A standard protocol for the evaluation of laser treatment of the prostate. The British Laser Urological Evaluation Society (BLUES)
OBJECTIVE
To present a standardized protocol, suitable for general use, for the evaluation of laser treatment of the prostate.


METHODS
Many new operative treatments which are available to treat symptomatic prostatic enlargement are being accepted and offered to patients after scanty clinical evaluation, e.g. interventions using lasers. A consistent and standard protocol was developed, comprising data-recording sheets for patients' admission details, pre-operative assessments, operative details of laser ablation, post-operative in-patient progress and re-attendance, and subsequent out-patient follow-up.


RESULTS
The protocol was tested by the members of BLUES and fulfilled their requirement for easy use in any department of Urology. It provides a simple way of accurately recording relevant data within a structured format with the additional advantage of permitting results to be expressed uniformly.


CONCLUSIONS
The adoption of this protocol will allow valid comparisons of core data between studies assessing different procedures. The flexibility of the protocol enables it to be used, with minor modification, for the evaluation of any operative intervention aimed at relieving prostatic symptoms.
Carter
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AC
Taunton and Somerset Hospital, UK.
D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires