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Laser Prostate Surgery Side Effects

Who Can Have This Treatment

Surgery Side Effects: Answering Youtube Comments #11 | Ask a Prostate Expert, Mark Scholz, MD | PCRI

All patients with an enlarged prostate, known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia are suitable, including those on anticoagulants. Because we use powerful, third generation laser technology and proven techniques, we can treat men with large prostates, including those who have gone into retention and are dependent upon a catheter.

Risks Of Prostate Surgery

The risks with any type of radical prostatectomy are much like those of any major surgery. Problems during or shortly after the operation can include:

  • Reactions to anesthesia
  • Blood clots in the legs or lungs
  • Damage to nearby organs
  • Infections at the surgery site.

Rarely, part of the intestine might be injured during surgery, which could lead to infections in the abdomen and might require more surgery to fix. Injuries to the intestines are more common with laparoscopic and robotic surgeries than with the open approach.

If lymph nodes are removed, a collection of lymph fluid can form and may need to be drained.

In extremely rare cases, a man can die because of complications of this operation. Your risk depends, in part, on your overall health, your age, and the skill of your surgical team.

Green Light Laser Prostate Surgery Is A Big Boon

Prostate enlargement is a deadly infection experienced by most of the men that brings discomfort in their life. It is caused due to growth of prostate gland due to which urethra is compressed.

As such the follow passage for urine is obstructed and this results in increased bothersome urinary symptoms like irritation, strained, slow, discontinuous and frequent urine. Among many treatments to cure this infection, green light laser therapy is one of the best treatments for this infection as it involves the use of modern technology of lasers.

Since long this treatment has set of new standard care for treating enlarged prostate symbols. You might have heard about the surgery with the name PVP, which stands for photoselective vaporization of the prostate. Green light laser therapy has received FDA clearance in May 2001.

Basically laser surgery uses high energy lasers to destroy prostate tissue. Following procedure is followed in green light laser surgery. The patient is first given general or spinal anesthesia. The doctor then passes the thin laser fiber through the passage called urethra into the prostate using cytoscope, cytoscope is a camera that allows doctor to examine bladder and prostate, and delivers bursts of energy. Each burst lasts for 30 to 60 seconds. The high energy of lasers destroys prostate tissue by vaporizing them and prostates are thus removed.

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Details Of The Greenlight Laser Prostate Surgery

In the majority of cases men will be treated with a single overnight stay in hospital or be allowed to return home on the same day as their operation. A general anaesthetic most commonly is used for this prostate laser surgery. A telescopic camera is then inserted into the penis and the internal surface of the prostate visualized. The GreenLight laser beam is then directed onto the prostate surface and tissue vaporized in an almost bloodless fashion. GreenLight Laser vaporization is continued until all obstructing prostate tissue has been removed.

A small urethral catheter is inserted at the end of the procedure. This is left in place overnight only. After removal of the catheter, men go home once they have successfully passed urine and emptied their bladder.

Follow-up takes place 12 weeks after the prostate laser surgery to confirm symptomatic improvement.

The Prostate Clinic

The Prostate Clinic, located in Australia’s Gold Coast, specialise in minimally invasive surgery and treatments, for the prostate and prostate cancer.

Dr. Charles Chabert carries out medical therapy and procedures such as robotic prostate surgery and UroLift, to GreenLight laser prostate surgery or laser prostate surgery. These treatments are aimed at patients with prostate cancer, those seeking enlarged prostate treatment, erectile dysfunction and/or urinary incontinence.

Contact The Prostate Clinic to arrange an appointment to discuss your diagnoses and plan your way forward.

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Side Effects Of Prostate Surgery

Does GreenLight Laser Surgery Have Any Side

The major possible side effects of radical prostatectomy are urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction . These side effects can also occur with other forms of prostate cancer treatment.

