The laser generates very high temperatures, so general anesthesia and an overnight hospital stay are required. As with balloon dilatation, some urologists have incorporated the laser into their practice despite its experimental status. It is clear, however, that the laser's popularity will grow exponentially over the next several years. This is the experimental treatment where a microwave probe is placed in the rectum or urethra and the prostate is heated in order to kill cancer cells. The only difference between cancer and BPH cells is that the latter require higher temperatures before they are destroyed.
Thermal therapy requires up to ten individual treatments, all done on an outpatient basis.
One day it will be a reasonable option for men who are too ill to undergo surgery. The last form of BPH treatment currently under investigation is the urethral stent. This is simply a flexible, tube-shaped metal coil or mesh that is inserted into the prostatic urethra as a means of holding it open. There are two kinds of stents. Temporary stents are a simple, inexpensive form of urinary retention relief for men too old or too sick for surgery.