had the highest likelihood of being the most efficacious for urinary symptoms and quality of life, TUMT for major adverse events, WVTT and TIND for erectile function and PUL for ejaculatory function. Excluding WVTT and TIND, for which there were only studies with short-term (3-month) follow-up, PUL had the highest likelihood of being the most efficacious for retreatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Minimally invasive treatments may result in similar or worse effects concerning urinary symptoms and quality of life compared to TURP at short-term follow-up.

Comparison between thulium laser vapoenucleation and plasmakinetic resection of the prostate in men aged 75 years and older in a real-life setting: a propensity score analysis

BACKGROUND

Urologists may hesitate to offer transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) because of increased morbidity in elderly patients.

AIMS

We aimed to compare data on postoperative outcomes of elderly men undergoing bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate (B-TURP) as compared to thulium laser vapoenucleation of the prostate (ThuVEP).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed data of all patients aged ≥ 75 years who underwent benign prostatic hyperplasia surgery. Differences between interventions were estimated using propensity scores (PS) to adjust for different patients characteristics.

RESULTS

Between 2017 and 2020, 275 men were included in the analysis. Propensity score retrieved 65 patients in each group. Median age was 78 (4) years in B-TURP group and 78 (6) in ThuVEP group. Median prostate volume was 63 (35) ml and 54 (24) ml in B-TURP group and ThuVEP group, respectively. Only American Society of Anesthesiologists score was significantly higher in ThuVEP group (p = 0.006). Median operation time, catheterization time, and hospital stay were similar in both groups (55 min, 2 and 3 days). Overall, 84.6% of men had no complications, with no significant differences between the groups (p = 0.234). Only one patient in B-TURP group experienced a Clavien grade IIIb complication. By 1 year, there were a statistically significant differences in International Prostate Symptom Score (p = 0.000) in favor of B-TURP group and in maximal urine flow rate (p = 0.000) in favor of ThuVEP group.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Both procedures showed excellent functional improvements one year after surgery with a low rate of major complications in men aged ≥ 75 years with small-to-medium sized prostates.

The state of TURP through a historical lens

In 1926 Maximilian Stern introduced a new instrument to treat obstructions at the vesical orifice and baptized it resectoscope. With reference to astonishing historical statements about the new instrument and surgical technique made by the pioneers and their critics we will value why transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the gold standard for most men suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic enlargement. TURP is currently challenged by recently introduced new instruments and techniques claiming advantages over TURP. However, TURP offers an excellent balance between high efficacy in symptom relieve and low morbidity along with low costs and favorable long term outcome compared to other treatment options. We will outline these arguments demonstrating that even after a century has elapsed, since its introduction into the urologists armamentarium, TURP continues to stand the passage of time.