Transurethral prostatectomy for prostatitis

Surgery Overview
This procedure involves removal of part of the prostate gland through the urethra.
A long, thin tube with a viewing instrument (cytoscope) attached is inserted into the urethra. Prostate tissue is removed through the cytoscope.

What To Expect After Surgery
You are usually hospitalized for 2 to 3 days. Complete recovery generally requires 3 to 4 weeks.

Why It Is Done
This surgery may be done for:
Chronic bacterial prostatis that resists antibiotic treatment, with or without infected prostate stones (prostatic calculi).
Repeated urinary tract infections because of another prostate problem for which surgery may be appropriate, such as prostate enlargement (benign protatic hyperplasia, BPH).

How Well It Works
Few men with chronic bacterial prostatitis have their symptoms improve after this surgery.

Risks
Urinary incontinence
Inability to get or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)

What To Think About
To eliminate category II (chronic bacterial) prostatitis successfully, the surgery must completely remove the portion of the prostate that contains the infection.
Complete the surgery information form (PDF) (What is a PDF document?) to help you prepare for this surgery.

References
Citations
Nickel JC (2002). Prostatitis and related conditions. In PC Walsh et al., eds., Campbell's Urology, 8th ed., vol. 1, pp. 603–630. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.