Pilot study of the clinical efficacy of ejaculatory hood sparing technique for ejaculation preservation in Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate

We explored the effectiveness of ejaculatory hood sparing technique to Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) for ejaculation preservation. From June 2010 to July 2011, 52 sexually active patients with sufficient ejaculate underwent HoLEP. Twenty-six patients received the ejaulatory hood sparing technique during HoLEP (EH-HoLEP group). The other 26 patients underwent conventional HoLEP (conventional-HoLEP group). In the EH-HoLEP group, paracollicular and supracollicular tissue >1 cm proximal to the verumontanum was preserved. The mean follow-up period was 9.7 months (range 3-12). There was no significant difference in patient characteristics and perioperative parameters, including age, prostate volume, International Index of Erectile Function score, operation time, weight of the enucleated tissue and the amount of laser energy. Semen was unchanged, decreased or vanished in 4 (15.4%), 8 (30.8%) and 17 (53.8%) EH-HoLEP patients, respectively. In the conventional-HoLEP group, semen was unchanged, decreased or vanished in 0 (0.0%%), 7 (26.9%) and 19 (73.1%) patients, respectively. Overall success rate of ejaculation preservation was 46.2% in the EH-HoLEP group and 26.9% in the conventional-HoLEP group (P=0.249). Application of an ejaculatory hood sparing technique to HoLEP could not improve the success rate for ejaculation preservation. This was likely due to the surgical characteristics of HoLEP, which enable complete removal of the apical tissue. In this condition, simply preserved ejaculatory hood tissue seems not to be sufficient to obviate retrograde ejaculation. For the maintenance of antegrade ejaculation, it is postulated that a part of apical tissue should be preserved as well.