[Long-term therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Our experience]

In order to evaluate the benefit of long-term medical treatment (4 years) in benign prostatic hyperplasia in June 1992 we prospectively started a not randomized study in selected benign prostatic hyperplasia patients for whom surgery was not indicated because of high surgical or post-surgical risk, or when they refused the intervention.

We included in the study 239 outpatients; 118 of them were affected by concomitant cardiovascular illness, 37 by neurologic diseases, 29 by neoplastic diseases and 55 refused surgery for the possible general or specific complications like retrograde ejaculation. All subjects have been checked every six months by transabdominal ultrasonography of the urinary tract, evaluation of the prostate volume and percent of post-micturitional residue, associated with uroflussometry. The patients have been divided into three groups and treated by finasteride, mepartricin, alfuzosin, doxazosin. The enlistment concluded in December 1995 and the follow-up extended up to December 1999.

Our data clinically and statistically allow to confirm the validity of drug therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia, not only in selected patients with high surgical risk, but also in subjects without a significant morbidity.

In these patients, drug therapy may resolve the pathology, or allow the use of minimally invasive surgery (i.e. lasertherapy, transuretheral incision, etc.).