Urinary incontinence: You may not be able to control your urine or you may have leakage or dribbling. Being incontinent can affect you not only physically but emotionally and socially as well. These are the major types of incontinence:

  • Men with stress incontinence might leak urine when they cough, laugh, sneeze, or exercise. Stress incontinence is the most common type after prostate surgery. It’s usually caused by problems with the valve that keeps urine in the bladder . Prostate cancer treatments can damage this valve or the nerves that keep the valve working.
  • Men with overflow incontinence have trouble emptying their bladder. They take a long time to urinate and have a dribbling stream with little force. Overflow incontinence is usually caused by blockage or narrowing of the bladder outlet by scar tissue.
  • Men with urge incontinencehave a sudden need to urinate. This happens when the bladder becomes too sensitive to stretching as it fills with urine.
  • Rarely after surgery, men lose all ability to control their urine. This is called continuous incontinence.

After surgery for prostate cancer, normal bladder control usually returns within several weeks or months. This recovery usually occurs slowly over time.

There are several options for treating erectile dysfunction:

Read Also: Robotic Prostate Surgery Side Effects

How Is Greenlight Laser Prostatectomy Surgery Performed

Greenlight laser prostatectomy surgery is a minimally invasive surgery that is carried out under a general anaesthetic. Most patients are able to return home on the day of their procedure, but some require an overnight stay. The procedure usually takes around an hour.

Your surgeon will pass a long, thin surgical instrument called a cystoscope into your bladder via your urethra. The cystoscope has a small camera attached to the end, allowing your surgeon to clearly see your bladder on a screen.

They will then use the cystoscope to vaporise part of the prostate with highly targeted lasers to reduce its overall size before removing the cystoscope.

Schedule An Appointment To See A Urologist

To schedule an appointment with a urologist at University of Utah Health, call 801-213-2700. You do not need a referral from your primary care provider or another care provider to schedule an appointment with our urologists. However, some insurance plans do require a referral in order for HoLEP to be covered. Talk to your insurance carrier about your specific plan requirements.

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How Turp Is Performed

TURP is carried out using a device called a resectoscope, which is a thin metal tube containing a light, camera and loop of wire. This is passed along your urethra until it reaches your prostate, which means no cuts need to be made in your skin.

The loop of wire is then heated with an electric current and used to cut away the section of your prostate causing your symptoms. A thin tube called a catheter is then inserted into your urethra to pump fluid into the bladder and flush away pieces of prostate that have been removed.

General or spinal anaesthesia is used during the procedure so you don’t feel any pain while it’s carried out.

What Do Patients Say

Prostate Surgery Side Effects

GreenLight Laser Therapy has helped more than 1 million men around the world relieve the symptoms of BPH.1 And get back to life.

Guys dont typically talk about things like BPH. Even with their partners, friends, family or personal doctor. Until it starts getting in the way. Of work, sleep, sex, everything. Hear firsthand from men who battled BPHuntil this innovative treatment gave them new hope. And a better life.

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Impotence After Prostate Surgery

In the past, up to 70 per cent of men who had their whole prostate removed because of cancer had some difficulty achieving an erection afterwards. This is because the prostate lies next to the nerves and blood vessels that are important for erections, and these nerves and vessels can be damaged during the operation. Newer surgical techniques that aim to spare the nerves associated with erectile function have reduced the risk of impotence.

While there is a still a significant risk of erectile dysfunction after prostate surgery, there is often a gradual improvement in erectile function over time. Some men only have short-lived erectile dysfunction and others continue to improve for up to 3 years.

The Different Types Of Prostate Surgery

Prostatectomy

The term prostatectomy is used to describe a number of different surgical procedures to remove either part or all of the prostate gland. This may be required to treat prostate cancer or BPH.

When only a part of the prostate is removed, this is called a simple prostatectomy. This process involves enucleating it from its capsule to trim away excess tissue, but where the sphincter muscle and nerves remain intact. It is usually used to treat BPH, which is a benign condition, meaning there is no risk of malignant cells having moved on to surrounding tissue.

