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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffTUNA is used to ease urinary symptoms and complications resulting from blocked urine flow, such as:
- A frequent, urgent need to urinate
- Difficulty starting urination
- Slow (prolonged) urination
- Increased frequency of urination at night (nocturia)
- Stopping and starting again while urinating
- The feeling you can't completely empty your bladder
- Urinary tract infections
Other enlarged prostate procedures include transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), transurethral microwave therapy (TUMT), transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP), laser surgery such as holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) or laser photovaporization of the prostate (PVP), and open prostatectomy.
In the long term, TUNA is less effective than is TURP or open prostatectomy. But, TUNA has several advantages over surgery:
- For most men, it's done without an overnight hospital stay (on an outpatient basis).
- It has lower risk factors for bleeding and other complications than does surgery.
- It may be a safer alternative if surgery isn't a good choice for you because of certain other health problems.
- It is less likely to cause difficulty holding urine (urinary incontinence) than is surgery.
References
- 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.
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