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Introduction: To investigate possible pre-treatment factors related to the therapeutic effect of tadalafil on bladder outlet obstruction (BOO)., Materials and Methods: Eighty untreated outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to BOO received 5 mg tadalafil daily for 12 months. Subjective symptoms and objective findings were evaluated before and 12 months after treatment. At 12 months, the patients were divided into two groups according to an improvement grade in BOO index (BOOI). Patient characteristics including age, serum total testosterone level (TT), PSA, and prostate volume, and subjective and objective parameters on LUTS were set as candidates of pre-treatment factors, and the parameters that influenced the improvement of BOO were statistically analysed., Results: A total of 69 patients with mean age of 69.8 years and mean prostate volume of 48.8 mL were included. Subjective symptoms and BOOI were significantly ameliorated after 12 months. In terms of an improvement of BOOI, 30 patients (43.5%) showed insignificant improvement in BOO, whereas 39 patients (56.5%) exhibited excellent improvement. Comparison of pre-treatment factors between the groups showed that TT was the only independent predictor related to the improvement in BOO. The improvement of BOO was significantly better in patients with higher TT., Conclusions: Pre-treatment TT was considered to be a useful predictor of therapeutic effects of tadalafil for BOO.

Aims: This study aimed to identify the easily obtainable parameters that predict the presence of detrusor overactivity (DO) in male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), because urodynamic studies cannot be performed in all cases., Methods: A total of 605 treatment-naïve men with non-neurogenic LUTS who underwent subjective and objective evaluations were retrospectively reviewed. We divided patients into two groups (the DO and the non-DO group) according to the presence or absence of DO as determined by urodynamic data and compared the clinical parameters between the two groups to identify clinical signs associated with DO., Results: Of the 605 patients with a mean age of 69.8 years and a mean prostate volume of 45.4 mL, 319 (52.7%) had DO, while DO was not detected in 286 (47.3%). Men with DO were significantly older and had greater prostate volume, longer intravesical prostatic protrusion (IPP), higher international prostate symptom score, higher overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS), smaller bladder capacity, and higher bladder outlet obstruction than those without DO. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, higher OABSS-urgency subscore and OABSS-urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) subscore and longer IPP were significant predictive signs of DO. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified 3 points, 1 point, and 8.0 mm as the optimal cut-off values for OABSS-urgency subscore, OABSS-UUI subscore, and IPP, respectively, for the diagnosis of DO., Conclusions: Higher OABSS-urgency subscore, higher OABSS-UUI subscore, and longer IPP were found to be useful parameters to predict the presence of DO in male patients with LUTS., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: To investigate the 1-year effects of tadalafil on storage and voiding function in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH) based on a urodynamic study., Methods: In a one-armed, prospective study, 105 untreated outpatients with LUTS/BPH received 5 mg tadalafil every day for 12 months. Subjective symptoms and objective findings on voiding and storage functions, obtained through urodynamic studies that included cystometry and pressure flow study, were evaluated before, at 3 months, and at 12 months of treatment., Results: The analysis included 94 patients with a mean age of 70.7 years and a mean prostate volume of 44.5 mL. Subjective symptom parameters of LUTS were significantly ameliorated after 3 months, and progressively improved until study conclusion. Similarly, monitoring of storage and voiding functions revealed significant improvements after 3 months that continued to improve until 12 months. In 49 patients who revealed detrusor overactivity during cystometry at the baseline assessment, uninhibited detrusor contractions disappeared in 15 (30.6%) patients after 3 months (p = 0.02), and in 22 (44.9%) after 12 months (p < 0.001). Mean maximum flow rate significantly increased by 2.9 mL/s during the 12-month treatment (p < 0.001), whereas mean bladder outlet obstruction index significantly decreased from 59.5 at baseline to 45.7 at 3 months (p = 0.001), and to 42.9 at 12 months (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Tadalafil significantly improved storage and voiding functions, along with LUTS, in patients with LUTS/BPH during a 1-year treatment.

