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By Mayo Clinic staffOpen prostatectomy is surgery to remove an enlarged prostate that's causing urinary symptoms. With open prostatectomy, your doctor will remove your entire prostate through a cut (incision) beneath your navel. For most men, open prostatectomy generally requires a hospital stay of a few days, and a few weeks of recovery.
Open prostatectomy is one of several alternatives for treating an enlarged prostate, a condition also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Other treatments include medications, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), transurethral microwave therapy (TUMT), transurethral needle ablation (TUNA), and laser surgery. Open prostatectomy is the most invasive of all treatments for enlarged prostate.
- AUA guideline on the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia: Diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Baltimore, Md.: American Urological Association. http://www.auanet.org/content/guidelines-and-quality-care/clinical-guidelines/main-reports/-management/chapt_1_appendix.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2009.
- Han M. Retropubic and suprapubic open prostatectomy. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/128042617-3/0/1445/92.html?tocnode=54305512&fromURL=92.html. Accessed March 25, 2009.
- Seur E, et al. Open prostatectomy is still a valid option for large prostates: A high-volume, single-center experience. Urology. 2008;72:90.
- Cunningham GR, et al. Surgical and other invasive therapies of benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 12, 2009.