AB051. Technical improvement of HoLEP and prevention strategies of postoperative incontinence

Objective: To improve HoLEP surgical techniques of finding envelope, enucleation, hemostatic and comminution, and to treate the incontinence reason predictably, so as to reduce the complications of HoLEP surgery.

Methods: Technical improvements were performed in 272 patients who underwent HoLEP during January 2014 to December 2014. (I) The gland was enucleated in three lobes, not overall enucleation; (II) start with both sides of verumontanum to find envelope, the ‘three-lobe’ technique involves 5- and 7-o'clock position incisions with enucleation of the middle lobe and subsequent enucleation of one lateral lobe followed by the other lateral lobe; (III) we only lift the glands gently by lens body, using holmium laser blasting to peel glands, and abandon conventional mirror peeling method; (IV) if bleeding is encountered, the laser fibre can be defocused slightly from the bleeding point to achieve haemostasis; (V) we crushed glands vacantly with the status of bladder filling. The reason why postoperative urinary incontinence occurs may be thermal burns sphincter, mucosal retention inadequate, sphincter weiss at around 12:00, and sphincter injury caused by mirror body elevation, etc. Some precautions during the operation were as follows: (I) reducing laser ablation; (II) separation off the reserved side lobe mucosa before peeling; (III) avoid 12:00 distal mucosal tear; (IV) using blasting holmium laser energy not lens body to peel glands, which can avoid sphincter injury by mirror body elevation force.

Results: We identified 272 patients who underwent HoLEP. The median volume of enucleated adenomas was 92±24 g. The median IPSS before surgery was 23.3±6.1. Average (range) operation time was 86±21 minutes. Amount of bleeding was 56±14 mL. Postoperative patients of hospital stay was 32±5 h, average time of indwelling catheter time was 22±6 h. Patients were followed up for 6-28 months’ time, an average of 12.4 months. Postoperative patients with international prostate symptom score progressive declined. The quality of life score was 6.7±2.6. The maximum urinary flow rate also improved (P<0.05). Postoperative complication included urge urinary incontinence (36 cases, 13.2%), 31 of which did not occur in the first 5 days, 2 of which lasted for 2 days. However, there was no real urinary incontinence case.

Conclusions: By improving HoLEP technology and treating the incontinence reason predictably, HoLEP proved to be a safe and effective therapy, with fewer surgical complications, and it may be potential to become a new gold standard for treating BPH.

Keywords: HoLEP; prostate; incontinence