New guidance today backs the use of laser treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says the treatment can be used for men who are not at high risk of complications.
This would mean they do not have an increased risk of bleeding, do not have urinary retention and the prostates are small than 100 ml.
It gives its backing to the GreenLight XPS device, which vaporises excess prostate tissue.
According to NICE, the NHS could save £3 million a year if this device is used instead of transurethral resection – largely because it does not require an overnight stay in hospital.
NICE adds that there is no enough evidence yet to support its use for high risk patients.
Professor Carole Longson, from NICE, said: "Using the GreenLight XPS is more convenient for patients than other surgical procedures as they don’t need to stay in hospital overnight and they can return to normal activity faster.
"We recommend that specialists collaborate to collect and publish data if GreenLight XPS is used in treating enlarged prostates in men classed as high risk. This will help improve the evidence base and could enable future recommendations on its use in these patients.”
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