Experimental and clinical studies for laser irradiation to the prostate

Abstract

The object of the study is to observe the influence of laser on the prostate tissue and to evaluate the efficiency as well as safety. Ten canine prostates were irradiated by Nd:YAG laser with a lateral firing fiber. The lasing was carried out either spot or running irradiation on the free beam method. Laser energy was applied for 30, 40 and 60 seconds at 50 watts power output. On the basis of the animal experiments, clinical application was performed in patients with BPH. Immediately after the irradiation, the prostate became swollen by the edema. But the irradiated tissue became necrotic and sloughed resulting in a big cavity of the prostatic urethra by two weeks. The higher the energy density with spot irradiation, the larger the tissue effect as well as the risks. Therefore, it would be important to combine spot with running irradiation for optimal energy density. Clinically, subjective and objective improvements were noted significantly after treatment. Thus, the endoscopical laser prostatic therapy proved to be useful and safe from the present fundamental and clinical investigations.