Safety and efficacy of thulium laser enucleation of the prostate within two weeks following transperineal biopsy

The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia who had undergone transperineal biopsy (TPB) within the preceding two weeks. A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from patients who underwent ThuLEP at our urology center between January 2022 and May 2024. The study population was divided into two groups: the observation group, which underwent TPB within two weeks prior to ThuLEP, and the control group, which did not receive TPB before ThuLEP. The primary endpoints evaluated were enucleation efficiency and the incidence of perioperative complications. Secondary endpoints included postoperative recovery duration and changes in urinary-related functional parameters during the follow-up period. A total of 279 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 45 underwent TPB within two weeks prior to ThuLEP. The PSA level and PI-RADS score of the observation group were higher than those of the control group; while the morcellation time of the control group was shorter than that of the observation group (2.32 ± 0.53 vs. 2.69 ± 0.60 min, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of perioperative complication rates, urinary-related functional parameters, and prostate cancer detection rates. In addition, the preoperative IPSS, QoL, Qmax, and PVR of both groups were significantly improved at 3 and 12 months after ThuLEP. This study confirms that ThuLEP is a safe and effective surgical technique, which can be safely performed within two weeks following TPB.