[Transurethral laser surgery of the treatment of bladder tumor]

One hundred and eighteen patients with 169 bladder tumors were treated transurethrally by Nd:YAG laser surgery. In relation to the tumor staging, 79 of 103 patients of T1 (77%) underwent laser operation only, but most of the T2 cases (87%) required laser therapy with electroresection. With regard to the tumor size, 93 of the 97 small tumors (96%) were treated with laser irradiation alone, and 25 of 44 middle-sized tumors (57%) were eradicated by laser therapy, During and after the operation we never experience severe complications such as perforation of either the bladder or the intestine. Uncontrollable bleeding did appear in four cases. Tumor recurrence occurred in 25% for one year and 50% for three years. Therefore, laser surgery was limited to T1 tumor. But the indication of laser surgery would be magnified with the progress of the instrument and the technique.