LA&HA - Journal of the Laser and Health Academy
Volume: 2024 | number: 1
ISSN (web): 1855-9921
Transrectal Non-Ablative Er:YAG Laser Treatment for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
Heba Kotb, Mohamed Eyad Abdelall, Ali Remah, Iva Talaber, Zdenko Vižintin
Pages: onlineFirst
Background: Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a common problem in men. Due to its heterogeneous nature, there is no universally effective treatment. Non-ablative Er:YAG laser therapy represents an effective addition to the available therapeutic options. It has been hypothesized that non-ablative Er:YAG laser therapy improves symptoms of CP/CPPS through increased vascularization of the prostate; however, supporting data is limited.
Aim: The aim of this study was to objectively assess potential changes in prostate vascularity and prostate volume after an intervention with non-ablative Er:YAG laser in patients with CP/CPPS.
Methods: Patients diagnosed with CP/CPPS were treated with non-ablative Erbium YAG laser over the period from 2018 till 2023. They received three laser sessions (L1, L2, L3) in intervals of one to three months, followed by one maintenance session (L4) when the effect started to fade (12-18 months after L3). After each laser session, prostate vascularization and prostate volume were measured via ultrasound (US). Vascularization was estimated from the count of visible blood vessels (VBV) and the observation of the total vascular image, considering both number and size of the vessels.
Results: 51 male patients with average age of 37.4 years (range 22-60) received four transrectal non-ablative Er:YAG laser treatments. Most patients expressed their satisfaction with the treatment results related to improvement of pelvic pain, urinary symptoms and sexual dysfunction. Compared to baseline, visible blood vessels (VBV) and total prostate vascularization showed a statistically significant increase after treatment completion. Prostate volumes showed reduction immediately after each treatment session and these reductions were well maintained through all successive follow-ups.
Conclusions: The improvement of CP/CPPS symptoms after non-ablative Er:YAG laser treatment might be due to the detected increase in prostate vascularity and improved blood flow. More studies are needed to give additional proof of non-ablative Er:YAG laser efficacy and safety for CP/CPPS.
Key words: CP/CPPS, Er:YAG, prostatitis, prostate volume, vascularization.
Article: J. LA&HA, Vol. 2024, No.1; onlineFirst.
Transrectal Non-Ablative Er:YAG Laser Treatment for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome