Purpose of reviewThis is a concise and timely update of the most recent developments in the clinical research on the investigation of benign prostatic hyperplasia.Recent findingsAnalysis of the peer-review literature confirms a high level of consensus as to the management of prostatic hyperplasia; analysis of practice trends suggests a satisfactory degree of adoption of the proposed guidelines. The evaluation of lower urinary tract symptoms remains the mainstay in the investigation of prostatic hyperplasia although problems concerning the evaluation of nocturia and the differential diagnosis between hyperplasia and chronic prostatitis were identified. Lower urinary tract symptoms confirmed their value as predictors of disease progression. The extent of patient involvement in the decision making process is increasing and new tools to elicit patient preference have been developed. A growing consensus as to the concept of disease progression has been reached concerning prostatic hyperplasia. Analysis of patient sexual function is now considered an important part of patient's interview. More sophisticated instruments, such as time trade-off values were successfully tested to elicit patient preference in the management of prostate disease. The value of serum prostate specific antigen as a predictor on prostate volume growth has recently been confirmed also in unselected male population.SummaryCurrent research into the investigation of benign prostatic hyperplasia provides new insight into the pathophysiology of lower urinary tract symptoms and identifies parameters to predict the natural history of the disease in the individual patient, particularly regarding progression of the disease and the onset of adverse events.