PATIENT ACCEPTABILITY OF TRANSURETHRAL INCISION OF THE PROSTATE UNDERLOCAL-ANESTHESIA

Objective To determine the acceptance by patients of transurethral inc ision of the prostate (TUIP) under local anaesthesia. Patients and met hods The study comprised 30 consecutive patients who elected to underg o local anaesthesia for TUIP and were treated between December 1994 an d September 1995. Twenty-two were considered a high risk for general a naesthesia and eight patients chose local anaesthesia for personal rea sons. Patients were premedicated (opioid and benzodiazepine) and 1% li docaine was infiltrated transurethrally using an endoscopic needle. Th e level of acceptance was determined using an immediate post-operative questionnaire which included a linear visual analogue scale (VAS) to rate pain. Results No patient required conversion to another type of a naesthesia and there were no complications related to the local anaest hesia. The mean (SE) VAS score was 3.2 (1.7) and the questionnaire res ults showed that 83% of the patients did not consider that general ana esthesia was necessary for the operation and that 90% would agree to u ndergo the procedure again under local anaesthesia.Conclusion TUIP und er local anaesthesia was well tolerated in motivated patients. We reco mmend it as the operation of choice for the relief of obstruction in h igh-risk patients with a small benign prostatic hyperplasia.