Long-Term Outcomes of ThuLEP Reported for Benign Prostatic Enlargement

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 31, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The 12-year experience with thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP) for benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) at one tertiary referral center shows low rates of repeat treatment for recurrence or other complications, according to a study recently published in European Urology Focus.

Britta Grüne, from University Medical Center Mannheim in Germany, and colleagues examined the long-term efficacy and morbidity of ThuLEP among 1,097 patients who underwent ThuLEP at a German tertiary referral center between 2009 and 2021. Patients were retrospectively followed for reinterventions for persistence or regrowth of prostate adenoma (ReIP) or long-term complications (ReIC).

The median overall follow-up was 6.0 years, and for 369 patients, median follow-up of 10 years was available. The researchers found that 42 patients (3.8 percent) underwent ReIP after a median of two years. The rate of long-term ReIC was 2.6 percent, with 0.5 years median time to ReIC. Urethrotomy was the most frequent ReIC (1.5 percent). At 10 years, the cumulative incidence of ReIP and ReIC was estimated at 5.6 and 3.4 percent, respectively. A significant predictor of ReIP was enucleation weight ≥60 g (hazard ratio, 1.2).

"This study hints at the first evidence indicating the durability and safety of ThuLEP for surgical treatment of BPE," the authors write. "Within a period of 12 years, ReIP and ReIC rates were low and predominantly occurred within the first five years."

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