The clinical value of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate in octogenarians

With holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) a size-independent method for surgical treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) has been introduced. HoLEP offers durable long-term results with reduced perioperative morbidity. As the risk of disease progression increases with age, the main goals, when offering surgery to an elderly population, are reducing perioperative morbidity and preserving quality of life (QoL). We therefore analyzed the impact of age on outcomes and perioperative morbidity in patients undergoing HoLEP for LUTS at our tertiary referral center.

We retrospectively collected data of 487 patients who underwent HoLEP for LUTS secondary to BPO between 2018 and 2019. Patients were divided into group 1 (<70 years), group 2 (70-79 years), and group 3 (≥80 years). Perioperative parameters, safety, and short-term functional outcomes were assessed and analyzed.

Perioperative Clavien-Dindo grade ≥II complications were seen in 4.1% of patients (20/487). There was no difference in perioperative complications between all age groups (P = .176). Functional outcome was assessed 30 days post surgery. There was significant improvement in median International Prostate Symptom Score of 14, 10, and 8 points for groups 1, 2, and 3 (P < .001), respectively, with constant improvement of median QoL of 3 points for all groups. Median maximum flow rate (Q_max ) showed significant improvement of 14.5, 10.5, and 13 mL/s for groups 1 to 3 (P = .467), respectively.

HoLEP offers acceptable perioperative complication rates even in the oldest patient cohort (≥80 years). Therefore, HoLEP is a safe and efficient option even in oldest patients.