[Prostatic electrovaporization, a new treatment for prostatic hyperplasia]

TUR remains the choice technique for the surgical management of bph BUT, though effective, is not entirely free of morbidity. Over the last few years, new techniques have been developed trying to decrease morbidity, of which laser procedures are the most successful ones. We report here the prostate electrovaporization technique and our preliminary results in 75 patients seen over a 5-month period. The efficacy of the system is evaluated using the IPSS score and peak flow values; safety was assessed through the complications arisen, vesical catheter time and operating time. Mean hospital stay was 2 days, length of operation 32 minutes and post-operative vesical catheter time 48 hs; at 3 months, mean peak flow was 19.2 ml/seg and mean IPSS 7. Based en our preliminary results, quick convalescence, decreased cost and casiness of the technique, we consider prostate electrovaporization a likely alternative to conventional TUR, although further longer-term studies are warranted in order to evaluate the histological changes caused by this procedure on the prostate tissue.