Know More about Prostate Surgery

1. Know More about Prostate Surgery What is Prostate Surgery? Prostate surgery is done for the complete or partial surgical removal of the prostate gland. This is also known as prostatectomy. It is performed on patients with prostate cancer, enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Prostate cancer can be metastatic where in, it can spread to other parts of the body, such as surrounding bones and lymph nodes. Thus, surgical removal of the gland is important to prevent the spread. What is Prostate Gland? It is a walnut-sized gland in men that is located near the bladder and wraps around the urethra. The prostate gland is divided into 3 zones. They are: Central zone Transitional zone Peripheral zone The central and transitional zone is most commonly affected by benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) while the peripheral zone is affected by prostate cancer.

2. Prostate cancer is one of the most common in men, the second most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death among men worldwide, with 1.1 million cases and 307,000 deaths in 2012. Indications: The most common indications are: Prostatism (frequency of urination, painful urination, the urgency of urination increases) Acute urine retention Chronic urine retention (residual urine is more than 200ml ) Hydroureter (urine retention in the tube carrying urine from the kidneys to the bladder); Hydronephrosis (excessive collection of urine in the kidneys results in the swelling up of the kidneys), stone formation recurrent infection blood in the urine What symptoms need Prostate Surgery? Burning urination Difficulty in passing urine Blood in urine /semen Urination in night increases Painful or difficulty in ejaculation Pelvic or lower abdomen pain Bone pain ( lower half of body ) In case a patient has any of the above symptoms, the patient must visit the Urologist immediately. There are some best urologists in Kolkata in different cities of India, who perform proper checkup and can successfully perform the prostate surgery, if required. Which medical conditions can be treated by this Surgery? Prostate cancer: This is one of the most common cause for this procedure. Patient has symptoms like painful urination, lower back pain, abdomen pain, leg pain , unexplained weightless. By surgery, the surgeon removes the gland, along with nearby skin and lymph nodes also to prevent the spread of the cancer. This is known as radical prostectomy.

3. Prostate enlargement Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH): Benign or non-cancerous enlargement of prostate seen after 50 years of age What is the goal of this surgery? The goal of prostate surgery is to: Cure the prostate disease ensure the ability of the urinary system to function normally ensure that ability to have erections reduce side effects of the condition like discomfort and displacement of other organs in that region reduce the pain What tests are done before the procedure? 1. Urine examination: It consists of: Routine microscopic examination Detection of sugar and blood in the urine Urine culture to detect infections 2. Ultrasound KUB: Ultrasound of Kidney Ureter, Bladder to find out: Prostate Volume Residual or remaining urine in the bladder 3. Hydronephrosis: a condition in which excessive collection of urine in the kidneys results in the swelling up of the kidneys 4. Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA): It is a Glycoprotein, the value of which varies with age. 5. Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) What are the risks of Prostate Surgery? Complications associated with prostate surgery can be similar to any other major surgical procedure. They consist of the general complications seen in any surgery like excessive blood loss, reaction to anesthesia, etc. along with complications specific to the organs surrounding the site of the surgery like the urinary bladder, urethra, which is the tube-like structure that carries the urine out from the urinary bladder.

4. In short, the common complications are: Bleeding from the site of operation Blood clot formation (in the legs) Formation of blood clots in the pelvic region Pulmonary embolism (blood clots that travel to the lung from the legs) Infection ( at the site of surgery ) Urinary incontinence which means the inability to control urine Erectile dysfunction or impotence (ED) Urinary tract infection (Narrowing which is called stricture formation of the urethra /Narrowing of the neck of the bladder ) Complications caused due to TURP procedure are - Water intoxication ( increase in water content in the body that leads to fluid overload, this results in Congestive Cardiac Failure. This is also called TURP Syndrome ). Hyponatremia ( decrease in the sodium content of the body ) Perforation or injury to the bladder Stricture of the urethra ( narrowing of the tube due to scarring ) Retrograde ejaculation ( flow of ejaculate or semen in the opposite direction i.e., into the bladder )