Feasibility of en bloc thulium laser enucleation of the prostate in a large case series. Are results enhanced by experience?

Objective:To provide the first large single-operator case series of patients who undergo“en bloc”thulium laser enucleation of the prostate(ThuLEP)and to demonstrate an improvement in enucleation efficacy with experience.Methods:We prospectively evaluated a cohort of patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)who underwent“en bloc”ThuLEP between May 2015 and November 2017.Association between dependent variables(delivered energy and operating time)and independent variables(adenoma volume and experience)were estimated with regression analysis.The experience was calculated as the time interval between the date of the first operation of the series and the date of the operation being considered.Results:A total of 100 patients were registered for the study.Median operative time was 56.5 min(interquartile range[IQR]:40-85 min).Median enucleation time was 17.4 min(IQR:15-21.5 min).Median enucleation index(enucleation time per adenoma gram)was 0.3 min/g(0.2-0.3 min/g).The overall operative time is not influenced by experience,but we registered a significant trend towards a reduction in the total amount of energy delivered energy normalized per adenoma gram(p=0.0148).Conclusion:We believe that further attention is needed for these new“en bloc”prostatic enucleation techniques,which can facilitate some surgical steps,leading to a widespread use of laser technology for BPH surgical treatment.

Predictive Factors for a Successful Day Case Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Surgery: A Review

Introduction: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one among the foremost common diseases affecting the aging man with, almost 80% of the lads greater than 70 affected. BPH is caused by unregulated proliferation within the prostate, which may cause physical obstruction of the prostatic urethra and result in anatomic bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has been the historical gold standard up till now to which all endoscopic procedures for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are compared with a mean hospital stay of three days. This surgery although efficacious has been related with increased morbidity and increased day case failure rates as compared to newer techniques. These shortcomings have prompted the utilization of newer methods like Transurethral enucleation and resection of the prostate (TUERP), Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and Thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP). This review will discuss the enucleation techniques, advantages and therefore the predictive factors for a successful day case prostate surgery. Materials and Methods: During this review, we discuss the newer techniques utilized in day case BPH surgery as well as the predictive factors for a successful BPH surgery, both enucleation, benefits and morcellation are covered also. Results: TUERP, ThuLEP and HoLEP have literature supporting the advantages of these techniques, which demonstrates its ability in day case BPH surgeries in specially selected cases with favorable factors and a 61% overall success rate. Conclusion: TUERP, ThuLEP and HoLEP Have proven to show favorable outcomes in day case BPH surgery with urologist’s experience, prostate size, duration of operation, age, use of anticoagulants, morning theatre list and ASA score being the key factors for a successful day case surgery.

前列腺铥激光摘除术治疗良性前列腺增生患者的性功能结果

Treatment of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms （LUTS） secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia （BPH） may affect the quality of sexual function and ejaculation. The effect of new surgical procedures, which are currently available to treat BPH, on erection and ejaculation, has been poorly studied. This study aimed to assess the effect of thulium laser enucleation of the prostate （ThuLEP） on sexual function and retrograde ejaculation in patients with LUTS secondary to BPH. We performed a prospective study in 110 consecutive patients who had undergone ThuLEP to analyze changes in sexual function and urinary symptoms. To evaluate changes in erection and ejaculation, and the effect of urinary symptoms on the quality of life （QoL）, five validated questionnaires were used： the ICIQ-MLUTSsex, MSHQ-EjD, International Index of Erectile Function 5, International Prognostic Scoring System （IPSS） questionnaire, and QoL index of the intraclass correlation coefficients. Patients also underwent IPSS and flowmetry to assess the outcome of flow. Patients were evaluated before surgery and 3-6 months after ThuLEP, whereas those with previous abdominal surgery were excluded. The patients＇ mean age was 67.83 years. Postoperative urinary symptoms improved after surgery. No significant differences in erectile function before and after surgery were observed. As compared with other techniques described in the literature, the percentage of patients with conserved ejaculation increased by 52.7% after ThuLEP. ThuLEP positively affects urinary symptoms and their effect on the QoL of patients as assessed by questionnaire scores. While endoscopic management of BPH （e.g. transurethral resection of the prostate） causes retrograde ejaculation in most patients, those who undergo ThuLEP have conserved ejaculation and erectile function.