[Benign prostatic hypertrophy: clinical and therapeutic aspects. Review of 1,280 cases]

Between 1989 and 1996, 1,280 patients aged 41 to 100 years were operated for BPH. 70% of patients were treated at the stage of complications such as acute urinary retention, haematuria, bladder stones or renal failure. 549 patients (42.9%) were treated by transvesical prostatectomy (TVP), 668 patients (52.18%) underwent transurethral resection (TURP) and only 63 (4.92%) were treated by bladder neck incision (BNI). Early postoperative complications essentially consisted of infections: wound infection (15%), followed by vesico-cutaneous fistula (2%), epididymo-orchitis (0.7%) and urinary tract infection (1.5%). Late post-operative assessment revealed retrograde ejaculation in 100% of cases after transvesical surgery, 80% of cases after TURP and almost no cases (4%) after BNI. The permanent urinary incontinence rate was 1.18% after TURP and 1.0% after transvesical surgery. The shortest mean postoperative stay was 5 days in the BNI group versus 12.5 days after transvesical surgery. Finally, the postoperative mortality, essentially due to septic shock and myocardial infarction, was (0.8%). The BPH complication rate is proportional to the delay in diagnosis and management. Transurethral resection remains the most effective treatment with the lowest morbidity.