Prostate Surgery Options
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. This condition, which often blocks the urinary stream, is very common in males as they age. When symptoms are mild, many men are able to work around them with simple lifestyle changes, including a decrease in fluid intake or by emptying the bladder before trips. With more severe symptoms, another course of action may be recommended in order to prevent urinary problems and obstruction. Oftentimes, as with prostate cancer, surgery is indicated.
Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP)
Commonly referred to as the "Roto-Rooter" surgery, TURP accounts for 95 percent of surgeries performed to relieve BPH and is one of the most common surgeries in the U.S. Necessitating a hospital stay of one to three days and requiring anesthesia, a surgeon removes all of the tissue of the prostate that is bulging into the urethra and stopping the flow of urine. It is a highly effective form of treatment for BPH, with rare cases of side effects or complications.
Open Prostatectomy
For men with very enlarged prostates, this traditional surgery removes all excess prostate tissue through an incision in the abdomen. Longer hospital stays are needed and side effects, including ejaculation problems, bleeding, heart attack and stroke, have been reported.
Transurethral Electrovaporization of the Prostate (TUVP)
Requiring just a short hospital stay, TUVP uses an electrode to vaporize and cauterize all prostate overgrowth. Although long-term studies are not available, it seems that side effects are the same as with the TURP procedure. Another surgery which removes all overgrowth is laser prostatectomy. The length of hospital stay and the severity of side effects is much the same as TUVP.
Transurethral Incision of the Prostate (TUIP)
TUIP is designed to improve symptoms of an enlarged prostate without removing all of the BPH. Under anesthesia, a scope is passed through the urethra which allows lasers to make small incisions in the prostate, enabling urine flow to improve. This surgery carries a greater risk of symptom recurrence than TURP.
Transurethral Microwave Thermotherapy (TUMT)
As the name implies, prostate tissue is effectively cooked by microwave heat. After three to six months, the dead tissue sloughs off and improvement of urinary flow follows. While improvement of symptoms lasts for about three years, long-term effects are questionable.
Transurethral Needle Ablation (TUNA)
This new surgery attempts to bake the BPH by microwave needles. It takes one to two months for symptoms to improve and, like TUMT, studies of long-term effects are few and far between.
High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)
HIFU is another tissue-cooker surgery whereby an ultrasound probe placed in the rectum heats the prostate overgrowth to 90 degrees Celsius. Heavy sedation is required and the success rate of this treatment option is average at best.
Tags: side effects, hospital stay, long-term effects, prostate overgrowth, Prostate Surgery