TRANSURETHRAL RESECTION FOR A LARGE PROSTATE - IS IT SAFE

A retrospective self-audit exercise was undertaken on 47 men who under went transurethral resection of the prostate and in whom the resected weight was 80 g or more. The operative mortality and morbidity rates w ere 6 and 55% respectively, being highest in the ''very old and unfit' ' group (22 and 88%). The complication rate increased if the resected prostatic weight was 100 g or more, or if the resection time exceeded 75 min. It was concluded that careful selection of patients is necessa ry before undertaking TUR for a large gland.