Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: A collaborative multicentre study

Objective. To assess the efficacy and safety of transurethral needle ablation of the prostate (TUNA) for patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a multicentre trial. Patients and methods. Seventy-six patients were recruited from five centres; all were treated with the TUNA system consisting of a powered radiofrequency generator and a TUNA catheter. The patients were evaluated prospectively using the international prostate symptom score (IPSS), uroflowmetry, quality-of-life score, and other variables, and followed for a mean of 12 months after treatment. Results. Sixty-eight patients were available for follow-up; TUNA produced significant improvements in the IPSS (median 22 before, to 7.5 after treatment), urinary flow rate (mean 8.7 before, to 11.6 mL/s after treatment) and quality-of-life score (median 5 before, to 2 after treatment) at 12 months. Conclusions. If these early promising results are maintained in the medium to long term, TUNA therapy will be a useful low-morbidity alternative for patients with symptomatic BPH.