Transurethral resection of the prostate - Who can use it
- Introduction
- When it's necessary
- Who can use it
- How it is performed
- Recovering from surgery
- Risks of surgery
- Alternatives to surgery
- Advantages-and-disadvantages
- Expertview
Most men can have a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) even if they are not in particularly good health.
However, there are reasons why a TURP would not be considered suitable, or where the risks of complications would be too high. These circumstances are explained below.
- If you have recently had a heart attack and/or heart surgery. It would usually be recommended you wait between three and six months before having the operation.
- If you have a neurological condition, such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, you may have problems controlling your bladder. A TURP would make this problem much worse, resulting in incurable urinary incontinence.
- If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and are intending to have a total removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy) as a treatment.
- If you have recently had radiotherapy to treat prostate cancer. Again, having a TURP soon after radiotherapy would result in urinary incontinence. After having radiotherapy, a wait of at least six months is usually recommended before having the procedure.
- If you have an active infection of your bladder, urethra or kidneys. If this is the case, the TURP would need to be delayed until after the infection has been treated with antibiotics.
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