Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate: A truly size-independent method?

To evaluate the impact of prostate size on functional outcomes and perioperative morbidity, we analyzed patients undergoing holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). As LUTS secondary to benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) are a chronic progressive disease, prevalence and prostate size increase with age. HoLEP is a size-independent method for surgical treatment of LUTS/BPO and can be offered in medication-refractory patients with durable long-term results and reduced perioperative morbidity.

We retrospectively collected data of 852 patients who underwent HoLEP for LUTS secondary to BPO between 2014-2018. Patients were divided into group 1 (≤60 cc), group 2 (>60 < 120 cc), group 3 (≥120 cc). Perioperative parameters, safety and short-term functional outcomes were assessed and analyzed.

Patients in group 3 were significantly older and showed a significantly higher median prostate-specific antigen level. Perioperative parameters, such as enucleation time and morcellation time significantly differed in favor of smaller prostate sizes, while enucleation and morcellation speed showed favorable results for larger prostate sizes. Larger prostates ≥120 cc showed a significantly higher postoperative drop in hemoglobin. However, patients did not differ in postoperative functional outcomes or Clavien-Dindo grade ≥II complications (4.8% of all patients [41/852]). There was no difference in perioperative complications between all groups (P = 0.760).

While larger prostates take significantly longer to operate on, postoperative functional outcomes show no difference between all sizes. In conclusion, HoLEP is a size-independent and effective method for surgical treatment of LUTS/BPO in prostates ≥30 cc.