VidaMed TUNA
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Transurethral Needle Ablation System is more cost effective than competing therapies for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP), according to a study presented by Michael J. Naslund, MD, University of Maryland, at the American Urological Association annual meeting, June 3-7 in Anaheim, California. Using 2001 Medicare reimbursement rates, the investigator found TUNA to be 11% less expensive than transurethral microwave therapy (TUMT) in achieving similar improvements in symptoms, and 38% cheaper than TUMT in achieving improved levels of peak urinary flow rates. In a related presentation, Alexandre Zlotta, MD, Hopital Erasme, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, presented a 152-patient, prospective six-year study showing that TUNA was more effective than transurethral resection of the prostrate. None of the 76 patients treated with TUNA experienced ejaculatory dysfunction, compared with 76% of the patients in the TURP arm. While TURP is cheaper than TUNA in improving peak urinary flow rate, according to Naslund, TUNA is more cost effective than TURP in reducing symptoms