[Development of an instrument for endoscopic liquefaction of the prostate]

Although the concept of prostate liquefaction had been proposed by Wickham 15 years ago, its clinical application has been delayed by various technical problems. The authors report on the investigative procedures that have been undertaken to design and develop the ELSA (Endoscopic Liquidiser and Surgical Aspirator) prototype which has been utilized in the clinical setting with promising results.