Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions of the male genitourinary tract worldwide, resulting in approximately 1.2 million surgical procedures per year. Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) has proven to be an efficient, durable, and safe surgical option for the management of BPH. The European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines on Management of Non-Neurogenic Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) in 2016 considered HoLEP (referred to as endoscopic enucleation of the prostate, EEP) as a reference technique for the management of large prostates.
The evolution of laser technology has revived the concept of anatomical enucleation, allowing the resectoscope to be used to dissect the adenoma from the surgical capsule, mimicking the surgeon's index finger in open prostatectomy. This concept of laser-assisted anatomical enucleation can be efficiently replicated by other types of laser energy apart from Holmium.
HoLEP was first described in 1998 as a three-lobe technique, involving the creation of two incisions at the bladder neck, then joining these incisions in front of the verumontanum before enucleating the median, left, and right lobes sequentially but its dissemination has been limited by a steep learning curve and relative procedural difficulty, especially in large glands as well as high rate of trasnient stress urinary incontinence.
More recently, 'en bloc' techniques have been introduced, which may offer advantages such as better visualization, faster identification of the surgical capsule and dissection plane, early release and better preservation of the sphincter, and an improved learning curve compared to the three-lobe technique.
One such en-bloc method involves identifying the correct plane between adenoma and capsule at the apex of the left lobe lateral to the verumontanum, extending the incision retrogradely towards the bladder, and using the endoscope to gently raise the lobe from the capsular plane, gradually exposing the dissection plane and reducing intraoperative difficulties such as bleeding and capsule perforation, while shortening enucleation time.
Feasibility studies of en-bloc HoLEP on patients with moderately enlarged prostates showed promising operative times and significant reductions in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and transition zone volume, indicating effective adenoma removal.
Comparative studies between en-bloc HoLEP and traditional two- or three-lobe techniques have reported shorter enucleation times and lower laser energy use with the en-bloc approach.
Large randomized trials have similarly found that en-bloc HoLEP is associated with significantly shorter operative and enucleation times compared to the three-lobe technique.
Aim of the work
Growing evidence suggests that en-bloc enucleation of the prostatic adenoma, which involves dissection of the adenoma as a single tissue mass, offers advantages over the usual two- or three-lobe techniques: shortened operation time, optimal visualization of the dissection plane due to reduced bleeding and excellent irrigation, and improved enucleation effectiveness.
Early demarcation of the 'white line' leading to early release of the sphincter from the prostatic apex could reduce the likelihood of transient postoperative stress urinary incontinence. This is because the sphincter is less likely to be stretched during dissection movements, which can otherwise occur when the external sphincter is fixed on one side and the scope is dissecting on the opposite side.
In this study, the investigators aim to provide high-level evidence on the feasibility and efficacy of en-bloc enucleation using holmium lasers and its impact on early continence recovery. The investigators will conduct a well-designed randomized controlled trial comparing en-bloc endoscopic laser enucleation versus the conventional two- or three-lobe technique.
