OBJECTIVES: The conventional Fr26 resectoscope is difficult to use in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) complicated by urethral stricture. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transurethral plasmakinetic resection of the prostate (PKRP) using a small-caliber (Fr18.5) plasmakinetic resectoscope combined with urethral dilation in patients with BPH and mild urethral stricture. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 37 patients with BPH and mild urethral stricture treated at the Department of Urology, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2023 to December 2023. All patients underwent PKRP with a small-caliber plasmakinetic resectoscope, followed by routine placement of a Fr20 three-way Foley catheter for continuous bladder irrigation. International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), maximum urinary flow rate (Q_max), post-voiding residual urine volume (PVR), and Quality of Life (QOL) scores were compared before and after surgery. Perioperative indicators (intraoperative bleeding, operative time, postoperative catheterization time, and postoperative hospital stay) and complications were recorded. RESULTS: The median age was 69 years, and the median duration of voiding difficulty was 36 months. Median total prostate specific antigen (T-PSA) was 2.095 ng/mL, free prostate specific antigen (F-PSA) 0.561 ng/mL, and F/T ratio 0.3. Median prostate diameter was 48 mm and volume 41 mL. All 37 surgeries were completed successfully: 11 had external meatal stricture, 19 had mild anterior urethral stricture, and 7 had mild posterior urethral stricture (1 patient with a 1 cm pseudo-blind tract near the membranous urethral). Operative time was (2.4±0.7) hours, blood loss was (40±29) mL, median catheterization duration was 7 days, and median hospital stay was 7 days. No cases of postoperative urinary incontinence, recurrent hematuria, or sepsis occurred, and patients were satisfied with the surgical outcome. At 3 to 6 months follow-up, IPSS, Q_max, PVR, and QOL scores significantly improved compared to preoperative levels (all P<0.01), with no cases of urethral stricture progression or new-onset stricture. CONCLUSIONS PKRP using a small-caliber plasmakinetic resectoscope is safe and effective for treating BPH with mild urethral stricture. It offers advantages such as minimal trauma, rapid postoperative recovery, and a lower risk recovery, and a lower risk of aggravating urethral injury.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Hyperplasia/complications* ; Urethral Stricture/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate/instrumentation* ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Quality of Life ; Aged, 80 and over

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of the new investigational drug pegylated interferon α-2b (Peg-IFN-α-2b) (Y shape, 40 kD) injection (180 µg/week) combined with ribavirin in the treatment of patients with genotype 1/6 chronic hepatitis C (CHC), with standard-dose Peg-IFN-α-2a combined with ribavirin as a positive control. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, and positive-controlled phase III clinical trial was performed. Eligible patients with genotype 1/6 CHC were screened out and randomly divided into Peg-IFN-α-2b(Y shape, 40kD) group and Peg-IFN-α-2a group at a ratio of 2:1. The patients in both groups were given oral ribavirin for 48 weeks in addition and then followed up for 24 weeks after drug withdrawal. Abbott Real Time HCV Genotype II was used to determine HCV genotype, and Cobas TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HCV RNA level at 0, 4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 weeks. Adverse events were recorded in detail. The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virological response (SVR), and a non-inferiority test was also performed. Results: A total of 561 patients with genotype 1/6 CHC were enrolled, among whom 529 received treatment; 90.9% of these patients had genotype 1 CHC. The data of the full analysis set showed that SVR rate was 69.80% (95% CI 65.00%-74.60%) in the trial group and 74.16% (95% CI 67.73%-80.59%) in the control group (P = 0.297 0). The data of the per protocol set (PPS) showed that SVR rate was 80.63% (95% CI 76.04%-85.23%) in the trial group and 81.33% (95% CI 75.10%-87.57%) in the control group (P = 0.849 8), and the 95% CI of rate difference conformed to the non-inferiority standard. The analysis of the PPS population showed that of all subjects, 47.9% achieved rapid virologic response, with a positive predictive value of 93.8%. The incidence rate of adverse events was 96.30% in the trial group and 94.94% in the control group, and the incidence rate of serious adverse events was 5.13% in the trail group and 5.06% in the control group. Conclusion In the regimen of Peg-IFN-α combined with ribavirin for the treatment of genotype 1/6 CHC, the new investigational drug Peg-IFN-α-2b(Y shape, 40 kD) has comparable clinical effect and safety to the control drug Peg-IFN-α-2a.