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AUA 2018

AUA 2018: Predictors of Poor Functional Outcomes after Focal High Intensity Focused Ultrasound

San Francisco, CA (UroToday.com) Data from 625 patients in the UK focal High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) registry were analyzed to evaluate for predictors of functional outcomes following treatment. Poor functional outcomes following focal ablative therapy, including HIFU, are rare. It is therefore important to endeavor to understand what factors might lead to poor functional outcomes in some men.

The authors found on multivariable analysis that age and baseline function (prior to therapy) were the strongest predictors of all functional outcomes. This was demonstrated with predicting poorer continence and greater decreases in erectile function. 

The UK has a centralized body that trains and proctors the use of focal HIFU, which helps to minimize differences in treatment and outcomes. Nonetheless, selection bias is difficult to eliminate in such datasets. That said, it is not particularly surprising that age and baseline function, which are already known to predict outcomes after other prostate procedures, would also be important for focal HIFU outcomes.


Presented by: Taimur Shah, Imperial College London

Written by: Shreyas Joshi, MD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, @ssjoshimd at the 2018 AUA Annual Meeting - May 18 - 21, 2018 – San Francisco, CA USA