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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffTransurethral needle ablation (TUNA) is a treatment to relieve urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, such as:
- A frequent need to urinate
- Increased frequency of urination at night (nocturia)
- Stopping and starting again while urinating
- The feeling you can't completely empty your bladder
TUNA works best for men who have mild to moderate blockage (obstruction) of the urethra. It doesn't work well for men with very large prostates or for men who have obstruction caused by enlargement of the central part of the prostate that rests against the bladder (middle lobe).
In the long term, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or open prostatectomy appear to be more effective than TUNA for relieving urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate. But TUNA has several advantages:
- In many cases, it doesn't require general or spinal anesthesia.
- It has a lower risk for bleeding complications than invasive surgery.
- It may be a safer alternative if surgery isn't a good choice for you because of certain health problems.
Before deciding TUNA is a good choice for you, your doctor will perform a cystoscopy. This procedure is used to see inside your bladder and the tube that carries urine from your bladder through your penis (urethra).
- 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.
- Cunningham GR, et al. Surgical and other invasive therapies of benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. 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.
- Bouza, C, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of transurethral needle ablation in symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. BMC Urology. 2006;6:14.
- 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.
