Is water vapor thermal therapy safe and feasible in elderly and frail men? The Italian experience

• Published in: World journal of urology 2024-01, Vol.42 (1), p.60-60, Article 60
• Main Authors: Minore, Antonio, Morselli, Simone, Franzoso, Francesco, Maruzzi, Daniele, Varvello, Francesco, Toso, Stefano, Ferrari, Giovanni, Siena, Giampaolo, Conti, Enrico, Papalia, Rocco, Uricchio, Francesco, Balsamo, Raffaele, Scarpa, Roberto Mario, Cindolo, Luca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Complications; Frail Elderly; Humans; Hyperplasia; Hyperthermia, Induced - methods; Italy; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms - etiology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Nephrology; Older people; Oncology; Original Article; Postoperative; Prostatic Hyperplasia - complications; Safety; Steam; Treatment Outcome; Urinary tract; Urology; Water vapor
• ISSN: 1433-8726; 0724-4983; 1433-8726
• DOI: 10.1007/s00345-023-04762-9

Purpose In recent years, water vapor thermal therapy (WVTT) has spread as minimally invasive technique in lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment. Even if its safety and feasibility have been largely proved in young men, nobody has proved the same feasibility and safety in the elderly (men older than 75 years old). Our aim is to compare WVTT safety outcomes in men older than 75 with younger men. Methods We prospectively collected data on men who underwent water vapor thermal therapy from 2019. We compared data on operative time, number of injections, intra-operative and post-operative complications, reinterventions rate. Results We enrolled 426 patients; among these, 60 were older than 75 years old, 366 were younger. Our cohorts of patients had similar results in terms of intra-operative and post-operative complications. Operative time accounts about 11 min for both groups ( p  = 0.535), total number of injections was seven for young men and eight for elderly ( p  = 0.314). We found no intra-operative complications in elderly men group and only one in the younger group ( p  = 0.678), while five younger men underwent clot retention, and two elderly men experienced this complication ( p  = 0.239). Only one transfusion occurred in the elderly group. No differences between groups occurred in terms of length of stay, post-operative urinary retention and reintervention rate, while catheterization time was longer in the elderly men. Conclusion WVTT is a safe procedure in elderly patients with comparable intra-operative and post-operative complication rate in comparison with younger patients.