Developments in the use of lasers for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an almost inevitable part of the aging process in men. Symptoms of BPH include slowing and interruption of the urinary stream, incomplete bladder emptying, hesitancy, post-micturition dribbling, frequency and nocturia. These symptoms may not cause an individual any inconvenience, but can lead to considerable interference to quality of life. In more severe cases, and especially if complications such as urinary retention occur, surgical relief of the obstruction is indicated. Traditionally, this has been by trans-urethral resection of the prostate (TURP). However, in the past decade, attempts to find alternative treatments to TURP have been stimulated by the desire to avoid the morbidity of TURP. The use of laser energy in this context has been evolving rapidly, and is the subject of this review.