CLINICAL-FEATURES AND SURGICAL OUTCOME OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

The clinical features and outcome of surgery for benign prostatic hype rplasia (BPH) were studied retrospectively in Asir during the period b etween 1987 and 1993. Two hundred and fifty-three patients were includ ed. The mean and median ages were both 70 years. The main presentation s were acute retention (54%), prostatism (39%), and chronic retention (6.8%). Thirty-five and five-tenths percent of the patients had one or more preexisting medical problems. Two hundred and forty-eight patien ts underwent prostatectomy. Open surgery constituted 26.6%, while tran surethral resection of the prostate (TURF) was carried out in 73.4%. T here was neither intraoperative death nor postoperative failure of voi ding. The perioperative mortality rate was 0.8%. The main perioperativ e complications were bacteriuria in 48%, and significant bleeding requ iring blood transfusion of three units or more in 20.6%. Histopatholog y revealed benign disease in 93.2% of the specimens and adenocarcinoma in 6.8%. It is concluded that the Saudi BPH patient in Asir presents late with acute retention of urine more often than in other places and so noninvasive therapeutic modalities may be less helpful.