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High-Frequency Irreversible Electroporation vs Standard of Care for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

NCT07572097 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 288

Last updated 2026-05-07

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The study aims to find a better surgical treatment for men with an enlarged prostate (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH) that effectively relieves urinary symptoms without sacrificing sexual function.

Currently, standard surgeries like TURP or HoLEP are very effective at opening the blocked urinary channel. However, because they use heat or mechanical energy to remove prostate tissue, they often cause unwanted side effects, most notably the loss of normal ejaculation (retrograde ejaculation) and potential impacts on erectile function.

This study is testing a novel, minimally invasive technology called High-Frequency Irreversible Electroporation (H-FIRE). Instead of using heat to burn or cut the tissue, H-FIRE delivers ultra-short electrical pulses to destroy the blocking prostate tissue. This "non-thermal" (heat-free) approach is uniquely designed to spare the delicate nerves, blood vessels, and muscles surrounding the prostate, which are critical for preserving normal sexual function and bladder control.

In this clinical trial, 288 men aged 50 and older with moderate-to-severe BPH symptoms will be randomly assigned to receive either the investigational H-FIRE procedure or the Standard of Care surgery (TURP or HoLEP).

The main goal of the study is to prove that H-FIRE is just as effective as standard surgery in relieving lower urinary tract symptoms over 12 months. More importantly, the study will evaluate if H-FIRE is superior in helping patients achieve the "BPH Trifecta"-meaning the patient successfully achieves significant symptom relief, maintains perfect bladder control (uses zero pads), AND fully preserves normal ejaculation.

By utilizing this new tissue-sparing technology, the trial hopes to offer aging men a treatment option that restores their urinary health while fully protecting their overall quality of life.

Conditions

  • BPH

Interventions

PROCEDURE

H-FIRE

High-Frequency Irreversible Electroporation (H-FIRE) is a novel, non-thermal, tissue-selective ablation technique. Under transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guidance, 19-gauge monopolar electrodes are inserted transperineally via a template to bracket the prostatic transition zone. The H-FIRE generator delivers ultrashort bursts of high-voltage microsecond-pulsed electric fields . This rapidly destabilizes the transmembrane potential, creating permanent nanoscale pores in the cell membrane and inducing cellular apoptosis rather than coagulative necrosis. This unique non-thermal mechanism is designed to effectively ablate obstructing prostatic adenoma while sparing the collagenous architecture of neurovascular bundles and the external sphincter.

PROCEDURE

Surgical Standard of Care (TURP or HoLEP)

The Standard of Care (SoC) intervention comprises guideline-endorsed transurethral surgical procedures for benign prostatic obstruction. The specific surgical modality is strictly mandated by baseline prostate volume stratification to ensure optimal therapeutic efficacy. For prostates measuring 30 to 80 mL, surgeons perform either Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP, Monopolar or Bipolar) or Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP). For larger prostates (\>80 to 150 mL), HoLEP is strictly mandated. Both procedures are performed under anesthesia with the clinical goal of achieving complete anatomical removal of the obstructing adenoma (resection to the surgical capsule for TURP, or anatomical enucleation for HoLEP).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Shanghai East Hospital

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
50 Years
Sex
MALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-05-05
Primary Completion
2028-05-05
Completion
2029-05-05

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07572097 on ClinicalTrials.gov