Sham treatment compared with 30 or 60 min of thermotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia: a randomized study

To study the differences in subjective and objective results after 30 or 60 min of transurethral thermotherapy (TUMT) or sham treatment in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Forty-four patients with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by BPH were randomized to undergo 30 or 60 min of TUMT or sham treatment (14, 16 and 14 patients, respectively). The patients were evaluated using symptom scores, timed micturition, free flow rates and urodynamics before and after treatment. They were followed for 1 year, at the end of which they rated the treatment results on a self-administered visual analogue scale.

Forty-two patients completed the study. The treatment failed in some patients in all groups, but the improvement in maximum and median flow rates, timed micturition and micturition frequency (day and night) was greater after TUMT than in the sham-treated group. Symptom scores also improved more after TUMT, although not significantly. There was a good correlation between the decrease in urinary frequency, especially nocturnal, and the patients' perception of a successful treatment, whereas the increase in maximum urinary flow rate was apparently of little importance.

TUMT had a better effect than the placebo treatment, having a greater impact on irritative than on obstructive symptoms. More patients were satisfied after the 30-min than after the 60-min treatment.