ThuLEP Method: Prostate Surgery with Thulium Laser

Thulium Laser or ThuLEP (Thulium Laser Enucleation of Prostate), one of the most beautiful laser technologies and integrated in the health field, is a closed technique used in prostate surgery.

Thanks to the ThuLEP method, problems such as benign prostate enlargement experienced by the majority of men can be treated.

The prostate, which is located at the exit of the urinary bladder, also called the bladder in men, and passes through the urethra, can enlarge for various reasons that affect male hormones, especially aging. Enlargement of the prostate also means compression of the urinary tract. This causes problems with urination. The method to be applied in prostate treatment is decided by looking at the patient’s complaints and the size of the prostate. ThuLEP method is one of the widely used treatment methods in recent years.

Closed prostate surgery performed via Thulium Laser is called ThuLEP and is one of the newest technologies used in the field of urology. ThuLEP method is the most effective method especially in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or benign prostatic enlargement. The ThuLEP method, which is a new method, has much more serious advantages compared to the older methods such as HOLEP.

The ThuLEP method is widely used in the treatment of benign prostate enlargement. In these operations, the ThuLEP method can be performed regardless of size. In addition, resection and staging of bladder tumors in endoscopic (closed) methods can also be performed with ThuLEP method. In addition, ThuLEP method can be used for the removal of upper urinary tract tumors.

The steps followed in the ThuLEP operation, which is performed by entering through the external urethra, are as follows:

• By entering the external urinary canal with endoscopic methods, the urinary canal called the urethra is reached,
• Prostate culture and growing prostate tissue are separated from each other,
• Enlarged prostate tissues that fall into the bladder are broken up with a device called a morcellator,
• Fragmented prostate tissues or adenomas are removed from the body through the urethra.

In the ThuLEP method, the tissue penetration depth is very low, such as 0.25 mm. At the same time, since the wavelength works at a constant temperature with continuous energy, tissue or cell damage is minimal. Although the size of the prostate determines the application time, there is an average application time of 1-3 hours. The factors that determine the length of stay in the hospital are the size of the prostate, the age of the patient, the underlying diseases and blood thinners. Considering all these, the maximum hospitalization period is 2 days.

In benign prostate enlargement operations performed using the TUR method, the prostate tissue is cut and a scraping is performed. After this scraping, some prostate tissue remains. Therefore, there is a risk of recurrence of complaints after surgery. In addition, while the hospital stay is long in such operations, it is possible to have burning or bleeding in the urine for a while.

Since the enlarged prostate tissue is completely removed in the ThuLEP method, it is unlikely that the complaints will recur for many years. In addition, complications such as bleeding or burning in the urine are not expected.

The main advantages offered by the ThuLEP method are that the recovery period is short and the risks such as burning or bleeding in the urine after the operation, urinary incontinence and deterioration in sexual functions are at a minimum level. The reason for the less bleeding is that the Thulium laser energy reaches less deep into the tissues. Less bleeding is an important advantage for patients who regularly use blood thinners.

It is much easier to shape the prostate tissue in treatments using laser. Therefore, the sphincter muscle structures, which are used to hold urine, are minimally damaged. This minimizes the risk of urinary incontinence after the operation. Since the laser energy applied on the tissues reaches a less depth, the neural structures that provide erection and around the prostate are exposed to less heat. Thus, both erection quality and semen output are preserved during the operation. In addition to all these, the pathology result and staging obtained in endoscopic resection procedures performed in bladder tumors compared to tumor scraping procedures are much more accurate.