Assessment of copulative function and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia after transurethral enucleation

AIM: was to conduct a comparative assessment of copulative function and the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who underwent laser and bipolar transurethral enucleation of the prostate and who treated conservatively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 143 BPH patients aged 50 to 80 years (mean age 65 years) with complaints of copulatory and urinary disorders were under observation. All patients were divided into two groups. The 1st (main) group included 102 patients who underwent surgical treatment: transurethral laser enucleation of the prostate (n = 55) and transurethral bipolar enucleation of the prostate (n = 47). Patients of the 2nd group (n = 41) received conservative treatment. Control examinations were performed before treatment, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after it. RESULTS: All 102 patients of group 1, regardless of the type of surgery, noted retrograde ejaculation four weeks after surgery. In the majority of patients of the 1st group during these periods weakening of orgasm was noted, in a significant number deterioration of erection and decreased libido were noted. Upon further observation, by the 12th week after the operation, restoration of all components of the copulatory function was noted, with the exception of ejaculation. By the 24th week of observation, only in 2 patients of the 1st group the normal mechanism of ejaculation was restored. Surgical treatment of patients in group 1, regardless of the method of surgery, led to a significant decrease in the severity of LUTS, an increase in the maximum urine flow rate, a decrease in the volume of the prostate gland and the amount of residual urine. There were no significant differences in the dynamics of these indicators depending on the method of transurethral enucleation. The patients of the 2nd group also had an improvement in clinical parameters, but it was much less pronounced than in the 1st group. CONCLUSION: Laser and bipolar transurethral enucleation of the prostate are effective surgical techniques that significantly improve the outflow of urine from the bladder, reduce the severity of LUTS and improve the sexual function of patients. Surgery is well tolerated by patients. At the same time, almost all patients operated on by these methods develop retrograde ejaculation.

Retrograde ejaculation following anterior lumbar surgery: a systematic review and pooled analysis

OBJECTIVE The present systematic review and pooled analysis aims to assess the incidence and risk factors for the development of retrograde ejaculation (RE) following first-time open anterior lumbar surgery. METHODS A systematic MEDLINE review via PubMed was performed, identifying 130 clinical papers relating to the topic. Eighteen publications were selected according to predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and were used to determine the incidence of RE. Only the publications that provided data on surgical risk factors present specifically in the men in the study were included in the analysis of risk factors. RESULTS Of the 2503 men included, there were 57 reported events of RE (2.3%). Of the cases for which long-term data were provided, 45.8% had resolved by final follow-up. There was a statistically significant increased risk associated with a transperitoneal as opposed to a retroperitoneal approach (8.6% vs 3.2%), as well as with the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein–2 (rhBMP-2) in anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) as opposed to ALIF with bone graft or arthroplasty in controls (5.0% vs 1.8%). However, when excluding from analysis the patients operated on prior to the FDA’s 2008 warning that commented on the drug’s neuroinflammatory properties, there was no significant difference in rates of RE in patients receiving rhBMP-2 versus the control group (2.4% vs 2.5%). There was no significant difference in risk based on single- versus multilevel procedure or on ALIF versus arthroplasty. CONCLUSIONS In a pooled analysis of currently published data on men undergoing first-time open anterior lumbar surgery, this study found an overall incidence of RE of 2.3%. Nearly half of these patients recovered, reporting resolution of symptoms anywhere between 3 months and 48 months. Analysis of risk factors was limited by a paucity of published literature segregating data by sex. However, there was an increased risk associated with rhBMP-2 only when including data collected prior to the FDA warning on its detrimental properties. The authors therefore posit that the risk of RE is probably overestimated in the literature, given that the vast majority of the data available were collected prior to this warning and given the subsequent implementation of precautions when handling rhBMP-2.

Significant relationship between parameters measured by transrectal color Doppler ultrasound and sexual dysfunction in patients with BPH 12 months after TURP

Background A link between sexual dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has been noticed. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the standard treatment for symptomatic BPH, whether TURP causes sexual dysfunction is still uncertain. In this retrospective study, we investigated the relationship between parameters measured by color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) and sexual dysfunction in patients with BPH 12 months after TURP. Methods The parameters include presumed circle area ratio (PCAR), maximal horizontal area of seminal vesicles (MHA), resistive index of the prostate (RIP), and peak systolic velocity in the flaccid penis (PSV). The international prostate symptom score was used to evaluate the lower urinary tract symptoms and the five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function was used to evaluate sexual function before and after TURP. Results Of the 103 patients without sexual dysfunction before TURP, 11 (10.7%) had erectile dysfunction (ED) after TURP. These 11 patients had significantly lower PCAR, RIP, PSV and MHA than those without ED. The patients with retrograde ejaculation after TURP had significantly lower PCAR than those without retrograde ejaculation, and the patients with premature ejaculation after TURP had significantly lower MHA than those without premature ejaculation. Comparing the parameters between baseline and after TURP, PCAR, RIP, and MHA decreased significantly in the patients with sexual dysfunction, but no significant differences were noted in the patients without sexual dysfunction after TURP. Conclusions More extended TURP can lead to a higher incidence of ED and retrograde ejaculation in BPH patients without sexual dysfunction before TURP. Patients with a lower volume of seminal vesicles after TURP may have a higher incidence of premature ejaculation.