Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate for men with urinary retention

PURPOSE: Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) is an established procedure for the treatment of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. We performed a study to examine a group of patients in urinary retention treated by HoLEP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 164 consecutive patients with urinary retention who underwent HoLEP between January 2000 and August 2004 was performed. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 72.1 years (range 34 to 95). Mean duration of urinary retention was 28.9 days (range 2 to 365). Mean preoperative transrectal ultrasound measured prostate volume was 107.1 cc (range 5 to 242). Mean weight of resected tissue was 81.9 grams (range 2.5 to 271). Mean duration of postoperative catheterization and hospitalization was 22.5 hours (range 2 to 240) and 33.7 hours (range 2 to 144), respectively. All patients were able to void following treatment and remain catheter free. CONCLUSIONS: HoLEP is an effective treatment, with low morbidity, for patients with urinary retention. These results suggest that HoLEP may be the ideal treatment for men with urinary retention due to benign prostatic obstruction.