In a nutshell
This study looked at factors which may cause incontinence after laser breakdown of prostate tissue. It concluded that pre-existing incontinence or weak urinary muscles could cause incontinence after the laser procedure.
Some background
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. An enlarged prostate can affect bladder function. It cal also have a negative impact on quality of life. Treatments for BPH may include medication or surgery to remove excess prostate tissue. Medications for BPH often result in many side effects while surgery can lead to complications. Complications often include sexual and urinary problems, such as urinary incontinence (UI). UI is a sudden and frequent urge to urinate.
Lasers can also be used to breakdown excess prostate tissue. Holmium (HoLEP) is a kind of laser which can be used to break down the tissue. This surgical technique can be less invasive than other prostate tissue removal. This type of treatment has also shown improvement in patients with BPH in other studies.
Methods & findings
Databases were searched for patients who had BPH. These patients were followed for 12 months after HoLEP. 88 patient's data was examined for UI after HoLEP. Patients were followed up at 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months after HoLEP.
Patients were assessed for UI risk factors. These included: prostate symptoms, urinary symptoms, urinary control, number of incontinence pads used per day and quality of life. Of patients who did not have UI before HoLEP, 2% developed UI at 12 months. Of patients who did have UI before HoLEP, 25% still had UI at 12 months. All patients showed improvement in quality of life and prostate symptoms at 12 months. The number of pads per day decreased by 1.6 between the visits at 6 weeks and 6 months. The number of pads per day decreased by 0.75 between the visits at 6 months and 12 months. 93% of patients who had UI before HoLEP interested in taking UI medication at 6 months after HoLEP.
The bottom line
This study concluded that a history of having UI before HoLEP and weak urinary muscles could increase the risk of developing UI after HoLEP.
The fine print
The authors note that the incontinence tests carried out after HoLEP were not comprehensive. This could affect the study's results.
What’s next?
If you are interested in learning more about UI after HoLEP, contact your doctor.
Published By :
Urology
Date :
Dec 04, 2018
