Transurethral ultrasound-guided laser prostatectomy: initial Luebeck experince

Transurethral ultrasound guided laser prostatectomy is one of the most promising alternative invasive treatment modalities for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The principle feature is an on- line 3-D controlling of Nd:YAG laser denaturation of the periurethral tissue. Necrotic tissue is not removed, but sloughs away with the urinary stream within weeks. The bleeding hazard during and after the operation is minimal. By leaving the bladder neck untouched, sexual function is not endangered. Thirty-one patients with symptomatic BPH were treated with the TULIP system and followed up for at least 12 weeks. Suprapubic bladder drainage had to be maintained for a mean time of 37 days. Conventional TURP was performed in four patients due to chronic infection, recurrent bleeding, and poor results. Our initial experience with the TULIP system shows it to be very efficient and safe. A longer follow up of a larger patient population is necessary to compare the therapeutic efficiency to conventional transurethral resection.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.