When the entire prostate gland, capsule , the surrounding lymph nodes and neighbouring tissue is removed, this is known as a radical prostatectomy. This is usually a treatment for men with localised prostate cancer and there a number of techniques used:

Open Surgery This is where the prostate is removed via a large single incision in the lower abdomen, or the perineum .

Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy This is where the prostate is removed via several small incisions in the lower abdomen using small surgical instruments. This process is much less invasive than open surgery.

Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy Much like laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, the prostate is removed via small incisions in the lower abdomen. Robotic-assisted instruments are inserted through the incisions and controlled by a surgeon.

Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate

Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

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Risks And Side Effects Of Turp

TURP can cause long-term problems with ejaculation, orgasm, erection, and infertility.

Semen may flow backward into the bladder, a condition termed retrograde ejaculation, or dry orgasm. Retrograde ejaculation may affect up to 6575% of males who have undergone TURP, according to the National Health Service .

Retrograde ejaculation can also make orgasm feel different or less pleasurable. It also reduces fertility.

TURP has variable effects on erectile dysfunction. In a small study involving 264 men who underwent TURP, 5.8% of the 109 men who had good erectile function before TURP reported worsening erectile function afterward. However, of the 136 men who reported mild to moderate erectile dysfunction before surgery, 16.2% reported an improvement afterward. Other research indicates permanent erection problems are rare.

Other potential problems with TURP include:

  • damage to the urethra or bladder
  • transurethral resection syndrome, a concerning but uncommon complication
  • scar tissue on the urethra, which makes it harder to urinate and requires additional surgery
  • , which may subside in the weeks following surgery

Why Is Green Light Laser Prostate Surgery Performed

What Is A GreenLight Laser Prostatectomy?

Green light laser surgery is performed for the purposes of treating Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia . Benign Prostate Hyperplasia , also known as enlarged prostate, is quite common among older men. The symptoms of an enlarged prostate include frequent need to urinate, increased frequency of urination during the night, difficulty to start urinating, weak urine stream that stops and starts, etc. The symptoms usually start off in a more mild form but tend to get worse over time.

Green light laser surgery for prostate is one of the newest, minimally invasive treatment options for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The green light laser beam is used to vaporize the obstructing inner part of the prostate gland itself that is causing the urinary symptoms that are reducing the quality of life of the patient. No cuts are made as a part of the surgery.

At the end of the surgery, a catheter is placed into the bladder and through the penis as a way to drain urine in the next three days, after which the staff at the hospital removes the catheter. Once the green light laser prostate surgery is successfully performed, there is an open and clear passage for the urine to be eliminated, as all of the enlarged prostate symptoms are efficiently relieved.

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What Is A Cystoscopy

A cystoscopy is a test to check the health of your urethra and bladder. You might also hear it called a cystourethroscopy or, more simply, a bladder scope.

Itâs an outpatient test, which means you can get it at your doctorâs office, a hospital, or clinic and go home the same day. The doctor inserts a tube into your urethra. If youâre a man, the opening is at the end of your penis. If youâre a woman, itâs just above your vagina. The test lets your doctor check the complete length of your urethra and the bladder for polyps, narrow areas called strictures, abnormal growths, and other problems.

Your Cancer Care Team

People with cancer should be cared for by a multidisciplinary team . This is a team of specialists who work together to provide the best care and treatment.

The team often consists of specialist cancer surgeons, oncologists , radiologists, pathologists, radiographers and specialist nurses.

Other members may include physiotherapists, dietitians and occupational therapists. You may also have access to clinical psychology support.

When deciding what treatment is best for you, your doctors will consider:

  • the type and size of the cancer
  • what grade it is

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Things You Should Expect After Prostate Surgery

Prostate removal is a major type of surgery and requires time for the body to recover. Even though robotic prostatectomy using the Da Vinci robot has less severe effects on the body and the patient can leave the hospital the same day, men should expect some changes in order to know how to deal with them. The surgery is performed through small incisions that are barely sensitive at the incision sites and the scar tissue is almost unnoticeable. Typically, the recovery is fast, most men are able to go home the next day and resume driving and working in two to three weeks after the surgery.

