Anesthesia for Transurethral Prostate Surgery

Abstract

In most men the prostate gland progressively enlarges after the age of 40, leading to the diagnosis of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Cancer of the prostate gland is a common tumor in men and has been found microscopically at autopsy in about 60% of men over 80 years old [1]. Up to 75% of men older than 50 years of age present with symptoms secondary to BPH or prostate cancer. As a result more than 350,000 transurethral prostatic resections are performed annually in the United States, making this one of the most commonly performed procedures [2].