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Laser prostatectomy

Overview

This is a laser-enabled surgery used to treat moderate-to-severe symptoms caused by benign prostate enlargement or hyperplasia (BPE or BPH). As the prostate surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine exits the body, an enlarged prostate restricts the flow of urine from the bladder. BPE/H is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.

Laser surgery tends to be non-invasive or minimally invasive. Moreover, unlike pharmaceutical treatments, surgical treatments offer immediate improvements in symptoms. Laser surgery also provides many benefits over other surgical methods of treating BPE/H, such as:

  • Lower risk of bleeding: This makes it suitable for people who take blood thinners or who have bleeding disorders that cause abnormal clotting
  • Shorter hospital stay/outpatient procedure: As the surgery and recovery are quick, it can be performed on an outpatient basis or requiring only an overnight hospital stay
  • Quicker recovery: Recovery following laser surgery is generally compared to open surgery or trans-urethral resection of the prostate
  • Reduced need for catheter: Unlike other surgical treatments for BPE/H, which often require a catheter (tube) to drain urine from the bladder after surgery for extended period, laser surgery typically necessitates a catheter for less than 24 hours.

This is a surgical procedure during which a scope is gently inserted through the penile tip into the urethral opening. As the laser is carefully passed through the scope it reduces or shrinks excess tissue from the prostate and removes the restrictions on urine flow. The different types of laser prostate surgery include:

  • Green light laser vaporisation: The urinary tract is enlarged by melting away/vaporising the excess tissue of the prostate. Mild-to-moderate BPE/H can be treated using this technique
  • Holmium laser enucleation (HoLEP): Here, the excess prostate tissue restricting the urethra is cut and removed using a laser. Following this process, another instrument slices the prostate tissue into small pieces, which can then easily removed. HoLEP is typically used to treat severely enlarged prostates.
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