Comparable Results Seen for HoLEP With, Without Preservation of Urethral Mucosa in BPH

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) with preservation of the urethral mucosa from bladder neck to the tip of the prostate has comparable efficacy and safety as HoLEP without retaining the urethral mucosa, according to a study published in the Nov. 15 issue of Medicine.

Lei Qiu, from the Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University in China, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of 208 patients with BPH to compare outcomes for HoLEP with and without preservation of the urethral mucosa from the bladder neck to the tip of the prostate for treatment of BPH (observation and control groups, respectively).

The researchers found that both groups of patients experienced an increase in maximum flow rate and a decrease in residual urine volume after the procedure. The immediate postoperative urinary continence rate was higher in the observation group versus the control group (98.23 versus 85.26 percent). Both groups of patients exhibited a significant increase in International Index of Erectile Function-5 scores after the procedure. In both groups of patients, there was a decrease seen in the occurrence rate of retrograde ejaculation after the procedure, with a lower score in the observation group. Both groups of patients had decreases in the International Prostate Symptom Score and quality of life scores after the procedure versus before the procedure.

“Preserving the longitudinal urethral mucosal segment from the bladder neck to the apex of the prostate during HoLEP treatment can improve instantaneous urinary control rate and reduce retrograde ejaculation rate,” the authors write.

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