Photoselective vaporization of the prostate – towards a new standard

Many technologies have been mooted as equal to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) without gaining widespread acceptance owing to lack of randomized trials. The GreenLight laser system (American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN) gives an 80-W laser ablation system for photovaporization of the prostate (PVP) and here is compared to TURP in such a trial. One hundred and twenty patients are randomized to undergo TURP or PVP after evaluation, which is repeated at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Irrigation use, length of catherization time (LOC), length of hospital stay (LOS), blood loss, cost and operative time are also assessed. To date 87 patients are evaluable. In summary, both groups showed a significant increase in maximal flow rate ( Q max ) from baseline ( P