If you’ve ever wondered what will happen if your prostate is removed, you should continue reading. You won’t need to worry about needing your prostate removed unless you have cancer. Still, men must understand the importance of getting prostate exams frequently to practice proactive measures.
In this article, we’re discussing the various procedures used to remove the prostate and the side effects of each.
Side note:
As men age, their prostates also enlarge. Luckily, there are ways to improve your prostate health and reduce the side effects of enlarged prostate through dietary measures, exercise, and prostate supplements such as Prostate911 from Phytage Laboratories.
What Is the Prostate?
The prostate gland is located just below the bladder in men and surrounds the top of the tube that carries urine out of the bladder. The prostate’s main function is to produce fluid that nourishes and transports seminal fluid.
Why Would My Prostate Be Removed?
Open Or Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy
In an open prostatectomy, surgeons operate through a single long skin incision and remove the prostate and nearby tissue. This type of surgery is done less frequently than in the past. Laparoscopic prostatectomies see surgeons make more precise incisions and utilize special surgical tools to remove the prostate.
Surgeons will either hold the tools directly or use control panels to move robotic arms that hold the tools. In recent years, this procedure has become more common and, if performed by experienced surgeons, the procedure can produce results similar to the open approach.
Open Prostatectomy
Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy
During this operation, surgeons will make an incision in your lower abdomen, from the belly to the pubic bone. You will either be under general anesthesia or receive spinal or epidural anesthesia (numbs the lower half of the body) along with sedation during the surgery.
These types of procedures are performed when cancer might have spread to lymph nodes. Doctors can tell whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes based on your PSA levels, prostate biopsy results, and other factors. If the surgeon removes these lymph nodes, they will be sent to the lab to see if they contain cancerous cells.
If there are cancerous cells in the lymph nodes, the doctor might not continue with the surgery. The reason why they might discontinue the surgery is that it is highly unlikely the surgery will cure cancer while removing the prostate can have severe side effects.
Upon successful completion of the prostate removal, the patient will have a catheter inserted into the penis to help drain the bladder. This catheter will stay for one to two weeks while you heal. You should be able to urinate on your own after the catheter is removed. Following surgery, you should stay in the hospital for a few days to recover and limit your activities for several weeks.
Radical Perineal Prostatectomy
In this open operation, surgeons incise the skin between the anus and the scrotum. This approach to surgery is used less often because it’s more likely to lead to erection problems. The nearby lymph nodes also can’t be removed when using this approach. However, it is typically a shorter operation.
It will typically only be used if you have medical conditions that make retropubic surgery difficult. One of the potential benefits of the perineal operation is that it might result in less pain and an easier recovery than retropubic prostatectomies.
Laparoscopic Prostatectomy
Laparoscopic prostatectomies require a surgeon with extensive experience and the most important factor will be their skills.
Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy
A laparoscopic radical Prostatectomy (LRP) requires the surgeon to insert special long instruments through several incisions in the abdominal wall. They remove the prostate from these insertions and the surgeon uses a small camera on the end that lets the surgeon see the body. This procedure has some advantages over open radical prostatectomy, including less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times, and the catheter needing to remain in the bladder for less time.
However, there are some major side effects from LRP, such as erection problems and urine incontinence, though these are common for open prostatectomies. Recovery of bladder control might be slightly prolonged using this approach. More long-term studies are also needed to compare the side effects between open prostatectomies and LRPs.
