Cost Matters: A Rigorous Economic Analysis of PAE with Comparison to TURP

Excerpt

In this edition of cardiovascular and interventional radiology, Capdevila et al. compare prostate artery embolization (PAE) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) through a cost–utility analysis [1]. The authors are to be congratulate for producing this rigorous economic evaluation of PAE and TURP using, prospective data, as well as models. Cost–utility analyses are considered by many to be the most effective way to help health care systems make choices when evaluating multiple treatment strategies [2]. The benefit lies in the simultaneous evaluation of cost and clinical benefit, which allows a scientific evaluation of what we initiatively know to be true, namely that a treatment which provides little to no benefit is not worth the cost even if that cost is small, while conversely a treatment that provides only slightly more benefit than another strategy should likely not be promoted if it costs ten times more. Finally, the paper does an excellent job of considering all cost that realistically occur over a 5 year horizon, for instance reintervention. These are important considerations when trying to establish the true cost of one procedure as compared to another. …