1.Application of pulsed Thulium fiber laser enucleation in treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia
Xiaoda LAN ; Xinyan CHE ; Jianing HAN ; Kunlin YANG ; Chao ZUO ; Qian ZHANG ; Kai ZHANG ; Yisen MENG
Chinese Journal of Urology 2024;45(5):372-378
Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of pulsed Thulium fiber laser enucleation (ThuFLEP) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Methods:Clinical data of 238 BPH patients who underwent ThuFLEP from November 2022 to November 2023 at Peking University First Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups based on different surgical techniques: 199 patients underwent traditional continuous-wave Thulium fiber laser prostatectomy (C-ThuFLEP group), and 39 patients underwent Thulium fiber laser enucleation with pulse modulation (P-ThuFLEP group). Propensity score matching was used to balance baseline characteristics between the two groups. Operative time, resected tissue weight, pre- and postoperative hemoglobin decrease, postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative catheterization time were recorded and compared between the matched groups. Intraoperative and short-term postoperative complications were also recorded and compared between the two groups. Follow-up assessments at 1 month postoperatively were conducted to compare the maximum urinary flow rate (Q max), international prostate symptom score (IPSS), international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) score, quality of life (QOL) score, and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF) score between the two groups, as well as changes in Q max and IPSS, IIEF-5, and QOL before and after surgery. Results:After matching, a total of 60 patients were included, with 30 patients in each group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of age [(68.73±6.91) years vs. (71.07±7.34) years], American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (1-2/3-4: 23/7 vs. 23/7), comorbidity count (0-1/>1: 15/15 vs. 15/15), prostate volume [68.3 (50.0, 105.3) ml vs. 63.3 (45.7, 106.0) ml], preoperative IPSS score [24 (21, 29) vs. 23 (14, 26)], IIEF-5 score [5 (0, 15) vs. 5 (0, 13)], and QOL score [5 (4, 6) vs. 5 (5, 6)] (all P>0.05). The tissue removal rate in the P-ThuFLEP group was higher than that in the C-ThuFLEP group [0.82 (0.71, 1.18) g/min vs. 0.72 (0.46, 0.95) g/min, P=0.026], while there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in operative time [47 (37, 79) min vs. 65 (33, 87) min], resected tissue weight [45 (31, 75) g vs. 33 (22, 65) g], postoperative hemoglobin decrease [17 (10, 23) g/L vs. 12 (7, 19) g/L], postoperative hospital stay [4 (3, 5) days vs. 4 (3, 5) days], and postoperative catheterization time [3 (3, 5) days vs. 3 (3, 6) days]. The incidence of intraoperative complications in both groups was 10% (3/30), with no statistically significant difference ( P=1.000), and no severe complications of grade Ⅲ or above occurred. There were no statistically significant differences in Q max [24 (15, 33) ml/s vs. 16 (10, 32) ml/s], IPSS score [14 (12, 15) vs. 9 (7, 12)], QOL score [2 (1, 3) vs. 2 (1, 3)], and IIEF-5 score [3 (0, 5) vs. 3 (0, 6)] between the C-ThuFLEP and P-ThuFLEP group at 1 month postoperatively (all P > 0.05), and both showed significant improvement compared to preoperative values (all P < 0.05). The ICIQ-SF score in the P-ThuFLEP group was lower than that in the C-ThuFLEP group [0 (0, 4) vs. 4 (3, 8)], with a statistically significant difference ( P=0.033). Conclusions:Compared with traditional continuous-wave Thulium fiber laser prostatectomy, pulse-modulated Thulium fiber laser enucleation demonstrates higher efficiency in tissue removal, lower early postoperative ICIQ-SF score for urinary incontinence, similar risk of intraoperative complications, and can be safely and effectively applied in the surgical treatment of BPH patients.