[The life and works of Professor Max Hösel (1906-1971): a pioneer of endoscopic prostate surgery].

In 1949 Max Hösel (1906-1971) founded the largest urological hospital in the world at that time in the former military hospital in Ulm, which at times had over 250 inpatient beds. In the south German region he had at his disposal the most comprehensive endoscopic operation collective and the greatest experience in transurethral resection of the prostate (TUR-P). From 1948 to 1958 he carried out approximately 13,850 prostate resections with an average adenoma weight of 30 g and a mortality rate of <1%. The technical inadequacies of the resection instruments at that time prompted Hösel to develop a new form of resectoscope, namely the type 782. This resectoscope allowed a fast and complete resection of prostatic adenomas due to the improved visual field and better handling (rotating the operational unit) and also made the transurethral resection of larger prostatic adenomas possible. Therefore, in "Ulm and around Ulm" substantially larger prostatic adenomas could be endoscopically treated and open enucleation was not necessary. Prof. Hösel was an international force as a urologist and in Germany was ranked as one of the pioneers in the field of endoscopic prostate surgery. Although he never held the position of a University Chair, in the municipal hospitals in Ulm he accomplished the foundations for the later University Clinic for Urology.