Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a collaborative multicentre study

Abstract

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of transurethral needle ablation of the prostate (TUNA) for patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a multicentre trial. Patients and methods Seventy‐six patients were recruited from five centres; all were treated with the TUNA system consisting of a powered radiofrequency generator and a TUNA catheter. The patients were evaluated prospectively using the international prostate symptom score (IPSS), uroflowmetry, quality‐of‐life score, and other variables, and followed for a mean of 12 months after treatment. Results Sixty‐eight patients were available for follow‐up; TUNA produced significant improvements in the IPSS (median 22 before, to 7.5 after treatment), urinary flow rate (mean 8.7 before, to 11.6 mL/s after treatment) and quality‐of‐life score (median 5 before, to 2 after treatment) at 12 months. Conclusions If these early promising results are maintained in the medium to long term, TUNA therapy will be a useful low‐morbidity alternative for patients with symptomatic BPH.

How do transurethral needle ablation of the prostate and transurethral microwave thermotherapy compare with transurethral prostatectomy?

“…All of the studies in Table 3 report a statistically significant improvement in symptom scores and peak flow rate at 1 year compared with baseline [28][29][30][31][32]. The IPSS scores improved between 10.7 to 14.6 points, demonstrating symptomatic improvement ranging from 50% to 70% 1 year after TUNA treatment.…”

Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and Chronic Kidney Disease

“…TUNA is a successful treatment for small-sized gland and it poses a low or no risk for incontinence and erectile dysfunction (Ramon, Lynch et al 1997).…”

Is the minimally invasive treatment as good as transurethral resection for benign prostatic hyperplasia?

“…A recent meta-analysis [22] analyzed two randomized trials [17,23], two non-randomized protocols [24,25] and 10 single-arm studies conducted on TUNA, totalizing 1249 patients. In almost all studies, the patients recruited had severe lower urinary tract symptoms and mean International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of more than 20 before treatment.…”