Int Urol Nephrol . 2013;45: 961-966.
In this study, the authors assessed whether the size of the prostate to be operated on could influence the patients' erection. We know that vaporizing the prostate with the Green Light Laser takes a long time when the size of the prostate is large. This means a lot more energy and heat at the ablation site, which can compromise the nerves that cause an erection.
128 patients took part in the study. They were allocated into 2 groups. The first with patients who had an average prostate weight 70g. They completed a validated questionnaire to assess prostate function (IIEF-5) before surgery and up to 2 years later.
After 2 years of follow-up, the group with a prostate < 70g obtained a better quality erection than those with volumes greater than 70g.
This study showed that patients with prostates larger than 70g treated with LASER green light had a negative impact on sexual function (erection) from 6 months onwards.
