Researchers from the Department of Urology at Air Force General Hospital in Beijing, China, recently published results from a trial in which the safety and efficacy of two-micron laser vaporesection combined with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was evaluated.

The study, “Application of two micron laser vaporesection combined with transurethral resection of the prostate in treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: analysis of 340 cases,” was published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine.

The team enrolled 340 benign prostatic hyperplasia patients ages 62-86 who underwent treatment with two-micron laser vaporesection plus TURP. The trial analyzed the following data from each patient from the time they started the procedure until three months after the treatment:

• Mean prostatic volume was measured as 38-182 ml;
• Operative time, intraoperative hemorrhage volume, time of postoperative bladder irrigation, time of indwelling urinary catheter and surgical complications;
• International prostate symptom score (IPSS), quality of life score (QOL), maximal urinary flow rate (Qmax), and post void residual urine volume (PVR).

After analysis of the data, researchers observed that the two-micron laser vaporesection plus TURP is both a safe and effective treatment choice for BPH, with fewer urinary tract symptoms and perioperative complications, when compared to other novel therapies.

Other secondary findings of clinical importance include:

• The combined treatment resulted in shorter procedure time compared with two-micron laser vaporesection alone;
• Combined treatment allowed surgeons to more efficiently excise the bladder neck and decreased the risk of mucosal nerve plexus of the bladder neck and urethral sphincteric injury;
• Combined treatment resulted in a greater incidence of retaining the patient’s normal sexual function by averting the incidence of retrograde ejaculation;
• Increased retention of sexual function resulted in the enhancement of the patients’ quality of life (QOL) measures.

Taken together, the authors wrote in their study, two-micron laser vaporesection in combination with TURP is efficacious and safe in treating BPH in terms of operative time, hemorrhage volume, postoperative recovery and perioperative complications.

In a concluding statement the authors suggested that these results reflect only those from a single-center clinical trial investigation, and that to ensure the procedure eventually reaches a greater population, a long-term, multicenter investigation needs to be conducted.