Abstract
We observed ultrastructural changes in benign prostatic hyperplastic tissues after transurethral balloon laser thermotherapy (TUBAL-T) by using a transmission electron microscope. Specimens, which were treated between 45 and 50°C for 40 minutes, were obtained by transperineal biopsy from five patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Immediately after the treatment, the prostatic epithelium showed chromatin aggregation and pyknotic changes in the nuclei, and the cytoplasmic organelles and the cell membrane were destroyed. In the smooth muscle cells, the chromatin in the nucleus was aggregated, and the cytoplasmic organelles and the cell membrane were destroyed. In the vasculature, the endothelial cells were swollen, with edematous changes of the cytoplasm, and intraplasmic organelles were destroyed. White blood cells attached to the endothelial cells and leukostasis were observed. Vascular changes were strongest immediately after TUBAL-T, and changes in epithelial and smooth muscle cells were minimal.
