The prostate is a small gland in the pelvis found only in men. It is located between your penis and bladder, and surrounds the urethra (the tube that carries urine from your bladder out of your body). As you get older, your prostate may get bigger. This can put pressure on your bladder and urethra, and cause problems with passing urine.
If medicines have not helped, you may be offered surgery called a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). You are given a general anaesthetic, which means that you are asleep and do not feel any pain. The surgeon passes a thin tube called a resectoscope along your urethra until it reaches your prostate. This tube contains a light, camera and loop of wire. Your surgeon heats the loop of wire with an electric current and uses it to remove the section of your prostate causing problems. The pieces of removed prostate are looked at under a microscope to check that there are no abnormal cells. A small tube called a catheter then pumps liquid into your bladder and flushes away any remaining pieces of removed tissue. The TURP procedure can take up to one hour, depending on how much of your prostate is removed. You then return to the hospital ward and usually stay for two days while you recover.
Here at Highgate Private Hospital, we have London’s leading consultant urologists who treat prostate and other urinary tract problems. They assess your symptoms, arrange any tests and agree an individual treatment plan with you.
We offer an all-inclusive self-pay package for surgery to treat urinary problems caused by an enlarged prostate. Prices for the TURP procedure, including a routine microscope study and one follow-up appointment, start from £4,900 (terms and conditions apply). For more information, please call our self-pay advisers on 020 3918 9463.