Aims: To compare the efficacy of fesoterodine or mirabegron add-on therapy for persistent overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms despite silodosin monotherapy in men with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia, in both subjective and objective aspects., Methods: A total of 120 patients with persistent OAB symptoms despite silodosin monotherapy were randomized to receive add-on therapy with fesoterodine (4 mg/day) or mirabegron (50 mg/day) for 12 weeks. At week 12, changes from baseline in patients' subjective symptoms and voiding/storage functions, as assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), OAB symptom score (OABSS), and urodynamic studies, were compared between the groups., Results: The final analysis included 50 and 52 patients in the fesoterodine and mirabegron groups, respectively. Although the IPSS and OABSS significantly improved in both groups, the fesoterodine (vs mirabegron) group showed significantly greater improvements in the OABSS-total (-2.8 vs -1.5, P = 0.004), IPSS-QOL (-1.5 vs -1.1, P = 0.04), and OABSS-urgency score (-1.5 vs -0.9, P = 0.008) at 12 weeks. Regarding storage functions, although both groups showed significant improvements, the fesoterodine group demonstrated greater improvements in the detrusor overactivity alleviation rate (52.6% vs 28.9%, P = 0.03). Voiding functions did not deteriorate in either group at 12 weeks; no significant inter-group differences were observed. Post-void residual urine significantly increased by 16 mL only in the fesoterodine group., Conclusion: Add-on therapy of fesoterodine to silodosin was more effective than adding mirabegron to silodosin for improving OAB symptoms and storage functions, without deteriorating voiding symptoms or functions., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

As Japan enters into an aging society, aged patients with chief complaint of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) have increased. The most common cause of LUTS in men older than 50 years is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In particular, LUTS associated with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms was reported to have a significant negative impact on patient quality of life (QOL). In clinical practice, monotherapy with α1-blockers or PDE5 inhibitors is widely employed for the initial management of BPH accompanied by OAB (BPH/OAB). However, storage symptoms may persist in some patients. In patients with residual OAB symptoms despite α1-blocker or PDE5 inhibitor monotherapy, the addition of an anticholinergic agent or a β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) agonist is recommended by the BPH guidelines. Although both agents have been shown to effectively improve OAB symptoms and bladder storage functions, it remains unclear which type of add-on therapy, anticholinergic agents or β3-AR agonists, is most effective for alleviating OAB symptoms and storage functions. Recently, detrusor underactivity (DU) is also considered to be a common cause of non-neurogenic LUTS in men. DU has been reported to be present in 9%-48% of men undergoing urodynamic evaluation for non-neurogenic LUTS. DU can lead to adverse health effects, in addition to significant burden and decreased QOL. Thus, development of a safe and effective treatment for patients with LUTS induced by DU is an urgent issue at present. In this paper, we will introduce most recent findings of curative drugs for LUTS, especially BPH/OAB and DU in clinical practice.

Introduction: To determine the pre-treatment factors related to the improvement of overactive bladder (OAB) symptom after alpha-1 blocker monotherapy in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia complicated by OAB (BPH/OAB)., Methods: Post-hoc analysis of a prospective study in patients with BPH/OAB, randomized to receive silodosin 8 mg (n = 157) or naftopidil 75 mg (n = 157) treatment for 12 weeks, was performed. At 12 weeks post-administration, patients were divided into 2 groups (good responder [GR] group and poor responder [PR] group), according to the improvement in the OAB symptom score (OABSS). We compared the pre-administration parameters between both groups and evaluated the factors related to OAB improvement., Results: Of 314 patients, 159 patients (50.6%) were classified into the GR and 155 (49.4%) into the PR. International Prostate Symptom score, total OABSS, OABSS urgency-score, OABSS urgency urinary incontinence (UUI)-score, post-void residual urine volume (PVR), and selection rate of naftopidil were significantly higher in the PR than in the GR. