[HoLEP learning curve: Toward a standardised formation and a team strategy]

Holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HoLEP) is renowned for the difficulty of its learning curve. Our aim was to evaluate the interest of a three-step tutorial in the HoLEP learning curve, in a university center.

It is a retrospective, monocentric study of the 82 first procedures done consecutively by the same operator with a proctoring in early experience and after 40 procedures. For all patients were noted: enucleation efficiency (g/min), morcellation efficiency (g/min), percentage of enucleated tissue (enucleated tissue/adenome weigth evaluated by ultrasonography. g/g), perioperative morbidity (Clavien), length of hospital stay, length of urinary drainage, functional outcomes at short and middle term (Qmax, post-void residual volume [PVR], QOL scores and IPSS at 3 and 6months).

Enucleation and morcellation efficiency were significantly higher after the second proctoring (0.87 vs 0.44g/min; P<0.0001 and 4.2 vs 3.37g/min, P=0.038, respectively) so as the prostatic volume (43.5 vs 68.1mL, P=0.0001). Percentage of enucleated tissue was higher in the second group, however, the difference was not significant (69.5% vs 80.4%, P=0.03). Per- and postoperative complications, hospital length of stay, urinary drainage length and functional results at 3 and 6months were not significantly different.

The learning curve did not interfere with functional results. The second proctoring was essential to us in order to grasp the technique. These data underlined the necessity of a pedagogic reflexion in order to built a standardized formation technique to the HoLEP.

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