Periurethral transurethral microwave thermotherapy for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: an interim 1-year safety and efficacy analysis using the thermatrx TMx-2000.

Transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) represents an accepted minimally invasive approach to the management of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The TherMatrx TMx-2000 represents a further evolution in TUMT technique. This device uses periurethral transurethral microwave thermotherapy (P-TUMT) technology to directly target the BPH tissue adjacent to the prostatic urethra by using a catheter without a urethral-cooling surface. This article provides a technical review of the device and describes the results of a randomized, controlled multicenter study of P-TUMT for the treatment of symptomatic BPH. A discussion of the physiologic effects of P-TUMT is presented and compared to conventional TUMT. A comparison of P-TUMT to contemporary TUMT series in relation to efficacy and complications is also described. This study concludes that P-TUMT using the TherMatrx TMx-2000 device represents a minimally invasive, efficacious, and well-tolerated treatment for symptomatic BPH.