Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffTransurethral needle ablation (TUNA) is an outpatient procedure to treat urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate. This procedure is also called radiofrequency ablation or RF therapy for enlarged prostate.
During TUNA, a specially adapted visual instrument (cystoscope) is inserted through the tip of your penis into the tube that carries urine from your bladder (urethra). Using the cystoscope, your doctor guides the placement of tiny needles into your prostate. Then radio waves are passed through the needles to create scar tissue. This scarring shrinks prostate tissue, opening up the urinary channel so urine can flow more easily.
TUNA is one of several options for treating an enlarged prostate, a condition also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). To determine the best treatment choice for you, your doctor will consider how severe your symptoms are, what other health problems you have, and the size and shape of your prostate.
Before doing any enlarged prostate procedure, your doctor may want to do a test that uses a visual scope to look inside your urethra and bladder (cystoscopy). This allows the doctor to check the size of your prostate and examine your urinary system. Your doctor may also want to do other tests, such as blood tests or tests to measure urine flow.
- 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.
- d'Ancona FC. Nonablative minimally invasive thermal therapies in the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. Current Opinion in Urology. 2008;18:21.
- Han M. Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..50090-X--cesec17&isbn=978-0-7216-0798-6&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..50090-X--cesec17&uniqId=239958488-4#4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..50090-X--cesec17. Accessed Jan. 2, 2011.
- Cunningham GR, et al. Surgical and other invasive therapies of benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 2, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on