1974 Population Based Trends in the Surgical Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Abstract

Purpose-Laser prostatectomy has increased in popularity over the last decade. However, traditional transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains common. In an effort to understand decisions surrounding use of laser prostatectomy versus TURP, we evaluated trends in transurethral surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in an all payer dataset, focusing on patient and provider factors that are associated with receipt of laser prostatectomy. Methods-Using the State Inpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Databases for Florida, we identified subjects undergoing laser prostatectomy or TURP (2001 to 2009). We calculated rates of surgery over time, stratified by procedure type. We used multilevel regression to examine patient (age, race, level of comorbidity) and provider (surgeon volume) factors associated with receipt of laser prostatectomy versus TURP.Results-While the overall rates of transurethral surgery remained stable (p=0.227) over the study period, use of laser prostatectomy rose 400% (from 25 to 114 procedures per 100,000 men, p<0.001), replacing about half of all TURPs. Patients were less likely to undergo laser prostatectomy if they were older (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.61-0.70) and less healthy (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.45-0.51). While these factors were predictive of surgery type, the majority of the variation in laser prostatectomy use (69%) was explained by the urologist a patient saw.Conclusions-Laser prostatectomy utilization has increased over the last decade at the expense of TURP, driven largely by provider effects. However, the elderly and more infirm patients are the least likely to receive it, raising concerns about underuse in this population.