Green Laser

What is Green Laser?

This technique consists of converting the tissue into steam (vaporizing). In this way it is possible to open a passage channel through the prostate, eliminating the obstruction that produces the enlargement of the prostate and facilitating the passage of urine.

To carry out the vaporization of the adenomatous tissue, a laser fiber is introduced into the prostate through a cystoscope that emits a beam of laser light that produces heat. Once vaporized, a urethral catheter is placed and removed after a few hours.

Although this technique has the benefit of being minimally invasive, it has the disadvantage, like transurethral resection, of not completely eliminating the adenomatous tissue, so that it can grow back over the years and cause a new obstruction in the passage of urine.

The green laser is indicated only to treat prostates smaller than 60-80 grams and does not allow the treatment of other concomitant pathologies such as stones and tumors in the bladder or narrowing of the urethra.

Advantages Green Laser

It is a minimally invasive technique
No bleeding
Fast recovery
Minimum hospital stay (less than 24 hours).
Few hours urethral catheter
The need for blood transfusions is minimal or almost non-existent.

Disadvantages of Green Laser

It is not possible to treat concomitant diseases or pathologies that the surgeon may unexpectedly encounter when operating on a prostate: bladder tumor, urethral stricture, lithiasis or bladder stones, or others.
It is not possible to obtain a pathological anatomy, i.e., we cannot study the effects of the disease on the organs because when the tissue is vaporized, it disappears and there is nothing left to send to the pathologist.
May cause perineal irritation or discomfort.
Functional results are inferior to those of open surgery or prostatic enucleation.
High rates of recurrence in the medium term in patients with medium and large prostates. By not removing the entire adenoma, the remnants of hyperplastic tissues may grow back requiring a new intervention.

Comparison of laser techniques to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia of the Prostate	ENUCLEATION (HOLMIUM AND THULIUM LASERS)	VAPORIZATION (Green LASER)
Prostate size	All sizes	Less than 60-80gr.
Amount of tissue removed	All	Only part
Functional results	Similar to open surgery (the best)	Similar to RTUp (lower)
Complications	Similar	Similar
Hospital Stay	Similar	Similar
Probability of recurrence of BPH	Download	High
Possibility to obtain pathological anatomy	Yes	No
Treatment of bladder stones at the same time	Yes	No
Treatment of bladder tumor at the same time	Yes	No
Treatment of urethral stricture at the same time	Yes	No

Therefore, at ROC Clinic we recommend prostatic enucleation with Holmium Laser instead of vaporization with green laser, since the former manages to eliminate the entire prostate adenoma obtaining the best functional results.

Our experience with Green Laser

At ROC Clinic we have more than 10 years of experience in the green laser technique for the treatment of BPH, one of the most common conditions in men. However, except in specific cases, we recommend prostatic enucleation with Holmium laser (HoLep) to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia because it allows the complete removal of the tissue and functional results are obtained far superior to the green laser.

Since 2007, we have performed more than 3,000 prostate enucleations on patients with prostates between 40 and 300 grams, making us the Urology group with the highest number of interventions with this technique in Spain. We have also developed the first training program with a realistic prostate phantom simulator for urologists and urology residents.

+10

years of experience

Except in specific cases, we recommend prostatic enucleation with Holmium Laser to treat BPH.

We are the Urology group with the highest number of interventions with the Holmium Laser technique in Spain.