Surgical treatments to treat prostate problems

Prostate problems are common in men over the age of 60, so medical innovation is putting a lot of effort into solving benign prostatic hyperplasia by minimising the postoperative complications that can be caused by this type of surgery. 

It is worth mentioning that all surgical treatments for the treatment of prostate problems are effective in improving the urinary stream and calibre, eliminating the annoying symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia.

At the same time, it is important to emphasise that each patient is different, so there are different surgical treatments for the treatment of prostate problems, the choice of which depends on different factors such as the size of the prostate, respiratory or bleeding problems, heart disease, etc. 

There are also some surgical treatments for prostate problems that can be used in any patient.

The following is a brief overview of each of the surgical treatments for the treatment of obstructive prostate problems:

Transurethral resection of the prostate is the most widely performed surgery for the treatment of prostate problems in history. It has been used since the 1940s and the results are very good. With regard to the latter, the best results are achieved in prostates no larger than 60cc. 

However, despite its efficacy, there is a percentage chance of postoperative complications such as erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence and retrograde ejaculation (the latter is likely in more than 70% of cases, while the other problems do not exceed 8-10% of procedures).

Laser surgery for the surgical treatment of prostate problems is one of the newest advances in this field. There are several types of laser, such as the green laser, the thulium laser or the Holmium laser, the latter two being the latest on the market. Laser technology allows the prostate reduction surgery to be carried out in a minimally invasive way by introducing the laser fibre through the urethra.

In addition to this, surgical treatment of prostate problems with laser minimises bleeding thanks to the heating power of the laser, which cauterise the area adjacent to the vaporised tissue, thus allowing for a shorter hospital stay and a shorter recovery; it allows for greater precision, which reduces postoperative problems such as urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction; and it helps the surgeon to carry out a faster and more effective operation. 

However, the likelihood of retrograde ejaculation is similar to that of a transurethral resection of the prostate.

This type of surgery is mainly reserved for patients suffering from prostate cancer located in the prostate. It can also be used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, especially in cases where the size of the prostate is exaggeratedly large and it is impossible to use any of the other surgical techniques mentioned above. 

It is an effective intervention, as it considerably reduces the size of the prostate, thus relieving the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, but it has a high probability, at least in comparison with the others, of causing urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and of course the inevitable retrograde ejaculation.

Urolift Prostate surgery is the most advanced surgical technique on the market, allowing the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia to be resolved in an outpatient surgery that lasts no more than 20 minutes. 

Moreover, as it is a minimally invasive surgery that causes very little tissue damage, it is the ONLY prostate surgery that allows the patient to retain full sexual function, to observe the results immediately through an endoscope and to immediately improve symptoms.

Improved surgical treatments for the prostate are very important nowadays due to the progressive increase in life expectancy, which is much more accentuated in European countries and the USA, so that the solution of symptoms with the minimum of complications is a priority for the world of medicine.

To find out more about surgical treatments for prostate problems, click on the link of your choice:

• Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)
• Thulium Laser Prostatectomy (ThuLEP)
• Holmium laser Prostate Surgery (HoLEP)
• Urolift Prostate Surgery