A comparative study of laser ablation and transurethral electroresection for benign prostatic hyperplasia: results of a 6-month follow-up.

Objective To compare the efficacy of standard transurethral electroresection of the prostate (TURP) and visual laser ablation in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Patients and methods In a randomized prospective study, the prostate glands of 60 patients with symptomatic bladder outlet obstruction caused by BPH were treated with TURP or visual ablation with the Ultraline side-firing Nd:YAG laser; the patients were assessed using standard symptom scores, the measurement of residual urine and uroflowmetry both before and at 3 and 6 months after treatment. Results All patients in both treatment groups had a significant improvement in symptoms and objective measures of voiding. The laser treatment gave significantly better improvements in symptom score than did TURP (P=0.034), but TURP produced significantly better peak urinary flow rates (P=0.025). Conclusion These early results indicate that laser ablation of BPH may be a good alternative in the surgical treatment of this disease.