LASERS IN UROLOGY - CURRENT STATUS AND POTENTIALS

The value of laser applications in urology needs reconsideration. The euphoric reports on laser application in urology in the early eighties have to be reassessed. Initial positive reports on laser treatment of superficial and muscle-invasive bladder cancer prostatic cancer and the therapy of urethral strictures could no be certified by reproducible clinical studies. Instead, scientific interest shifted to more complex laser applications with fascinating technical potential, such as laser lithotripsy, photodynamic diagnosis and therapy and laser cutting, all of which require a separate, highly sophisticated specialized laser. The arduous task of clinical documentation in controlled studies is lacking for almost all applications. Determination of the current status of knowledge for urologic laser applications seems necessary to channelize future experimental and clinical work into promising applications.