Five-year data from the Oxford Laser Prostatectomy Trial

Objective To evaluate the natural history of a group of patients who underwent contact laser prostatectomy or transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Patients and methods Patients were followed up at 5 years after enrolling in a prospective double-blind randomized controlled trial of TURF vs contact laser prostatectomy, Results Of the initial trial patients, 11.5% had died (seven in the laser and 10 in the TURF arm) and eight (5.4%) were too incapacitated by coexistent medical disease to respond to the questionnaires. Thirty-eight patients were not available for follow-up, despite numerous invitations. Thirteen of the laser patients (18%) and 11 of the TURF patients (14.5%) had undergone reoperation. Two patients from each arm had received alpha-blockers for worsening symptoms, Conclusions Five years after prostatic surgery, a significant number of patients were dead or disabled by coexistent medical disease. The re-operation rate after TURF and contact laser prostatectomy were similar.