transurethral resection of the prostate (turp) side effects
what are the side effects?
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is a surgery used to treat urinary problems due to an enlarged prostate.
- 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. Some men who have TURP have recurring urinary tract infections.
- 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.
- 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.
- Erectile dysfunction. Up to 10% of men who have a TURP have difficulty getting and maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction) afterwards. This can be either temporary or permanent.
Medication can be prescribed to help reduce the problem if necessary, but you should speak to your surgeon if this is a concern. Your surgeon may be able to provide more information on your individual risk.
- Heavy bleeding. Very rarely, men lose enough blood during TURP to require a blood transfusion. Men with larger prostates appear to be at higher risk of significant blood loss.
- Difficulty holding urine. Rarely, loss of bladder control (incontinence) is a long-term complication of TURP.
- Low sodium in the blood. Rarely, the body absorbs too much of the fluid used to wash the surgery area during TURP. This condition — known as TURP syndrome or transurethral resection (TUR) syndrome can be life-threatening if untreated. A technique called bipolar TURP eliminates the risk of TURP syndrome.
- Need for retreatment. Some men require follow-up treatment after TURP because symptoms return over time or never adequately improve. Sometimes, retreatment is needed because TURP causes narrowing (stricture) of the urethra or the bladder neck.
2 Responses
My father passed away, it was not so long ago. He was here in Morocco on his last mission when he was told that he had prostate problems. He had to get the Turp surgery but I wanted to take him somewhere else. Unfortunately, he did not make it and we are still waiting for the autopsy result since then, I’ve been acquiring information on the aftermath of the Turp surgery to figure out what went wrong. So, please be honest.
First, the Iranian Surgery team offers their condolence Madam and as a medical company we know how hard it can be on you as the decision-maker. You did not mention your Father’s age and by aftermath, we assume you mean side effects. Anyway, the side effects of TURP Surgery or Transurethral resection of the prostate are usually having to urinate with difficulty for a couple of days after the surgery but it will be temporary, difficulty holding urine, and in some cases urinary tract infection. The patient’s Sodium blood level might drop or they may experience Heavy bleeding. Dry orgasm and erectile dysfunction have also been reported as the TURP Surgery’s side effects. In rare cases or serious ones, the treatment might have to be repeated.