Treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with water-induced thermotherapy: experience of a single institution.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of and tolerance for water-induced thermotherapy (WIT).


METHODS
Between June 1998 and December 1999, 50 patients were treated with WIT protocol. The patients were divided in two groups according to the achieved treatment temperature and the volume of the inflated treatment balloon. In Group 1, the treatment temperature was set at 60 degrees C, and the treatment balloon was inflated to 50F. In Group II, 29 patients were treated with a temperature of 62 degrees C, and the treatment balloon was inflated to a maximum of 60F.


RESULTS
In Group I, the catheter was permanently removed in eight of the nine patients who had previously had permanent indwelling bladder catheters (88.8%). The average Qmax was 11.5 mL/sec; the quality of life (QoL) index was 1.3, and the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was 6.2. The remaining five patients were not catheter dependent prior to WIT. Three of these patients (60%) demonstrated Qmax improvements from 11.7 to 17.1 mL/sec. In Group II, 11 of the 15 patients (73.3%) who had been catheter dependent resumed spontaneous micturition with a Qmax of 10.7 mL/sec and an IPSS of 8.5.


CONCLUSIONS
Water-induced thermotherapy can be performed easily on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. It is well tolerated by most patients, and the early results are encouraging.
Breda
Guglielmo
G
Ospedale Nuovo di Bassano del Grappa (VI), Italy.
Isgrò
Antonio
A
D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014867:Water
D014867:Water