AUA annual congress - AMS Launches it's new GreenLight XPS laser

I have spent this week in San Francisco, where the AUA Annual Meeting was taking place. In this congress we were presenting a poster with the excellent results of the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with the GreenLight HPS 120 watt laser, carried out by the IGLU (Internationa GreenLight Laser Users Group).

I also participated as faculty in a training session on advanced techniques with the GreenLight, sposored by American Medical Systems, although this time I did not take any photos... vary interesting. The new procedure GreenLEP (GreenLight Enucleation of the Prostate) attracts a lot of interest from my colleagues who use the GreenLight HPS to vaporize high volume prostates.

It has been a very exciting congress, and finally AMS launched the new GreenLight XPS laser, 180 watts, that will be available soon (more information in: http://www.amsgreenlight.com)

This new laser offers:

• Higher power (higher speed) with the same safety profile - 180 watts but with a thicker laser beam, with the same surgical dose as the 120 watt laser. This thicker beam will translate into higher efficacy of vaporization and shorter surgical times. 
• Better and more durable laser fibers, with a fiber tip irrigation system that keeps it in good shape throughout the procedure (minimal deterioration and thus, maximal efficiency), and a built in protection mechanism that makes it stop if it heats too much.
• An improved coagulation.

I spent some time trying it with a bull's prostate and it really looks as if the vaporization efficiency has improved significantly. It is certainly a major improvement that will help us treat big size prostates.

On June 30th we will perform the first operations in the world with this new laser. The Institute of Advanced Urological Surgery has been selected with other 9 european centers to perform the first clinical study with this laser.

It is clear that the laser treatment of BPH was one of the most vibrant aspects of this congress. Many companies presented their new and improved devices, Holmium, various diode lasers, Thulium, each of them with their strenghts and weaknesses... no doubt, the classic TURP (Transurethral resection of the prostate) and open prostatectomy are seeing their last days of life...