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By Mayo Clinic staffTUIP typically takes 20 to 30 minutes. You'll receive either a general anesthetic, which will put you to sleep, or an anesthetic that blocks feeling from the waist down (spinal block).
During the procedure
Your doctor may put numbing gel inside your urethra and may numb the prostate area with an injection given through your rectum.
Once the anesthetic is working, your doctor will insert a combined visual and surgical instrument (resectoscope) into the tip of your penis and extend it to the prostate area. The resectoscope is equipped with a lens or camera, a cutting device, and valves to release fluid to wash (irrigate) the surgery area. The resectoscope is about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) long and 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) in diameter. It has a light, valves for controlling irrigating fluid, and an electrical loop to cut tissue and seal blood vessels. Irrigating fluid is used to lubricate the urethra and rinse away blood.
Using the resectoscope, the doctor makes one or two incisions on the inner surface of the prostate where the bladder joins the prostate (bladder neck).
After the procedure
You may be able to leave the hospital the day of the procedure, or you may need to stay overnight. Talk to your doctor about what you can expect, and any precautions you need to take after you go home.
- You'll have a catheter in place that enters through the tip of your penis and goes into your bladder to drain your urine into a collection bag. The catheter may be left in place for one or two days. In some cases, a catheter is needed for a longer period of time. You may urinate around the catheter, which is normal because your bladder may squeeze more urine out than the catheter can accommodate. Your doctor may give you disposable catheters you can insert on your own a few times a day until you can urinate again.
- Urination may be painful, or you may have a sense of urgency as urine passes over the surgical area. You may also need to urinate more often than usual. Painful urination generally improves in one to four weeks.
- Expect some blood in your urine right after surgery. If you have clots or so much blood in your urine you can't see through it, contact your doctor.
- Your ability to resume sexual activity depends on how quickly you heal. Talk to your doctor about when it's OK for you to have sex again. You'll likely be able to resume sexual activity after a few weeks.
These steps can help you recover after your procedure.
- Drink plenty of water to flush out the bladder.
- Avoid constipation and straining during a bowel movement. Eat fiber-containing foods and avoid foods that can cause constipation. Ask your doctor if you should take a laxative, if you do become constipated.
- Don't take blood-thinning medications until your doctor says it's OK.
- Don't do any strenuous activity, such as heavy lifting, for four to six weeks or until your doctor says it's OK.
- Cunningham GR, et al. Surgical and other invasive therapies of benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 2, 2011.
- Prostate enlargement: Benign prostatic hyperplasia. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostateenlargement. Accessed Feb. 11, 2011.
- Fitzpatrick JM, et al. Minimally invasive and endoscopic management of benign prostatic hyperplasia. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/125743340-3/0/1445/91.html?tocnode=54305416&fromURL=91.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2011.
- Guideline on the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Linthicum, MD. American Urological Association. http://www.auanet.org/content/guidelines-and-quality-care/clinical-guidelines.cfm?sub=bph. Accessed Jan. 27, 2011.
- Lourenco T. The clinical effectiveness of transurethral incision of the prostate: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. World Journal of Urology. 2010;28:23.
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