Prostate laser surgery

Prostate laser surgery is used to relieve moderate to severe urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate — a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). During prostate laser surgery, your doctor inserts a scope through the tip of your penis into the tube that carries urine from your bladder (urethra). The prostate surrounds the urethra, and if the prostate is enlarged, it restricts urine flow from the bladder. A laser passed through the scope delivers energy that shrinks or removes excess tissue from the prostate that is preventing urine flow.

Prostate laser surgery helps reduce urinary symptoms caused by BPH , including: Frequent, urgent need to urinate Difficulty starting urination Slow (prolonged) urination Increased frequency of urination at night Stopping and starting again while urinating The feeling you can't completely empty your bladder Urinary tract infections Laser surgery might also be done to treat or prevent complications due to blocked urine flow, such as: Recurring urinary tract infections Kidney or bladder damage Inability to control urination or an inability to urinate at all Bladder stones Blood in your urine Laser surgery can offer several advantages over other methods of treating BPH . It can take several weeks to months to see noticeable improvement with medications. Improvements in urinary symptoms from laser surgery are noticeable right away. The advantages over traditional surgery, such as transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and open prostatectomy, can include: Lower risk of bleeding. Laser surgery can be a good option for men who take medication to thin their blood or who have a bleeding disorder that doesn't allow their blood to clot normally. Shorter or no hospital stay. Laser surgery can be done on an outpatient basis or with just an overnight hospital stay. Quicker recovery. Recovery from laser surgery generally takes less time than recovery from TURP or open surgery. Less need for a catheter. Procedures to treat an enlarged prostate generally require use of a tube (catheter) to drain urine from the bladder after surgery. With laser surgery, a catheter is generally needed for less than 24 hours.

Risks of laser surgery can include: Temporary difficulty urinating. You might have trouble urinating for a few days after the procedure. Until you can urinate on your own, you will need to have a tube (catheter) inserted into your penis to carry urine out of your bladder. Urinary tract infection. This type of infection is a possible complication after any prostate procedure. An infection is increasingly likely to occur the longer you have a catheter in place. You will likely need antibiotics to treat the infection. Narrowing (stricture) of the urethra. Scars after prostate surgery can block urine flow, leading to additional treatment. Dry orgasm. A common and long-term effect of any type of prostate surgery is the release of semen during ejaculation into the bladder rather than out of the penis. Also known as retrograde ejaculation, dry orgasm isn't harmful and generally doesn't affect sexual pleasure. But it can interfere with your ability to father a child. Erectile dysfunction. The risk of erectile dysfunction after prostate treatments is small and generally lower with laser surgery than with traditional surgery. Need for retreatment. Some men require follow-up treatment after laser vaporization surgery because not all of the tissue is removed or it might grow back over time. Men who have laser enucleation don't usually require re-treatment because the entire part of the prostate that can block urine flow is removed. Serious long-term complications are less likely with prostate laser surgery than with traditional surgery.

Before surgery you will be given either general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia. With general anesthesia, you'll be unconscious during the procedure. With spinal anesthesia, you'll remain conscious, but pain will be blocked from the surgical area. Exactly what you can expect during and after prostate laser surgery varies depending on the particular type of laser and technique used.