Clinical Research Directory

Intermittent vs Daily Tamsulosin for LUTS/BPH

Background: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common in aging men, most often due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and significantly impair quality of life. α1-adrenoceptor antagonists are first-line therapy, with tamsulosin being the most widely prescribed. However, ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) is a frequent adverse effect that negatively affects adherence. Optimal dosing strategies that maintain urinary efficacy while reducing EjD are not well defined, and current guidelines provide no recommendations regarding alternate-day dosing. Patients and Methods: This multicenter, randomized, open-label, assessor-blinded, parallel-group, non-inferiority trial will enroll men aged ≥50 years with LUTS/BPH and baseline IPSS ≥8. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive tamsulosin 0.4 mg once daily or every other day for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint is change in International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) from baseline to Week 24. Non-inferiority will be concluded if the upper bound of the two-sided 95% confidence interval (CI) for the between-group difference in mean IPSS change (EOD - Daily) is ≤ +3 points. The key secondary endpoint is change in Male Sexual Health Questionnaire-Ejaculatory Dysfunction (MSHQ-EjD) total score from baseline to Week 24, tested for superiority only if IPSS non-inferiority is established. Additional secondary endpoints include maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), post-void residual volume (PVR), IPSS-Quality of Life score, and ejaculatory adverse-event rates. Sample Size and Analysis: Assuming an SD of 6 for IPSS change, a non-inferiority margin of +3, one-sided α of 0.025, and 90% power, approximately 85 evaluable patients per arm are required for the primary endpoint. To ensure adequate power for EjD outcomes and allow for 20% attrition, 144 participants per arm (288 total) will be randomized. Analyses will follow the intention-to-treat principle with per-protocol sensitivity analyses. Primary inference will use ANCOVA or MMRM adjusted for baseline score, age, and study site, with multiple imputation for missing data. Expected Outcomes: This trial will provide the first adequately powered multicenter evidence on whether every-other-day tamsulosin preserves non-inferior LUTS control while improving ejaculatory outcomes, potentially supporting a simple and cost-effective strategy to enhance tolerability and adherence in men with LUTS/BPH.

Laser Outcomes Associated With (Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate) HoLEP Procedures

The primary aim is to assess the impact of laser setting frequency and wattage during holmium laser enucleation of the prostate. There is currently no gold-standard laser settings for HoLEP procedures. In the investigator's current high-volume practice, the following settings for enucleation are: 2j 50hz. These settings are conventional settings, but there is no literature to prove optimal laser settings. The investigators hypothesizes that utilization of higher laser settings may be associated with a clinically significant (defined as \> 10%) decrease in procedural time without any detrimental postoperative outcomes, and a utilization of lower laser settings may be associated with a clinically significant (defined as \>10%) reduction in postoperative irritative voiding symptoms without any detrimental postoperative outcomes.