A meta-analysis comparing treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with holmium laser enucleation and photoselective greenlight vaporization

We compared the safety and efficacy of treating benign prostatic hyperplasia with photoselective greenlight vaporization (PVP) versus holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). Databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese CBM, and CNKI) were searched for eligible studies evaluating HoLEP or PVP outcomes, published until May 2022. We analyzed the incidence of relative complications and postoperative outcomes, including the international prostate symptom score, maximum flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual urine volume, quality of life index, and prostate-specific antigen levels. Eleven studies involving 4763 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The significant differences in postoperative Qmax at 1 month (mean difference [MD], 3.31, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45–6.16, p = 0.02, I 2 = 92%), 3 months (MD, 2.78, 95% CI, 0.53 to 5.02, p = 0.02, I 2 = 89%), 6 months (MD, 2.13, 95% CI, 1.11 to 3.15, p < 0.0001, I 2 = 87%), and 12 months (MD, 3.98, 95% CI, 2.06 to 5.89, p < 0.0001, I 2 = 58%) further confirmed unique advantage of HoLEP over PVP. We used forest plots to determine significant differences in the severe complication rates among patients in the PVP and HoLEP groups (odds ratio, 0.05, 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.28, p = 0.0005). Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate and PVP showed comparable international prostate symptom scores, quality of life index, postvoid residual urine volumes, prostate-specific antigen levels, perioperative factors, and total complication rates. Compared with PVP, HoLEP had a greater Qmax 1 year postoperatively, decreased energy expenditure, and fewer high-grade complications. These results need to be verified in long-term follow-up studies with well-structured randomized controlled trials.