Monopolar and Bipolar transurethral resection of the Prostate

The Approach

Transurethral resection of the prostrate (TURP) was first successful minimally invasive surgical procedure of modern era for treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). To this day, it remains the criterion standard therapy for obstructive prostatic hypertrophy and is both the surgical treatment of choice and the standard of care when other methods fail.During this procedure the prostate is essentially shaved down using specialized equipment with an incision.

The major advantage of Bipolar technique is that it permits the use of saline (an isotonic fluid) as an irrigant. This significantly lowers the risk of hyponatremia and the complications associated with glycine use in monopolar TURP.