PD21-10 MORCELLATION EFFICIENCY IN HOLMIUM LASER ENUCLEATION OF THE PROSTATE: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TWO GENERATIONS OF MORCELLATORS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Tissue morcellation is an important step during Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). This study compares the efficiency of the new VersaCut+ tissue morcellation system and the older VersaCut tissue morcellator system. METHODS: The first 20 patients who underwent HoLEP and tissue morcellation using the new VersaCut tissue morcellation system at our institute were included in this study (group1). These patients were matched based on the enucleated tissue weight to patients from our prospectively maintained HoLEP database (group 2) with a 2:1 matching ratio. Peri-operative characteristics, operative times, morcellation times and complications were reported and compared between the two groups. Morcellation efficiency (defined as the weight of morcellated tissue per morcellation time) was calculated and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The preoperative prostate volume was not different between the two groups [96.9 gm (SD 42) for group 1 vs 97.3 gm (SD 39.8) for group 2, (p1⁄4 0.967)]. There were no differences in the enucleated weight between the two groups [51.2 gm (SD 26.3) for group 1 vs 50.7gm (SD25.9) for group 2, (p1⁄40.949)]. Total operative times were not different between the two groups [123.5 minutes (SD 44.1) for group 1 and 152 minutes (SD 55.4) for group 2, p1⁄4 0.781). When the new morcellator was used, mean morcellation time was 19.9 minuts (SD13.7) whereas mean morcellation time was 14.6 minutes (SD11.6) with the older morcellator (p1⁄40.122). Morcellation efficiency was comparable between the two groups [3.33 gm/minute (SD1.82) for group 1 vs 4.44 gm/minute (SD 2.45) for group 2]. There were no complications in both groups. When the morcellated tissue was examined postoperatively, there were no differences in the incidence of prostatitis or prostate cancer in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: When matched by the resected prostatic tissue weight, there were no differences identified in the efficiency of the old VaersaCut and the new VersaCut+morcellation systems.