Minimally Invasive Laser Prostate Surgery in India

         Minimally Invasive Laser Prostate Surgery in India

Transurethral Resection of Prostate or T.U.R.-Prostate or T.U.R.P. is a treatment of choice if the enlarged prostate gland compresses on the urethra resulting in obstruction of urinary outflow. In the TURP, the glandular tissue is removed in small chips or pieces as opposed to Radical Prostatectomy where the prostate gland is removed in it's entirety. T.U.R.P. is an endoscopic procedure where the prostate gland can be visualized while it is being resected.

On the basis of the size of the prostate gland, different kind of prostatic procedures are decided. TURP is performed on the glands bigger than 30 grams and less than 80 grams. But if the prostate gland is bigger than 90 grams, open prostatectomy is performed. Prostatic surgery is not performed on the patients having bood clotting disorder or bladder disease (neurogenic bladder).

• Irregular or absent periods

• Hormone imbalance

• Smoking or alcohol use

• Endometriosis

• Fibroids

• History of infertility

Minimally Invasive Laser Prostate (TURP) 

Laser prostatectomy or Laser for prostatic surgery - Is recently developed minimally invasive treatment modalities for patients having BPH i.e benign prostatic hyperplasia or benign prostatic hypertrophy. The term Benign prostatic hyperplasia or benign prostatic hypertrophy means increase in size of the prostate gland in the men above 50 years of age. Laser Prostatectomy is used mainly to remove the prostate gland when there is no cancer in it but its size enlarges due to which it creates problem in the urinary tract. Laser prostatectomy is a short and easy procedure, usually after which the patient can return to their home on the day of operation itself.

Procedure for laser prostatic Surgery - Patients who has a history of BPH are recommended by their doctors to undergo laser prostatic surgery as because they cannot be treated by the medical therapy. Before the surgery the patients has to undergo several preoperative measurements like American Urologic Association symptom score, Uroflowmetry, Prostate-specific antigen and Transrectalultrasonography (TRUS). Laser prostatectomy uses beams of light to destroy prostate tissue. It is mainly done under the use of regional anesthesia. This laser beam helps in destroying any prostate tissue which blocks the opening of the urethra and bladder outlet. After the laser prostatic surgery, the rate of urine flow improves and reduces the symptoms of BPH. 

                             Advantages of Laser TURP

1. Safer & Faster

2. No blood loss

3. Shorter hospital stay & faster recovery

4. Highly beneficial for :-

o Patients on blood thinning agents like heparin, aspirin, clopidegrol etc

o Patients with kidney dysfunction

o Patients whose prostate gland size more than 60 gm

o Patients whose prostate gland size more than 60 gm

o Patients who are at poor risk for anesthesia

o Patients with cardiac complications or who have undergone joint replacement surgery

          Conventional vs Laser Prostatectomy / TURP

• For the conventional TURP, the resectoscope, a combined visual and surgical instrument is used, whereas the Laser procedure involves use of advanced laser energy to cut excess gland, thus there is no loss of blood & shorter hospitalization is required

• Blood thinning agents have to be stopped a week to 10 days before the procedure for conventional TURP, which puts the heart at risk, whereas the laser TURP is done with the blood thinning agents on board, which is highly beneficial for cardiac patients.

• Conventional TURP allows tissue removal at only 1gram/min, whereas laser can vaporize tissue as fast as 3-4 grams/ min.

• For prostates larger than 100gm, open surgery is required in case of conventional TURP, whereas lasers can effectively perform surgery in such large prostate cases