[Millin adenomectomy in the era of laser enucleation: results in a series of 240 cases].

Introduction: New techniques have been proposed for the surgical treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH): laser enucleation and laparoscopic adenomectomy. The objective of this retrospective study was the comparison of the results of Millin adenomectomy realized under contemporary medical conditions, with the results of laser enucleation and laparoscopic adenomectomy.

Method: Two hundred and forty consecutive Millin adenomectomy cases performed between January 2004 and December 2008 were analyzed. Patient evaluation before operation consisted in IPSS score, quality of life score, maximum flow rate (Qmax), post-void residual volume (PRV), total prostate volume (TPV) performed under trans-rectal ultrasound. Operation duration, adenoma weight, blood loss during operation, transfusion rate, duration of Foley catheterization, duration of hospital stay, and immediate postoperative complications according to Clavien classification were reported. Each patient was systematically controlled at 3 months and was invited by mail for a second control in 2012. Each of the two outpatient controls consisted in the realization of an IPSS, quality of life score, Qmax and PRV. Our results were compared to contemporary results published concerning open adenomectomy and new techniques of adenomectomy.

Results: Mean age was 69 years, TPV before operation 111 cc, adenomectomy specimen weight 82 gr, blood loss during operation 246 mL, transfusion rate 6 %, operation duration 88 min, Foley catheterization duration 3.8 days, mean hospital stay 5.6 days. Clinical results at 3 months were: IPSS decrease from 25 to 5 points, quality of life score decrease from 5 to 0.7 points, Qmax increase from 6.5 to 22 mL/sec, PRV decrease from 115 to 7.5 mL. According to the use of either the classical classification or of Clavien classification, the rate of early complications varied respectively from 36 to 49 %. No Clavien grade 4 or 5 complication was observed. Long-term results in 137 (57 %) of the patients with a mean age of 80 years, 5 years medial control (4; 8) after adenomectomy showed an IPSS varying from 2.5 to 6.6 points according to follow-up length, quality of life score varying from 0 to 1.2 points, Qmax varying from 13 to 23 mL/sec, PRV varying from 0 to 25 mL.

Conclusion: The lack of exhaustivity of the results and the absence of use of Clavien classification rendered difficult any comparison between the different techniques. Urologist motivation in favor of a given technique represented a bias difficult to bypass, even with the realization of a randomized study comparing two techniques. Today, Millin operation still represented the gold standard for the evaluation of new techniques in the surgical treatment of large volume BPH.

Level Of Evidence: 5.