Prospective analysis of urinary continence and urethral stricture after Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP): A consecutive 254-case series.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the rate of stress urinary incontinence, time to continence recovery, and incidence of urethral stricture in a series of patients who underwent holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) from the beginning of the learning curve of a single surgeon.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Prospective study of 254 patients consecutively operated on by one surgeon between December 2022 and December 2024. Continence was defined as the use of 0 pads. Survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier) was performed to estimate time to continence recovery. Results were stratified according to surgical technique (2- or 3-lobe vs. en bloc), prostate volume, and BMI. Overall and de novo urethral stricture rates were analyzed according to operative time, ultrasound volume, and enucleated weight.

RESULTS

The median time to continence was 20 days. The continence rates at 1 month, 2 months, and 4 months were 80.7%, 91.2%, and 98.5%, respectively. Although incontinence decreased progressively, urgency was more frequent in persistent cases. No significant differences were observed in the time to continence according to surgical technique, prostate volume, or BMI. The overall rate of urethral stricture was 3.9%, with 3.65% de novo cases. No associated risk factors were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

HoLEP showed a low rate of transient incontinence and urethral stricture, and no correlation with surgical technique or patient clinical characteristics.