The morbidity of transurethral resection of the prostate

Transurethral prostatectomy remains the mainstay of interventional treatment for men with significant symptoms or complications of bladder outflow obstruction. It is currently being challenged by new, less invasive modalities such as laser treatment, although randomized trials have not yet been sufficiently large to compare new technologies with conventional treatments satisfactorily. Transurethral prostatectomy carries risks of death of 0.2-0.5%, early return to theatre of 2%, sepsis of 8% and bleeding of 2-5%. These risks are increased in the elderly, those with retention, renal impairment and prostate cancer. The evidence is not compelling that transurethral prostatectomy carries significantly increased risks of late cardiovascular morbidity compared with age-matched controls.