INTERSTITIAL LASER PROSTATECTOMY

Serial gross and histopathologic examinations of the prostate following interstitial laser prostatectomy in the canine model demonstrated distinct zonal thermal changes around the entire active area of the interstitial thermal therapy (ITT) fiber. A large, well-demarcated area of acute coagulative necrosis immediately surrounded each fiber tract; beyond that were a prominent narrow peripheral zone of marked tissue disruption and an outer zone of hemorrhage. Liquefaction within these coagulative areas was evident within 24 hours, and by 4 days, each lobe of the prostate contained an irregular cavity that became lined by normal-appearing transitional epithelium and that, by 5 weeks, communicated with the prostatic urethra. These postmortem pathologic observations, similar to findings previously reported following transurethral laser prostatectomy, suggest that interstitial laser thermal therapy may provide an additional means for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia in men. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.