Clinical outcomes of Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients in Rajavithi Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes and safety of the surgical technique holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for whom surgeryis indicated. Materials and Methods: The demographic characteristics, duration of surgery, blood transfusion rate, weight of tissue removed, catheterization time and complica- tions were recorded in 25 patients who underwent HoLEP surgery between January 2021 and May 2022 in Rajavithi Hospital. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoL), peak flow rate (Q-max), post-void residual urine volume (PVR), hematocrit (Hct) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were comparedbefore and after surgery. Results: The mean age of the patients was 71.28±7.54 years. There were statistically significant differences between mean preoperative and postoperative Hct (%) (40.5± 5.9 and 38.4±5.1), p = 0.001. Only 1 in 25 patients had 1 unit of blood transfusion. One month postoperatively the mean PSA had decreased from 4.55 to 1.2 ng/ml (p < 0.001); mean IPSS had improved from 21.0 to 7.0 (p < 0.001); mean QoL score had improved from 4.47 to 1.10 (p < 0.001); mean PVR had decreased from 98.0 to 39.7 ml (p = 0.002) and the mean Q-max had increased from 8.0 to 17.8 ml/sec (p = 0.015). The mean catheterization time was 2.40±0.57 days. There were no serious complications or incidence of TUR syndrome in this study. Conclusion: HoLEP is a safe alternative to the current gold standard transurethral resection of the prostate for BPH patients as there are fewer complications with similar functional outcomes