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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffRisks of TUMT include:
- Trouble urinating. Some men have trouble urinating (urinary retention) after the procedure. If this happens, you may need a tube in place to carry urine from your bladder (catheter) for a few days to a few weeks or more.
- Urinary tract infection. A urinary tract infection is more likely to occur the longer you have a catheter in place, and may require antibiotics or other treatment.
- Narrowing (stricture) of the urethra. This condition blocks the tube that carries urine from your bladder and may require additional treatment.
- Retrograde ejaculation. This is a condition in which semen flows backward into the bladder during ejaculation. It isn't painful or harmful, but if you have it you ejaculate very little or no semen out of your penis when you have an orgasm.
- Need for re-treatment. Some men who undergo TUMT later require more treatment — usually surgery. The need for additional treatment after TUMT is more likely than it is after surgery, either because symptoms return or because they never adequately improve.
Because of potential complications, TUMT isn't recommended if you have or have had:
- A penile implant
- An artificial urinary sphincter
- Urethral stricture (narrowing of the tube that carries urine from the bladder)
- Radiation treatments in the pelvic area
- Pelvic surgery
If you have a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator, you will need to consult with your cardiologist and see whether the device can be deactivated for the procedure.
- 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 March 12, 2009.
- 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/bph-management/chapt_1_appendix.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2009.
- d'Ancona FC. Nonablative minimally invasive thermal therapies in the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. Current Opinion in Urology. 2008;18:21.
- Gravas S et al. Transurethral microwave thermotherapy: From evidence-based medicine to clinical practice. Current Opinion in Urology. 2007;17:12.
- Hoffman RM et al. Microwave thermotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007:CD004135.
- Cunningham GR, et al. Surgical and other invasive therapies of benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 12, 2009.
