How is BPH treated?

Medical therapy for BPH works through either: 1) relaxing the muscles with the prostate or; 2) shrinking the size of the gland over time. These medications may be used alone or in combination, depending on the circumstances of each patient, with the combined approach yielding better results. Patients who do not respond to medical therapy, or who develop complications of BPH like retention or recurrent infections, will require surgery.

During transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) the surgeon removes the part of the gland causing blockage using instruments passed through a telescope down the urethra. Depending on the size of the prostate, the operation can take about 40 minutes to 1 hour.

We perform a bladder neck incision in men with small prostates or who have obstruction caused by narrowing or scarring at the bladder neck. Instead of boring out the prostate as in a TURP, the surgeon cuts the gland at strategic locations to allow the channel for urine to spring open.

Some men with BPH develop stones in the bladder as a result of poor bladder emptying. These stones can be broken down and removed, often at the same time as TURP, using either a laser fibre or special instruments passed down the telescope.