Abstract
Transurethral balloon laser thermotherapy (TUBAL-T) was performed in 30 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and the mechanism of TUBAL-T was assessed by a pathological study. The urethra was cooled by a urethral cooling system during the treatment, and the prostatic tissue at 5 to 10mm depth from the urethral surface was heated to more than 45 degrees C. The depth of tissue damages ranged from 10 to 20mm from the urethral surface by CT or MRI. Pathological studies immediately after the treatment indicated the detachment of prostatic epithelia from the basement membrane, nuclear degeneration and coagulonecrosis of the smooth muscle cells, swollen endothelial cells, and stasis of leukocytes in the vessels. The mechanism of TUBAL-T was thought to be an effect of the direct heat to BPH tissues and circulatory disturbances which may accelerate tissue damage.
