Open Prostatectomy for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Surgery Overview
Open prostatectomy is the surgical removal of an enlarged (noncancerous) Reference prostate Opens New Window. It is done under a Reference general Opens New Window or Reference spinal Opens New Window anesthetic. Usually, an incision is made through the lower abdomen, although sometimes the incision is made between the rectum and the base of the penis. A catheter may be placed in the bladder through the lower abdominal skin to help flush the bladder (postoperative bladder irrigation) and another Reference catheter Opens New Window comes out of the penis to drain the urine. The procedure requires a slightly longer hospital stay and recovery period than transurethral resection of the prostate (Reference TURP Opens New Window).
Open prostatectomy is not done very often. It may be recommended if:
- You have a very large prostate.
- You have bladder diverticula (pouches in the wall of the bladder) or bladder stones.
- TURP is not possible for another reason.
A prostatectomy also reduces the chances that another surgery will be needed, which is a potential problem when TURP is used.
If you have been treated for prostate cancer, an open prostatectomy cannot be done.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: March 5, 2012 |
| Medical Review: | Reference E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Reference J. Curtis Nickel, MD, FRCSC - Urology |
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