SEXUAL FUNCTION ONE-YEAR AFTER TRANSURETHRAL PROSTATIC RESECTION - PATIENTS OWN ASSESSMENTS

One year after transurethral resection of the prostate for benign hype rplasia, 127 men received a questionnaire requesting personal evaluati on of sexual function, including erection, ejaculation, libido and sat isfaction. Significant postoperative dysfunction was reported in all t hese respects: 54% of the responders claimed deterioration and half of them blamed the operation. Decline in sexual function had a multifact orial background, including advancing age, morbidity, and changed mari tal and social conditions. Although other examinations with preoperati ve and postoperative evaluation report a lower incidence of impotence development, which may be more reliable, it is psychologically interre sting that the patients themselves suspect the transurethral resection as the cause of impaired sexuality.