Benign Enlargement of Prostate (BPH)
It is a fairly prevalent disease of elderly male patients above the age of 50 years. Incidence of this causing symptoms, increases as the age advances. As the enlargement progresses, it pinches the urethra below the bladder and causes difficulty in passing urine.
Unless complications of enlargement have set in, initial line of treatment should be conservative with medicines. If patient does not improve, or escapes benefit with medicines or complications set in, minimally invasive surgery should be offered to him.
The most time tested surgical treatment for BPH is Trans Urethral Resection of Prostate (TURP). The other options include Laser Ablation or Nucleation. In very large sized glands, open surgery in experienced hands is a very good option. The surgical options should be discussed with the surgeon in detail regarding the pros and cons of each, and then decide what suits you the best.
The commonest misconception regarding laser treatment for anything in urology is that a common man misinterprets endoscopic surgery with laser surgery. All endoscopic surgeries are done without large incisions, but only few of them laser through the endoscopes. The most time-tested operation for BPH is a TURP, which is often understood and spoken of as a laser surgery for prostate, wherein reality it is an endoscopic surgery, which utilizes electric mode of resection and not laser. For most glands, TURP is the best suited surgery, with minimal extra costs for special instruments, which are required for using laser for the same.
The options for minimally invasive surgery for BPH are TURP, Laser Ablation or Enucleation of prostate or Open surgery.