Motorised resection device for transurethral resection of the prostate: a laboratory evaluation

Transurethral resection of the prostate is the most common method of relieving urinary outflow obstruction secondary to prostatic enlargement. However, this procedure can be responsible for various complications, including irrigant-fluid absorption and blood loss, both of which are strongly dependent on operation duration time. To reduce the latter, a new resection device has been designed for transurethral prostatectomy. The device basically consists of a rotating cutting loop controlled externally, with three degrees of freedom, to fit the adenoma shape. Its performance is assessed in vitro by drilling conical and semi-ellipsoidal cavities in agar gel models. The mean difference between the calculated and obtained cavity volumes is 3% (SD = 0.9%). The volume cutting rate, found to be independent of the type of cavity drilled, is equal to 2.9 +/- 0.3 cm3 min-1. The advantages of this motorised resection device prototype are reduction in operation duration and accuracy of the resected volume. In vivo resection of a 20 cm3 adenoma in less than 15 min can be expected.