[Benign prostatic hyperplasia--choice of therapy in the elderly]

The incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia of up to 80% in 80-year-old men raises question as to possible therapeutic consequences. For decades, the standard treatment has consisted in transurethral resection of the prostate (TUR-P) which results in subjective and objective improvement in up to 95% of the cases and has low morbidity and negligible mortality. With a view to establishing a minimally invasive form of treatment, the search for alternative therapies makes good sense. To date, however, various medical therapeutic approaches (phytotherapy, alpha-blockers, antiandrogens, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors) and/or interventional measures (thermotherapy, stents, balloon dilatation) have failed to match the therapeutic efficacy of TUR. However, in individuals at a high risk of surgery, they represent practicable alternatives.