INTERSTITIAL LASER COAGULATION FOR BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

Interstitial laser coagulation (ILC) is a minimally invasive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The objective of ILC is to in duce shrinking of the prostate while preserving all surrounding tissue s. To achieve thermal coagulation well inside the adenoma, not at its urethral surface, laser radiation of a Nd : YAG laser or a diode laser is transmitted by specially designed laser fibers. repeatedly placed in the prostate tissue. This results in secondary atrophy and regressi on of the prostate lobes, not sloughing of necrotic tissue. Since, Jul y 1991, more than 800 patients have been treated in several studies. B ased on initial experiences, many technical and procedural improvement s of ILC have been introduced for clinical use, such as advanced radia tion programs and new application devices including optical feedback s ystems. Imaging studies demonstrated treatment effects and allowed fur ther treatment optimization. Clinical studies have demonstrated the sa fety and efficacy of ILC. This review summarizes several articles publ ished on ILC and reports initial results of ongoing studies comparing ILC and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).