Christopher P. Smith, MD, MBA, MSS, presented “Minimally-Invasive BPH Therapies” during the 25th Innovations in Urologic Practice conference on September 26, 2021, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
How to cite: Smith, Christopher P. “Minimally-Invasive BPH Therapies.” September 26th, 2021. Accessed Dec 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/minimally-invasive-bph-therapies/
Minimally-Invasive BPH Therapies – Summary
Christopher P. Smith, MD, MBA, MSS, Associate Professor of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, considers data on prostatic urethral lift (PUL) and water vapor therapy for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), and analyzes three case studies using the treatments. He begins with an overview of his case studies of men with BPH who all have an International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) above 19 and are on tamsulosin but are struggling with the lack of full relief and side effects of the medication. Dr. Smith then discusses the 2021 AUA guidelines for BPH treatment supporting the use of the IPSS at each patient visit to track symptoms and engage patients in early discussions of surgical options in the case of inadequate medications. He continues by summarizing data on the use and efficacy of PUL and water vapor therapy for BPH: a study on the adoption, safety, and retreatment rates of prostatic urethral lift found an increase in the use of the treatment of 10.4% from 2014 to 2018; PUL has passed GreenLight as a preferred procedure as of 2019, accounting for 30% of all BPH procedures; the L.I.F.T. trial and REZUM II trial found that PUL produced significant improvement in symptom scores, quality of life and flow rate when compared to a control; a prospective, randomized, multinational study of PUL versus transurethral resection (TUR) of the prostate found that PUL patients had a more rapid return to baseline activities than TUR patients by 6 days; the MedLift study showed that PUL patients experienced a 75% improvement in IPSS compared to a 34% improvement in control patients; PUL has also been found to have the lowest complications compared to Rezum, TURP, and GreenLight; a study comparing durability predictors after PUL found that men with worse disease states were found to need retreatment at higher rates; PUL is capable of improving ejaculatory function following treatment, while water vapor therapy reduces it; and there has been no recorded difference in outcomes between groups with or without prior prostate surgery. Dr. Smith concludes by stating that all three of his cases were treated with PUL, leading to their IPSS dropping to below 5 and them being taken off of medication.
About The 25th Annual Innovations in Urologic Practice:
Presented by co-chairs Mohit Khera, MD, MBA, MPH, and Michael Coburn, MD, FACS, the Innovations in Urologic Practice conference provides a detailed review and commentary on multiple genitourinary and urologic diseases. Among the featured oncological topics are bladder cancer and immunotherapies, as well as upper tract cancer management, prostate cancer, including state-of-the-art imaging, focal therapy, and MRI. Experts also discuss new tools and techniques for nephrectomy and treating advanced renal cell carcinoma. In terms of general urological approaches, the conference also includes pelvic reconstruction and trauma, men’s health topics like male infertility and sexual dysfunction, and ways to diagnose and treat infections in the urology patient. Dr. Smith presented this talk at the 2021 conference.
For further educational activities from this conference, visit our collection page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher P. Smith, MD, MBA, MSS, is an associate professor and board-certified urologist specializing in male and female urinary incontinence and voiding dysfunction. Dr. Smith is also a Colonel in the United States Army Reserve Corps and has been deployed three times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Dr. Smith attended Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and completed his residency training in urology at Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his fellowship training under a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K12 Scholarship in Neurology and Female Urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania. He earned his MBA at the Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, and his Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Smith has published numerous articles in scientific journals, including over 70 peer-reviewed papers and many invited articles to other publications. An active academician and speaker, he has presented many papers at scientific meetings and has served as guest lecturer across the country. Dr. Smith is an international expert on the basic and clinical aspects of botulinum toxin use within urology. He has used botulinum toxin clinically for over a decade. Dr. Smith is a principal investigator on several clinical trials examining the effects of botulinum toxin to treat patients with overactive bladder and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In 2012, Dr. Smith was awarded a Department of Defense grant to compare the efficacies of onabotulinumtoxinA vs. oxybutynin in spinal-cord injury patients with neurogenic detrusor overactivity and a VA Merit Grant to compare the efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA vs. tamsulosin in men with BPH and lower urinary tract symptoms.
Dr. Smith was awarded the Paul Zimskind Award in 2006 by the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology for continuing excellence and leadership in the field of voiding dysfunction. He was awarded a three-year Career Development Award by the Department of Veterans Affairs to study the role of spinal purinergic pathways in the development of bladder overactivity. In addition, he has been honored with the Astellas Rising Star in Urology Award by the American Urological Association Foundation for three years to support his career development research. Dr. Smith received 2nd prize in the prestigious Jack Lapides Essay Contest for a research paper in 2008 investigating the effects of botulinum toxin A in spinal cord injured bladders, as well as the Apple Award from the American Spinal Injury Association. He has also been listed in Castle Connolly’s America’s Top Doctors.
