Open operations have been replaced by minimally invasive procedures, and classical surgical tools by advanced lasers. Depending on the wavelength, the absorption by water and hemoglobin and the depth of penetration, lasers can be used for coagulation, vaporization and enucleation. In many centres, after all the possibilities of pharmacological treatment have been exhausted, lasers are used as the primary treatment for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, with therapeutic results that are better than those obtained through open or endoscopic operations.