Bipolar versus monopolar technique for palliative transurethral prostate resection.

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Oncology
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Prostate cancer patients often experience infravesical obstruction due to hormone deprivation therapy.
• Palliative endoscopic resections aim to relieve these voiding disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate postoperative morbidity and outcomes of palliative endoscopic resections for prostate cancer.
• Compare the efficacy and safety of bipolar versus conventional monopolar resection technologies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 75 endoscopic procedures in 70 prostate cancer patients undergoing hormone deprivation therapy.
• Comparison of patient profiles, operative parameters, postoperative morbidity, and outcomes between monopolar and bipolar techniques.
• Analysis of serum electrolytes, clot retention, urinary retention, and overall success rates.

Main Results:

• No significant differences observed in patient demographics, resection parameters, or complications (sodium drop, clot/urinary retention) between monopolar and bipolar groups.
• Overall success rate for relieving obstruction and enabling spontaneous voiding was 77%.
• Significant increase in high-grade tumors post-resection (38% to 79%), indicating disease progression.

Conclusions:

• Palliative endoscopic transurethral resection is a safe and effective adjunctive treatment for voiding dysfunction in prostate cancer.
• Bipolar technology does not offer significant advantages over conventional monopolar technology in this setting.