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PERCHED between the legs of his patient, urologist Jimmy Lam looks every bit the video game player.

Armed with what appears to be a joystick and staring intently at a screen, Dr Lam wields the laser, vaporising tissue to form a canal through his patient's prostate. In less than 90 minutes it is done.

Another South Australian man has been relieved of the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia - a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate.

Gone are symptoms such as difficult and frequent urination, a reduced stream, and a feeling that the bladder never completely empties - all of which can have an impact on quality of life.

Even better, his patient will walk away from hospital the next day, suffering only minor pain and able to resume a normal life virtually instantly.

One in every two men aged over 60 will suffer from symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate. Men who reach 90 years have a 90 per cent chance of developing the condition.

So news that South Australians now access the latest hi-tech laser surgery to rectify the problem is pretty exciting.

Watching Dr Lam perform surgery using the GreenLight XPS system this week it became clear why this technology is considered the best.

Dr Lam spent $200,000 of his own money to bring the machine to Calvary North Adelaide Hospital, and has used it on nearly 20 patients since it arrived in late January.

He has the only machine in the state so demand is high. It is far less invasive than traditional surgery, there is little to no blood, it is done quickly and with little fuss.

Not even a flashing camera puts Dr Lam off his game.

"With the laser procedure the patient will normally have an overnight stay, as opposed to two or three days in hospital," Dr Lam said. "There is a reduced amount of time they need to have a catheter in after the operation."

Previously South Australian patients wanting the surgery had to travel to Melbourne, Sydney or Perth.

The laser technology has been around for close to a decade, but Dr Lam's laser is third generation and powerful. So much so the procedure is much quicker, taking between 30 and 90 minutes depending on the prostate's size.

"Benign prostatic hyperplasia can be treated with lifelong medication or by having the traditional operation known as a transurethral resection," Dr Lam said.

The resection required a few nights in hospital, and a pre-surgical course of blood thinners, he said.

Barry Brown, 66, of Kingston Park, was out of hospital the morning after receiving the laser procedure and experienced little pain.

"Having the operation has been absolutely life-changing. I feel like I'm 20 again," Mr Brown said.

Horst Worzfeld, 70, of Lenswood, also recently had the surgery.

"The operation was mid afternoon," he said.

"I woke up in the evening and had a great night.

"The nurse said in the morning, 'Can I get you some painkillers?', and I said, 'What for, I haven't got any pain'."

Mr Worzfeld said he hadn't felt so good for 40 years.