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Treatment and Procedures

Greenlight Laser PVP

When the symptoms from BPH are relatively severe or unresponsive to medication, then the standard next step is to consider procedures that aim to create as wide a passage as possible though the prostate gland; alternatives are either TURP (transurethal resection of the prostate) or procedures using minimally invasive techniques.

There are several different types of laser treatment available including Greenlight laser PVP (Photoselective vaporisation of the prostate), Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and the Thalium laser which may be used to vaporise or enucleate. At Urology Partners, we offer Greenlight laser PVP, having performed more than 1500 cases over the last 10 years or more.

This film below is funded by NHS England and produced by Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley (formerly Oxford AHSN), working with clinicians from the Frimley Health and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts. Neil Barber was part of the clinical team providing expert knowledge and advice for this film.


Greenlight laser PVP is usually performed under a general anaesthetic and involves a sheath and telescope being passed down the water pipe (urethra) to the prostate. A laser fibre is then passed down the sheath and the laser energy delivered under direct vision, to vaporise away prostate tissue to create a wide passage through the prostate.

The specific advantages of utilizing laser energy rather than a traditional electrosurgical TURP are:

  • A decrease in the relative blood loss during the procedure, eliminating the risk of blood transfusion
  • Significant decrease in the risk of post-TURP hyponatremia (low sodium level)
  • The ability to treat very large prostate glands
  • Being able to treat patients who are actively being treated with anti-coagulation therapy for unrelated illnesses
  • Much quicker removal of urinary catheter (drainage tube) – usually overnight
  • Much shorter hospital stay – day-case or single night stay in hospital

A recent muticentred pan-European study ofgreenlight laser treatment compared toTURP concluded that

'Follow-up at one year demonstrates that photoselective vaporization of the prostate produced similar effectiveness outcomes compared to TURP. The complication-free rates and overall reintervention rates were comparable between treatment groups'.

Click here for a view of the procedure inside the prostate and for more information please visit our website dedicated to Greenlight Laser Surgery,

The following consultants offer this treatment:

Neil Barber; Richard Hindley; Amr Emara; Ahmed Ali ; Andew Chetwood;  Muddassar Hussain;  Manar Malki

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