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By Mayo Clinic staff
During TURP
You'll be given either a spinal anesthetic, which allows you to be awake during the procedure but unable to feel pain in the surgical area, or a general anesthetic, which will put you to sleep.
After the anesthetic takes effect, an instrument called a resectoscope is inserted into your urethra through your penis. No external incision is required. The resectoscope, which is about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) long and 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) in diameter, contains a light, valves for controlling irrigating fluid, and an electrical loop that cuts or vaporizes tissue and seals blood vessels.
During the 60- to 90-minute operation, your surgeon uses the scope's electrical loop to trim the obstructing tissue from the inside of your prostate gland, creating a cavity and decreasing pressure on your urethra. Only the interior part of your prostate gland is removed. This tissue is carried by the irrigating fluid into your bladder, and then flushed out at the end of the operation.
BPH usually isn't a symptom of prostate cancer, and it doesn't increase your risk of prostate cancer. But your doctor may recommend the prostate tissue from your procedure be sent to a lab to check for hidden cancer cells.
After TURP
You recover in the hospital for one to two days. Expect some blood or small blood clots in your urine afterward. You may need a urinary catheter for a few days. At first, you may have painful urination or a sense of urgency as urine passes over the surgical area. This gradually improves over one to four weeks. You can go back to office work in about two weeks and back to manual labor in four to six weeks. You'll likely be able to resume sexual activity in about four to six weeks. Talk to your doctor about what's right for your situation.
- Burnett AL, et al. Benign prostatic hyperplasia in primary care: What you need to know. Journal of Urology. 2006;175:S19.
- Understanding prostate changes: A health guide for men. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understanding-prostate-changes. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Prostate enlargement: Benign prostatic hyperplasia. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostateenlargement/. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Kim HL, et al. Benign prostatic hyperplasia. In: Brunicardi CF, et al. Schwartz's Principles of Surgery. 8th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=818980. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Cunningham GR. Surgical and other invasive therapies of benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Prostate cancer treatment: Treatment option overview. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/prostate/Patient/page4. March 24, 2009.
- Morgan GE, et al. Anesthesia for genitourinary surgery. In: Morgan GE, et al. Clinical Anesthesiology. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=893115. Accessed March 24, 2009.