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, larger PVR, higher OABSS-UUI-score, and the choice of naftopidil were significant risk factors for insufficient improvement of OAB symptoms., Conclusions: Pre-treatment PVR, UUI severity, and the choice of treatment agent are predicting factors related to OAB improvement after alpha-1 blocker monotherapy in patients with BPH/OAB., (© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: To investigate the effects of tadalafil on storage and voiding function in treatment-naïve patients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia, based on a urodynamic study., Methods: This was an open-labeled, single-center, prospective study. A total of 80 untreated outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia received tadalafil 5 mg/day for 12 weeks. Subjective symptoms and objective findings on voiding and storage function obtained through urodynamic studies, including cystometry and pressure flow study, were evaluated before and after treatment., Results: A total of 71 patients with a mean age of 70.2 years and a mean prostate volume of 45.6 mL were included in the analysis. In the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, mean total scores significantly improved from 18.2 to 13.4 (P < 0.001) and 6.5 to 4.7 (P < 0.001), respectively, after treatment. Mean maximum bladder capacity significantly increased by approximately 35 mL (P < 0.001). Detrusor overactivity disappeared in 15 (39.5%) of 38 patients with detrusor overactivity at baseline (P < 0.001). Mean maximum flow rate on pressure flow study significantly increased from 7.1 to 9.1 mL/s (P < 0.001) and mean bladder outlet obstruction index significantly decreased from 61.3 to 47.1 (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Treatment with tadalafil 5 mg once daily effectively relieves lower urinary tract symptoms based on objective improvement of storage and voiding function, such as detrusor overactivity and bladder outlet obstruction, in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia., (© 2017 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Purpose: We compared the effects on lower urinary tract symptoms and bladder outlet obstruction of combination therapy with α1-blocker and 5α-reductase inhibitor or a switch to 5α-reductase inhibitor monotherapy. We determined the factors influencing changes in lower urinary tract symptoms after α1-blocker withdrawal., Materials and Methods: A total of 140 outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia received combination therapy with silodosin 8 mg per day and dutasteride 0.5 mg per day for 12 months. Of the patients 132 were randomized to continue combination therapy or switched to dutasteride monotherapy through silodosin withdrawal as the monotherapy group. Parameter changes from before randomization to 12 months after randomization were assessed based on subjective symptoms and urodynamic findings of voiding and storage function., Results: Efficacy analysis included 57 patients on combination therapy and 60 on monotherapy. The change in I-PSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) after randomization was -0.7 and -0.6 in the combination therapy and monotherapy groups, respectively. The bladder outlet obstruction index changed from 46.1 to 41.8 in the combination therapy group and from 42.9 to 39.9 in the monotherapy group. No significant differences in subjective symptoms and bladder outlet obstruction were observed between the 2 groups. However, storage function decreased in the monotherapy group and lower urinary tract symptoms deteriorated significantly after the switch to dutasteride monotherapy in patients with a higher body mass index., Conclusions: We found that α1-blocker withdrawal from combination therapy was reasonable and tolerable with regard to the effect on lower urinary tract symptoms and bladder outlet obstruction. However, withdrawal must be performed carefully in patients with a high body mass index., (Copyright © 2017 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: We investigated predicting factors for the therapeutic effects of dutasteride in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) based on a urodynamic study (UDS)., Methods: This was a single-center, prospective study involving 120 male outpatients with LUTS. They received 0.5 mg of dutasteride per day for 12 months. IPSS, OABSS, IPSS-QOL, and UDS were used for assessing subjective and objective symptoms prior to and 12 months after administration. Patient's age, PSA level, prostate volume, IPSS, OABSS, maximum flow rate, and post-void residual urine volume, and intravesical prostatic protrusion (IPP) were set as pre-administration parameters to predict the therapeutic effect. We evaluated the relationship between these parameters and the therapeutic effects, depending on the extent of improvement of IPSS and bladder outlet obstruction (BOO)., Results: A total of 104 patients with mean age of 68.9 years and mean prostate volume of 58.9 mL were included in the analysis. Thirty-two patients (30.8%) showed an insignificant IPSS improvement of <25%, while 41 patients (39.4%) showed excellent IPSS improvement of 50% or greater. On the multivariate logistic regression analysis, IPP (95% confidence interval: 0.606-0.810) was found to be the only factor related to the improvement in IPSS. Additionally, the multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that IPP was the most powerful factor for predicting improvement of BOO (r = -0.51, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: IPP is considered a useful predictor of the therapeutic effects of dutasteride for both subjective symptoms and BOO., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objectives: To investigate the predicting factors of therapeutic response to α1-blockers in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostate enlargement based on a urodynamic study., Methods: This was a prospective study involving 125 outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostate enlargement. They received 8 mg of silodosin for 12 months. International Prostate Symptom Score, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, International Prostate Symptom Score quality of life assessment, and urodynamic study were used to assess subjective and objective symptoms. Patient age, prostate-specific antigen level, prostate volume, International Prostate Symptom Score, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, maximum flow rate and post-void residual urine volume, and intravesical prostatic protrusion were investigated as potential parameters to predict the therapeutic response. Baseline parameters that influenced the improvement of International Prostate Symptom Score and bladder outlet obstruction were statistically analyzed., Results: A total of 103 patients with mean age of 69.2 years and mean prostate volume of 46.8 mL were included in the analysis. A total of 39 patients (37.9%) showed insignificant improvement in International Prostate Symptom Score (<25%), whereas 36 patients (35.0%) showed insufficient improvement in bladder outlet obstruction index (less than 25%). Prostate volume, maximum flow rate and intravesical prostatic protrusion were independent predictors of ineffective treatment. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, intravesical prostatic protrusion was found to be the only factor related to improvement of both the International Prostate Symptom Score and bladder outlet obstruction. Additionally, multiple linear regression analysis showed that intravesical prostatic protrusion was the only significant factor for predicting improvement of the International Prostate Symptom Score (r = -0.56, P < 0.001) and bladder outlet obstruction (r = -0.59, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Intravesical prostatic protrusion can be considered a useful predictor of therapeutic response to silodosin for subjective symptoms and bladder outlet obstruction in male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostate enlargement., (© 2017 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Aims: We evaluated long-term efficacy and safety of a combination therapy (CT) with an anticholinergic agent and an α1-blocker for patients with benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) complaining of voiding and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms, in comparison with those of α1-blocker monotherapy (MT), by conducting a urodynamic study (UDS)., Methods: This was a randomized prospective study involving 120 outpatients with untreated BPE associated with urinary urgency at least once per week and OABSS of ≥3. The patients were randomly assigned to receive MT with silodosin at 8 mg/day or CT with silodosin at 8 mg/day and propiverine at 20 mg/day. Changes in parameters from baseline to 12 weeks and 1 year after administration were assessed based on IPSS, IPSS-QOL, OABSS, and voiding and storage functions as measured by UDS., Results: In efficacy analysis, 53 patients with MT and 51 with CT were included. Although mean IPSS and OABSS significantly improved in both groups, the CT group showed statistically significant improvement in OABSS (-3.4 in CT, -2.4 in MT, P = 0.04), IPSS-QOL (-1.9, -1.2, P = 0.01), and OAB-urgency score (-1.8, -1.2, P < 0.01) at the long-term evaluation. In storage function, both groups showed significant improvements, but the CT group demonstrated a greater improvement in terms of disappearance rate of detrusor overactivity (54.5% in CT, 34.2% in MT, P = 0.07) and bladder capacity (+61 mL, +33 mL, P = 0.02)., Conclusions: Long-term combination treatment with silodosin and propiverine was effective and safe for BPE patients with voiding and OAB symptoms. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:748-754, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: We investigated the efficacy of 2 α1-blockers with different affinities for the α1-adrenoceptor subtypes silodosin and naftopidil in the treatment of benign prostatic enlargement complicated by overactive bladder., Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, open label, randomized, multicenter study of 350 outpatients with untreated benign prostatic enlargement associated with urinary urgency at least once per week and an OABSS (Overactive Bladder Symptom Score) of 3 or greater. Patients were randomly assigned to receive silodosin 8 mg per day or naftopidil 75 mg per day. Changes in parameters from baseline to 4 and 12 weeks were assessed based on I-PSS (International Prostate Symptom Score), I-PSS quality of life, OABSS and voiding functions measured by uroflowmetry., Results: On efficacy analysis a total of 314 patients were included in the 2 groups. No significant difference in adverse effects was observed between the groups. Mean I-PSS and I-PSS quality of life scores, and OABSS significantly improved in both groups. Statistically significantly greater improvement in the silodosin group than in the naftopidil group was observed in total OABSS (p = 0.03), I-PSS quality of life score (p = 0.005) and OABSS urgency score (p <0.001) at 12 weeks. In regard to voiding function the maximum urinary flow rate showed significant improvements in both groups but the change in the maximum flow rate in the silodosin group at 12 weeks