VALUE OF BALLOON DILATION IN TREATMENT OF YOUTHFUL PATIENTS WITH PROSTATISM

Forty-three youthful patients with uncomplicated prostatism were prospectively evaluated to test the safety and efficacy of transurethral balloon dilation (TUDP). Treatment consisted of cystoscopic placement of an intraprostatic balloon inflated to 25 mm diameter at 3 atm pressure for ten minutes. At longest follow-up (9.8 months, average; 3-24 months, range), 88 percent of patients were satisfied with overall treatment results. The average improvements in voiding symptom score and peak uroflow were 77 percent and 73 percent, respectively. Mean improvements over pretreatment levels were statistically significant at one month (p < 0.01) and remained so for the entire follow-up period. No incontinence, impotency, retrograde ejaculation, sepsis, or serious bleeding developed. An intraprostatic fissure, which spared the bladder neck, was a uniform finding and the most likely mechanism of lasting action of TUDP. In the relief of uncomplicated prostatism in youthful patients, TUDP compares favorably with other treatment alternatives.