Prostatic urethral lift (marketed as Urolift) is a

minimally invasive procedure Minimally invasive procedures (also known as minimally invasive surgeries) encompass surgical techniques that limit the size of incisions needed, thereby reducing wound healing time, associated pain, and risk of infection. Surgery by definition ...

for the treatment of

benign prostatic hyperplasia Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called prostate enlargement, is a noncancerous increase in size of the prostate gland. Symptoms may include frequent urination, trouble starting to urinate, weak stream, inability to urinate, or loss o ...

. This procedure can be done under local anesthesia in an outpatient consultation.

Procedure

Using

cystoscopy Cystoscopy is endoscopy of the urinary bladder via the urethra. It is carried out with a cystoscope. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The cystoscope has lenses like a telescope or microscope ...

, the procedure inserts implants that lift and hold the enlarged prostatic tissue out of the way, thus dilating the prostatic urethra.

Benefits

This procedure likely improves quality of life without additional negative side effects when compared with a

sham surgery Sham surgery (placebo surgery) is a faked surgical intervention that omits the step thought to be therapeutically necessary. In clinical trials of surgical interventions, sham surgery is an important scientific control. This is because it isolate ...

. Compared with

transurethral resection of the prostate Transurethral resection of the prostate (commonly known as a TURP, plural TURPs, and rarely as a transurethral prostatic resection, TUPR) is a urological operation. It is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As the name indicates, ...

, the standard surgery for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, this procedure may be less effective in reducing urinary symptoms but may preserve ejaculation and have fewer unwanted effects on erections.

Harms

The most common side effects include

dysuria Dysuria refers to painful or uncomfortable urination. It is one of a constellation of ''irritative'' bladder symptoms (also sometimes referred to as lower urinary tract symptoms), which includes nocturia and urinary frequency. Diagnosis The clin ...

and

hematuria Hematuria or haematuria is defined as the presence of blood or red blood cells in the urine. “Gross hematuria” occurs when urine appears red, brown, or tea-colored due to the presence of blood. Hematuria may also be subtle and only detectable w ...

(typically resolving within 2–3 weeks) due to the manipulation of the prostatic urethra, although it does not require routine catheterization due to its less invasive nature.

References

{{reflist Prostatic procedures