TURP
Key points
- The prostate gland is an organ at the base of the bladder in men.
- These symptoms can often be relieved by removing all or part of the prostate gland.
- Transurethral resection of the prostate is the gold standard treatment and most common surgical procedure for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
- Transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP) is similar to TURP, but is usually performed in people who have a relatively small prostate.
Alternative names
Prostatectomy; Prostate removal; Suprapubic prostatectomy; Transurethral resection of the prostate; TUIP; Open prostatectomy
Definition
The prostate gland is an organ at the base of the bladder in men. The tissues in the gland may need to be surgically removed or destroyed as a way to treat prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hypertrophy) or Prostate cancer.
Description
The symptoms of an enlarged prostate include:
- Frequent urination with small amounts of urine
- Need to urinate at night
- Difficulty starting a stream of urine
- Slow stream of urine
- Urine dripping out of urethra after urination (dribbling)
- Feeling that bladder is never empty
- Urinary tract infection
These symptoms can often be relieved by removing all or part of the prostate gland. This can be performed in a number of different ways, depending on the size of the prostate and the cause of the prostate enlargement.
The three most common procedures for surgically removing the prostate to treat non-cancerous enlargement are transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP), and open prostatectomy.
The decision regarding the type of prostatectomy to perform depends on the size of your prostate gland. Generally, for prostates less than 30 grams, TUIP is recommended.
For glands bigger than 30 grams and less than 80 grams (this number depends on the experience of the surgeon), TURP is performed. If the prostate is bigger than 80 grams, open prostatectomy is recommended.
TURP
Transurethral resection of the prostate is the gold standard treatment and most common surgical procedure for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). TURP is performed using spinal or general anesthesia. A special kind of cystoscope (tubelike instrument) is inserted into the penis through the urethra to reach the prostate gland.
A special cutting instrument is inserted through the cystoscope to remove the prostate gland piece by piece. Blood vessels are cauterized (electric current is applied to stop the bleeding) during the surgery.
A Foley catheter (artificial tube to remove urine from the body) is placed to help drain the bladder after surgery. The urine will initially appear very bloody, but will clear with time.
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
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