Objectives: To determine whether transurethral microwave treatment for patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy provides significant symptomatic relief, a reduction in residual urine volumes, and improvements in flow rates compared with sham treatment.
Design: Prospective double blind randomised study with follow up at three months.
Setting: Department of Urology in a London teaching hospital.
Patients: 40 men completed the study: 22 received microwave treatment and 18 received sham treatment. Entry criteria were symptoms of prostatism of at least six months' duration, a total symptom score > 14, and a peak urine flow rate < 15 ml/s or a residual urine volume > 50 ml. Exclusion criteria were prostatic cancer, a residual urine volume > 200 ml, a very large prostate, an obstructing middle lobe, acute urinary retention, impaired renal function, coexisting urinary tract disease, and previous prostatic surgery.
Interventions: A single 90 minute transurethral microwave treatment or sham treatment.
Outcome measures: Patients' symptoms (including daytime frequency and nocturia) recorded in a self assessment symptom score questionnaire, peak urinary flow rates, and residual urine volumes.
Results: The mean total symptom scores of the patients who received microwave treatment fell from 30 to 11 compared with a fall from 31 to 26 for patients who received sham treatment (p < 0.001). Among patients who received microwave treatment daytime frequency fell from 9.4 to 5.5 voids a day and night time frequency from 3.5 to 1.6 voids a night; residual urine volumes fell from 104 ml to 52 ml; and peak urine flow rates increased by 2.3 ml/s. In the control group there was no improvement in any of these features. Treatment preserved sexual function and antegrade ejaculation.
Conclusions: For selected patients with prostatism microwave treatment is effective and has few side effects.