Management of geriatric patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Abstract

Multimorbid older men are increasingly more common in daily practice and present achallenge because they are often affected by lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and age-associated benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In order to identify possible risks in diagnostics, therapy and counselling at an early stage, screening for functional deficits or risk factors with standardized procedures is helpful. An initial screening with subsequent assessment of everyday skills using the Barthel Index, Timed up & Go Test, and acognitive test are recommended. If frailty syndrome is detected, it should be taken into account during the pre-, peri-, and postoperative management, as it may indicate increased morbidity and mortality. Noninvasive methods for reducing the prostate volume without anesthesia can be atherapy option in older multimorbid patients, and with individual planning and consideration of risk factors, up to 70% of individuals become symptom-free. However, there is currently no gold standard for this vulnerable patient group. Number of medications and concomitant diseases and higher need for help are per se risk factors for unsatisfactory results after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or laser vaporization. With drug therapy, concomitant medications and their interactions, especially in the cytochrome system, an existing multimorbidity and adherence to therapy must be taken into account. Combination therapies may complement each other and may bridge the time until surgery. Minimally invasive methods that can be performed without general anesthesia are suitable for geriatric patients, especially those with recurrent retention. Studies with the Rezüm® system (NxThera Inc., Maple Grove, MN, USA) and UroLift® (NeoTract Inc., Pleasanton, CA, USA) show that about 70% of patients can be relieved from the permanent catheter.