[Localized transrectal hyperthermia in the treatment of obstructive manifestations of prostatic adenoma. Review of the literature and personal experience].

For about the last 10 years, transrectal hyperthermia has been used to treat obstructive manifestations of adenoma of prostate. This procedure induces interstitial edema and acts preferentially on the fibrous elements of the prostate. Several therapeutic regimens have been used successively by different teams, after objective and subjective inclusion screening programmes. Results published up to the present show about 45% of objective responders (against 3% in a placebo group) with improvement sustained in 3 out of 4 cases. Morbidity rate (infection and urinary retention) was 3%. Data from a retrospective study of a series of personally treated patients was w used to determine those with the greatest chance of a successful outcome, even though this is never comparable with that of surgical treatment.