Prostatic enucleation is the state-of-the-art treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. This technique is reserved for patients with large prostates. It is an endoscopic technique, therefore minimally invasive, which replaces the classic adenotomy, open surgery through the abdomen. Much less aggressive, without bleeding and with a minimum hospital stay, it allows patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, severe urinary symptoms or acute urinary retention to urinate as in their youth.
What does laser enucleation of the prostate consist of?
It is important to clarify that enucleation is used for cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia. For prostate cancer cases the treatment is totally different. The prostate gland has a part known as adenoma. What this technique achieves is, by means of laser or bipolar energy, to separate the adenoma from the prostatic capsule. In other words, this technique empties the prostate so that there is no more obstruction to the passage of urine.
This surgery is transurethral, the endoscope is introduced through the urethra and by means of the endoscope a laser fiber or a bipolar energy fiber is introduced which allows separating the adenoma from the prostatic capsule. The anesthesia applied is spinal and the patient is hospitalized 24 hours after the operation for observation.
What type of laser is used?
The specialists of the Urosalud group use the Holmium laser or the bipolar energy of Storz® to carry out the enucleation. This technique is replacing green laser treatment in most cases, the latter being an older technique that simply vaporizes part of the adenoma tissue, it does not empty the prostate as in enucleation.
Another advantage of this technique is that it can be used in larger prostates, unlike the green laser. It is also a more decisive technique, since patients do not have to be re-intervened years later. This is often the case with green laser vaporization.