was significantly greater than in the naftopidil group (3.6 vs 2.1 ml per second)., Conclusions: Silodosin, a pure α1A-adrenoceptor blocker, showed greater improvement in overactive bladder symptoms along with the urinary flow rate in patients with benign prostatic enlargement complicated by overactive bladder compared to naftopidil, an α1D>A-adrenoceptor blocker., (Copyright © 2017 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the correlation between testosterone levels and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), to evaluate the change in testosterone secretion during treatment for LUTS, and to determine the factors that influence testosterone secretion., Methods: This was an open-labeled, single-center, prospective study of 110 outpatients with LUTS caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia. Silodosin, an alpha-1 blocker that is not known to affect testosterone secretion, was administered to the patients. Before administration and 1 year after administration, serum testosterone level was measured, and the International Prostate Symptom Score and a urodynamic study were used to assess subjective and objective symptoms., Results: A total of 104 patients with a mean age of 70.4 years were included in the analysis. According to pretreatment evaluation, no statistically significant correlations existed between the serum total testosterone level and the International Prostate Symptom Score (r = -0.08, P = .44) or BOO index (r = 0.04, P = .68). One year after silodosin administration, the mean serum testosterone level significantly increased from 5.09 to 5.52 ng/mL (P <.001). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was observed between the change in testosterone level and improvement in the BOO index (r = 0.52, P <.001)., Conclusion: In patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, treatment with silodosin significantly increased testosterone secretion, and improvements in objective symptoms such as BOO were found to be the factors that influenced testosterone secretion., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the etiology of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms during secondary treatment following initial unsuccessful therapy with α1-blockers in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)/OAB patients., Methods: BPH/OAB patients were selected if urinary urgency did not improve with initial α1-blocker therapy and if dose escalation was required as secondary treatment for a period of 8 weeks. The overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and uroflowmetry were evaluated. On the basis of the OABSS at the end of secondary therapy, we divided patients into two groups: patients in whom OAB symptoms improved ("resolved OAB group") and patients in whom OAB symptoms persisted ("persistent OAB group"). Differences in subjective symptoms and objective parameters between the groups were analyzed., Results: OAB symptoms improved in 33 of 79 patients (42%) after secondary treatment. The changes in the total OABSS and International Prostate Symptom Score from the beginning of the secondary treatment were -2.15 and -3.97, respectively, in the resolved OAB group, indicating a significant decrease in the OABSS compared to that in the persistent OAB group (-0.91 and -1.11, respectively). The change in average flow rate (Qave; +1.34) from the beginning of secondary treatment in the resolved OAB group was significantly greater than the change in the persistent OAB group (+0.58). Improvements in urgency and Qave were significantly correlated (r = -0.264, P = .031)., Conclusion: Improvement in urinary stream contributed to the resolution of OAB symptoms in BPH/OAB patients. In the management of OAB symptoms in BPH/OAB patients, examination and therapy for both urinary stream and OAB symptoms could be substantially important., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate the effects of dutasteride 0.5 mg once daily for 12 months on lower urinary tract symptoms in treatment-naïve patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia., Methods: The present open-label, single-center, prospective study recruited 105 outpatients. International Prostate Symptom Score, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, quality of life score testing and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Impact Index were used for assessing subjective symptoms. Urodynamic study including uroflowmetry, cystometry and pressure flow study were carried out to evaluate objective symptoms. As parameters of storage function, first desire to void, maximum cystometric capacity and occurrence of involuntary detrusor contraction were measured, whereas maximum flow rate, detrusor pressure at maximum flow rate, post-void residual urine and bladder outlet obstruction index were assessed as parameters of voiding function. Wilcoxon's rank-sum test, Student's t-test and the χ(2)-test were carried out to evaluate changes in subjective and objective symptoms., Results: A total of 97 patients with a mean age of 68.8 years and mean prostate volume of 57.6 mL were included in the analysis. Subjective symptom parameters improved significantly after 2 months, and progressively improved until after 12 months. Significant improvements in storage function objective parameters