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Updated: Sep 3, 2026
Photoselective Vaporesection of the Prostate via an End-firing Lithium Triborate Crystal Laser
Published on: May 9, 2018
450-nm blue laser vaporizationversustransurethral resection of the prostate for benign prostatic hyperplasia: a
Nana Liu1,2, Jinjin Zhang2, Wanli Liu2
1Yan'an Medical School, Yan'an University, Yan'an, China.
Background:
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the standard surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), whereas laser-based procedures have increasingly been adopted as alternatives because of their potential advantages in hemostasis and postoperative recovery. This study compared coagulation depth, perioperative outcomes, postoperative complications, and short-term functional outcomes between 450-nm blue laser vaporization of the prostate (BVP) and TURP.
Methods:
This retrospective single-center study included 260 patients with BPH who underwent either TURP (n = 110) or BVP (n = 150). Coagulation depth was compared between the two procedures using an ex vivo porcine kidney specimen experiment. Baseline characteristics, perioperative variables, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and postoperative functional outcomes at 1, 3, and 6 months were analyzed.
Results:
BVP produced a significantly shallower coagulation depth than TURP. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were generally comparable between the two groups, although BMI and baseline QoL differed slightly. Compared with TURP, BVP was associated with a shorter operative time, earlier catheter removal, and a shorter hospital stay. Intraoperative complications were uncommon in both groups, and several postoperative complications were numerically less frequent in the BVP group. Both procedures resulted in substantial postoperative improvement in Qmax, PVR, IPSS, and QoL. In adjusted repeated-measures mixed-effects analyses, BVP showed greater improvement in Qmax and IPSS across follow-up and greater PVR reduction at 3 and 6 months, whereas QoL improved over time without a significant overall group effect.
Conclusions:
Compared with TURP, 450-nm BVP was associated with a shallower coagulation depth, more favorable perioperative recovery, and comparable short-term functional outcomes in patients with BPH. These findings support BVP as a feasible and promising transurethral alternative for the surgical management of BPH. The reduced coagulation depth observed after BVP may also have implications for postoperative inflammatory recovery and warrants further investigation.
