Does Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) still have a steep learning curve? Our experience of 100 consecutive cases from Turkey

Aim: The aim of our study is to examine the learning curve of HoLEP and to discuss our results in the light of the literature. Methods: 100 patients who had LUTS resistant to medical treatment and complicated BPH to whom HoLEP procedure had been administered regardless of the size of the prostate in the last 1 year were analysed retrospectively. To evaluate the learning curve, the patients were classified into 4 main groups of 25 consecutively operated patients beginning from the first case. The 4 main groups were divided into 2 subgroups including patients who had prostate volume below or above 80 grams. Results: The mean age of the 100 patients who had HoLEP was 64.5 years. The mean prostate volume was 99.1 cc (45-281 cc). When those with prostate smaller than 80 g are examined, Enucleation efficiency was 0.76 g/min (0.46-0.97 g/min) and Morcellation efficiency was 3.07 g/min (3.34-4 g/min). When those with prostates larger than 80 g are examined, Enucleation efficiency was 0.89 g/min (0.66-1.04 g/min) and Morcellation efficiency was 4.01 g/min (3.93-4.25 g/min). These two parameters were statistically and significantly different in all the 4 groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: HoLEP still has a steep learning curve. It is necessary to reach the number of cases of 25-50 to reach fundamental experience.

Efficacy of Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate in men with impaired bladder contractility: A review

Introduction: Since Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) was introduced in the 1990s as an endoscopic deobstructing modality for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), several reports have concluded that HoLEP has compared favourably to transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) in relieving Bladder Outlet Obstruction (BOO). However, there has been no consensus regarding the efficacy of surgical management of men with Detrusor Underactivity (DU) and BOO. Methods: We performed a literature search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. All studies that provided data on the effectiveness of HoLEP in men with BOO and DU were assessed. Data collected included the number of patients, median follow-up, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Qmax, post-void residual (PVR) and catheter dependency pre- and post-intervention. Results: Nine studies were identified in the literature with a follow-up range between 6 and 60 months. Only one prospective study was identified where investigators performed urodynamic studies (UDSs) before and after the intervention. In addition to a significant improvement of voiding parameters, they reported partial recovery of detrusor muscle contractility in approximately 80% of patients. Furthermore, all other studies reported an improvement in all outcome parameters and proved the efficacy of HoLEP in patients with DU and BOO. Conclusion: The current literature underpins the efficacy of HoLEP in patients with impaired bladder contractility. However, current research is limited and the majority of the published data are retrospective in nature. Therefore, more well-conducted prospective randomised studies are needed to reinforce high-level evidence for this hypothesis. Level of evidence: Not applicable.