and voiding function objective parameters were observed after 6 months, and further improvements were obtained after 12 months., Conclusions: Dutasteride is effective in relieving lower urinary tract symptoms by improving storage and voiding function, as well as subjective symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia., (© 2014 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Aims: To investigate the factors responsible for failure in improvement of subjective symptoms following silodosin treatment on the basis of findings of a pressure-flow study (PFS)., Methods: A post hoc analysis of a prospective study to investigate the efficacy of silodosin in patients with BPH was conducted, and 104 patients were analyzed. The patients were administered silodosin 8 mg/day for 4 weeks. At the baseline and after treatment, subjective symptoms were evaluated using the IPSS and OABSS. A PFS was conducted to measure storage and voiding function. The patients were divided into two groups: good responders (GR), patients with 25% or more improvement in IPSS, and poor responders (PR), <25% improvement. The clinical and objective findings for the two groups were compared., Results: The mean IPSS and OABSS significantly improved in GR, but no significant improvement was observed in PR. PFS analysis revealed that all voiding and storage function parameters improved significantly in GR. Although PR showed a significant improvement in the voiding function parameters, it did not show significant changes in the storage function. Involuntary detrusor contraction (IDC) resolved in 68.6% of the patients in GR and in only 30% of the patients in PR, thereby showing a significant difference in the remedial effect between the two groups., Conclusions: The findings suggest that insufficient improvement in storage function is a contributing factor to the failure in improvement of subjective symptoms after silodosin treatment in patients with BPH., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: The efficacy of a loading dose of α(1)-adrenoreceptor antagonist for patients with benign prostate hyperplasia who did not improve at a low dose has not been determined. We performed a prospective study to estimate the efficacy of incremental naftopidil administration., Methods: The efficacy of naftopidil was examined based on changes in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). We defined a "responder" as a patient who improved by ≥5 points in IPSS total score. All patients were administered naftopidil at 50 mg/day for 12 weeks, and nonresponders at 50 mg/day were increased to 75 mg/day. Efficacy was finally evaluated after an additional 12 weeks of administration at 75 mg/day., Results: Among 122 patients whose data could be analyzed, the efficacy rate after administration at 50 mg/day was 52.5%. In all IPSS items except urgency score, the responders had significantly higher (poorer) values than nonresponders before the start of treatment. Of 40 patients whose dose was increased to 75 mg/day and whose data could be analyzed, prostate volume in the responder group (9 patients) was significantly smaller than that in the nonresponder group (31 patients). Multivariate analysis showed that patients with improved IPSS total score, voiding symptoms, urgency, and weak stream after administration of 50 mg/day naftopidil were more likely to improve after a dose increase., Conclusions: A dose increment of naftopidil to 75 mg/day may be useful in patients with BPH who did not improve at 50 mg/day.

Purpose: We investigated the effect of the new sympathetic alpha1A-adrenoceptor antagonist silodosin for relieving benign prostatic obstruction by pressure flow study., Materials and Methods: In this open, nonblinded, prospective study we administered 8 mg silodosin daily for 4 weeks in 60 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic enlargement. As a primary outcome measure, we assessed changes in bladder function and benign prostatic obstruction using pressure flow study. As secondary outcome measures, changes in subjective symptoms and quality of life were assessed by the International Prostate Symptom Score. Objective changes in urination status were also assessed by free uroflowmetry in terms of maximum flow rate and post-void residual urine volume., Results: A total of 57 patients were enrolled for analysis. In the storage phase of the pressure flow study bladder capacity at first desire to void increased significantly with no significant change in maximum cystometric capacity. Of 24 patients 14 (58.3%) with uninhibited detrusor contractions before administration showed apparent improvement in detrusor overactivity after administration, including 6 in whom uninhibited contractions disappeared. In the voiding phase mean detrusor pressure at maximum flow significantly decreased from 72.5 to 51.4 cm H(2)O. The mean bladder outlet obstruction index decreased significantly from 60.6 to 33.8. Obstruction grade assessed by the Schaefer nomogram improved in all except 1 patient. Total symptom and quality of life scores, maximum flow rate and post-void residual urine volume on free uroflowmetry significantly improved., Conclusions: Silodosin improved lower urinary tract symptoms by improving bladder storage function and relieving benign prostatic obstruction.