[Transurethral thermotherapy of the prostate--a very promising treatment method for benign prostatic hyperplasia]

Transurethral resection of the prostate remains the most common method for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Due to unsatisfactory results in about 18% of the patients new methods to treat BPH have been developed. We evaluated 45 patients 6 and 12 months after transurethral microwave thermotherapy using the Prostatron device with Prostasoft 2.5 software. There was a significant improvement of the urinary symptoms and of the quality of life index from 18 to 9.5 and from 3.2 to 1.6 points, respectively. Urinary flow rate improved from 8.8 to 12.1 ml/sec and residual urine was reduced from 101 to 52 ml. The treatment was well tolerated and side effects were minimal. High-energy transurethral microwave thermotherapy is an effective and safe minimal invasive alternative to treat BPH in selected patients. As no anesthesia is required transurethral microwave thermotherapy can also be offered to high risk and elderly patients.