INTRODUCTION: we present our preliminary experience and results of practising the prostate enucleation technique using a diode laser (DiLEP) and intravesical morcellation, following the same principles of holmium laser enucleation (HoLEP).MATERIALS AND METHOD: we endoscopically treated benign prostate hyperplasia with DiLEP in 17 patients over a period of five months. They were all followed up for three months with flowmetry and IPSS. We have described the prostate enucleation and morcellation technique in detail, as well as the materials required to perform them. We have also commented on the lessons learned having practised on more than 300 cases with HoLEP, with a view to applying this new technology.RESULTS: the mean age was 74.2 and the mean prostate volume was 61.26 (47-110) cc. The mean loss of haemoglobin was 2.1 (1.4-3.1) gr/dl. There were no major consequences or complications. All the patients were discharged from the hospital 24 hours after the operation. The improvement in the IPSS (22.3±4.1 vs. 7.1±1.06) and in the Q max (7.14±2.6 vs. 21.4±3.6) was sustainable.CONCLUSIONS: It is the first description of the DiLEP technique for the surgical treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia. We believe the results obtained are promising and that they could signify some advantages as opposed to HoLEP. However, prospective randomized studies are required to confirm this opinion.
Aged Aged, 80 and over