[Treatment of benign prostate hypertrophy using Prostatron: a study of the effects of treatment temperature...

Transurethral microwave thermotherapy was administered to 91 consecutive men with moderate to severe benign prostatic hyperplasia. Mean patient age was 68 years, with a range of 55 to 87 years. Treatment was given in one 60-minute session, on an outpatient basis and without anesthesia. Of the 91 original patients 67 (73.6%) were followed from 3 to 18 months, mean 6.1 months. The microwave emission was continuously monitored to permit the control of the urethral temperature level. Patients were prospective and randomly assessed into 2 groups: group 1 (34 patients) who underwent treatment with urethral temperature between 42 and 43 degrees C and group 2 (33 patients) treated with higher temperature ranging between 43.1 and 45 degrees C. There was improvement of the irritative and obstructive symptoms, prostate weight and residual urine, in both groups after treatment (p < 0.001). PSA did not show a statistically significant difference after TUMT in both groups. Uroflow improved in both groups after the treatment; however, only the group treated with higher temperature showed statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). In the lower temperature group there were 2/34 (5.8%) failures; both patients were still obstructed and underwent transurethral resection. A total of 2/33 (6%) failures were observed in the higher temperature group. Patients showed no general conditions which might allow the use of anesthesia. Therefore, they underwent a second postoperative microwave treatment after 2 and 3 months with uneventful clinical recovery at an early follow-up. No systemic complications were encountered. There were minor complications such as epididymitis, urethral bleeding and severe micturition discomfort within the first 30 days postoperative.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)