Editorial comment on: plasma vaporisation of the prostate: initial clinical results.

BACKGROUND Laser vaporisation of the prostate has had a considerable impact in recent years. In an attempt to achieve tissue vaporisation with bipolar high-frequency generators, plasma vaporisation was recently introduced. OBJECTIVE To provide the first clinical information on bipolar plasma vaporisation of the prostate for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Thirty patients were included in this prospective bicentre study. INTERVENTION All patients underwent bipolar plasma vaporisation with a novel electrode (Olympus Winter & Ibe GmbH, Hamburg, Germany). MEASUREMENTS International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), bother score, maximum flow rate (Q(max)), and postvoid residual were evaluated at baseline and at the time of discharge as well as at 1, 3, and 6 mo after the intervention. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS Mean preoperative prostate volume was 59±32 ml (range: 30-170), and mean operating time was 61±26 min (range: 20-140). Besides one reoperation (conventional transurethral prostatectomy) due to persistent obstruction, no major complication occurred intra- or postoperatively and no blood transfusion was required. Catheterisation time averaged 41±35 h (range: 18-192). Transient mild to moderate dysuria was noted in four patients (13%). At 1, 3, and 6 mo, Q(max) increased from 6.6±2.7 ml/s preoperative to 17.3±4.7 ml/s (p<0.01), 18.5±4.6 ml/s (p<0.01), and 18.1±5.0 ml/s (p<0.01), respectively. The IPSS decreased from 20.8±3.6 to 10.4±3.5 (p<0.01), 8.2±2.9 (p<0.01), and 8.1±3.1 (p<0.01), respectively. These data represent a small nonrandomised study cohort with limited follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Our initial experience indicates that bipolar plasma vaporisation might be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with LUTS due to BOO. To define the potential role of this novel technique, randomised trials with longer follow-up are mandatory.