Effect of Anesthesia on an Enlarged Prostate

Anesthesia is a combination of drugs that either numbs the body or creates a state of unconsciousness during a medical procedure, and there are several considerations that relate to the condition of enlarged prostate.

Types

• There are three types of anesthesia: local, regional and general. For various phases of testing, diagnosis and treatment of enlarged prostate, any of these may be applied.

  Local anesthesia numbs a small part of the body and is used for minor procedures.

  Regional numbs a larger part of the body and the anesthetic is injected around major nerves or the spinal cord.

  General anesthesia affects both the body and the brain, and causes the patient to become unconscious during the procedure.

General

• General anesthesia is used in treatment of enlarged prostate when major surgery is indicated. The procedure is called trans urethral resection (TURP).

  This procedure usually takes about one hour perform. Complications can include loss of urine control and inability to attain erections (both less than 5 percent, according to the Male Health Center); bleeding; infection and retrograde ejaculation of semen (sperm at the time of ejaculation passing back into the bladder and voided out with urination).

  Urinary control may take days or even several weeks to return to normal.

Local or Regional

• Local or regional anesthesia is used for transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP). This procedure is performed on men who have a smaller prostate and does not usually require a hospital stay.

  Difficulty emptying bladder, slow urination and erectile dysfunction are side effects of this procedure.

Significance

• Major side effects from anesthesia are uncommon, especially in people with overall good health.

  A doctor will usually require that a patient not eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery, and this should be strictly observed with patients who have an enlarged prostate that may be causing urinary control issues.

Considerations

• For patients undergoing any surgical procedure, it is very important to disclose a condition such as an enlarged prostate and communicate with the doctor what medications are being used to treat it.

  The condition of enlarged prostate is not generally one that prohibits the use of anesthesia, but it may influence the type that will be used and the risk of post surgery incontinence may be increased by those with an enlarged prostate.