Are stents still a useful therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia?

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Endoprostheses are established for lumenal patency in various surgical fields.
• The role of self-retaining endoprosthetics in prostatic pathology, specifically benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), requires further clarification.
• Minimally invasive therapies are increasingly prevalent for BPH management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent developments in symptomatic BPH management.
• To assess the current role of intraprostatic stenting in light of alternative minimally invasive therapies like laser prostatectomy.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on prostatic stenting for BPH.
• Analysis of studies demonstrating the efficacy of permanent and temporary prostatic urethral stenting.

Main Results:

• Minimally invasive therapies have expanded BPH treatment options beyond traditional methods.
• Prostatic urethral stenting, both permanent and temporary, shows effectiveness in relieving obstruction and urinary retention.
• Current literature on prostatic stenting is sparse, with limited large-scale controlled studies.

Conclusions:

• Prostatic stenting has a defined role in managing benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).
• Caution is necessary due to relatively common complications associated with prostatic stents.
• The definitive efficacy and utility of prostatic stenting require further determination through larger clinical studies.