3-DIMENSIONAL SONOGRAPHIC GUIDANCE FOR INTERSTITIAL LASER THERAPY IN BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

In recent years, interstitial laser therapy was introduced to provide a new treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), However, the pr ecise positioning of the laser fibers has remained a major unsettled i ssue, Three-dimensional (3-D) transrectal ultrasound scanning permits precise differentiation of the prostatic zones, in particular the tran sition zone, which is enlarged in BPH, Initially, a volume scan of the prostate is obtained, On the monitor, three sections of the prostate in the coronal, sagittal, and horizontal planes are displayed simultan eously. This new 3-D technology enables precise and reproducible posit ioning of the laser fibers at any selected site in the adenoma under s onographic guidance, thus providing the basis for complete laser prost atectomy, Placement of the laser fibers proved to be precise, quick, a nd uncomplicated.