Is urethral pressure profilometry useful in the preoperative assessment of benign prostatic hyperplasia?

The principal aim of this study was to provide an objective assessment of the potential role of urethral pressure profilometry as a technique for assessing prostatic size by direct comparison with endoscopic assessment of prostatic length and computed tomographic measurement of prostatic volume and length. There was a poor correlation between pre-operative prostatic length and amount resected in the operating theatre. The results obtained with urethral pressure profilometry correlated poorly with those obtained using the other techniques, and cannot therefore be relied upon in routine clinical practice. Although there was good correlation between the length of the prostate and prostatic size, assessed by pre-operative computed tomography, this correlated poorly with the amount of tissue resected at operation. Further studies need to be conducted to compare objectively the completeness of prostatic resection with the outcome following prostatectomy.