[Benign hyperplasia of the prostate--a known and unknown disease]

Authors give an overview of the current approaches to diagnostics and therapy of the benign hyperplasia of the prostate (BPH). The up-to-date diagnostic possibilities are cited in the relation to our health care system and the procedures of conservative and surgical treatment of BPH are outlined. In epidemiology and diagnostics of BPH, one has always to consider the possibility of prostate cancer (PC), which may have similar symptoms, particularly in initial stages. If prostate cancer were found, it could be successfully cured at this stage only. Drug therapy or BPH enables in most cases at least temporarily to resign on surgical treatment. Patients treated with alphablockers regularly speak about an improved quality of life regarding previous micturition troubles. To diagnose BPH, the complex urological examination is needed, including some laboratory tests (prostate specific antigen PSA, uroflowmetry UFM). The article is supplemented with a graph of latest available figures referring to the number of TURPs performed annually and a table showing the list of methods for the minimal invasive surgical treatment of BPH.