Does Surgeon Experience Affect Operative Time, Adverse Events and Continence Outcomes in Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate? A Review of More Than 1,000 Cases

Purpose: Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate has become an increasingly common surgical therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, the relationship between surgeon experience and surgical outcomes has not yet been fully investigated. In this study we investigated how surgeon experience with holmium laser enucleation of the prostate affected operative time, adverse events and outcomes related to urination.Materials and Methods: We gathered a total of 1,113 cases of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate from 5 hospitals in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Included were data on surgeon experience with the procedure, operative time, enucleation time, morcellation time, patient age, perioperative and postoperative surgery related complications, and outcomes related to urination.Results: A total of 39 surgeons were included in analysis. Statistical data showed that increasing surgical experience significantly contributed only to surgical time, enucleation time and urinary incontinence after holmium la...