In the immediate hours after surgery:

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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Surgery

Radiation and Surgery Side Effects for Prostate Cancer | Ask a Prostate Expert, Mark Scholz, MD

What may be important for one person might be less important for someone else. The advantages and disadvantages of surgery may depend on your age, general health and the stage of your cancer.

Advantages

  • If the cancer is completely contained inside the prostate, surgery will remove all of the cancer.
  • The prostate is looked at under a microscope to give a clearer picture of how aggressive your cancer is, whether it has spread outside your prostate and if you need further treatment.
  • Your health professionals can get a good idea of whether your cancer was completely removed during surgery. Your PSA level should drop so low that its not possible to detect it at six to eight weeks after surgery.
  • If there are signs that your cancer has come back or wasnt all removed, you may be able to have further treatment.
  • Some men find it reassuring to know that their prostate has been physically removed, although you will still need to have follow-up tests to make sure no cancer cells have spread outside the prostate.

Disadvantages

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Where To Get Treatment For Complications From Greenlight Laser Surgery In Nyc

At New York Urology Specialists, we offer specialized treatment for enlarged prostate for men. Same-day virtual video appointments and in-person appointments are available.

Call/text today: or make an appointment online.

We perform a cystoscopy, urodynamic testing, prostate and bladder ultrasound in our office. We offer Urolift procedure, Rezum water-vapor procedure in our office, and laser enucleation of the prostate in a hospital setting. We treat urinary and erection problems. We offer confidential appointments.

Our appointment costs are affordable with or without insurance. We offer free insurance verification.

What Are The Side Effects Of Holmium Laser Enucleation Of The Prostate

The most common side effects include:

  • Temporary burning and bleeding during urination. Some blood may be seen in the urine for weeks after surgery. This is usually not an indication of anything serious, only that the healing process is not yet finished.
  • Urinary incontinence is expected in all patients immediately after surgery and they should wear pads for the first few days/weeks. This typically improves over the course of several weeks. Performing Kegel exercises can help decrease leakage from stress maneuvers such as coughing, sneezing, or lifting. The rate of long term leakage from stress maneuvers is low. Patients may also have leakage with urgency and this may be treated with medication. The risk of urge incontinence can be dependent on several factors including age, prostate size, symptoms, and other medical problems.
  • Retrograde ejaculation or âbackwards ejaculation.â In 75 percent of cases, the patient will not see any fluid during ejaculation during sexual activity after surgery.
  • Erectile function is generally not significantly affected. A small percentage of patients have reported improved erectile function while a small percentage have reported decreased erectile function.

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Open Rp Versus Robotic

The ability to perform robotic-assisted laparoscopic RP was first described in 2000. Over the past decade, RALRP has gained widespread acceptance and now is the dominant approach to RP in the United States. Many attribute the adoption of the RALRP to marketing as opposed to any objective outcomes data showing superiority over the open approach.

All of the intermediate- and long-term HRQOL outcomes reported in the literature are limited to open RP. The question is, are these findings relevant to RALRP?

Unfortunately, there are no randomized studies comparing HRQOL outcomes following open versus robotic RP. The majority of studies comparing HRQOL outcomes between the two techniques are flawed in design. First, the level of experience of surgeons performing the two techniques and their patient volume are often not comparable. In addition, validated instruments for capturing outcomes are usually not employed. Surgeons are sometimes involved in the data acquisition, entry, and interpretation, which can introduce bias. There are several studies that have examined large administrative databases, which often mitigate bias, but the quality of outcome measures is subject to criticism. A few studies stand out as objective and worthy of comment.

Barocas and colleagues compared men undergoing open and RALRP and failed to show any advantages of either approach for preventing biochemical recurrence.

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