Simple Prostatectomy for Giant Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Sub-Saharan Africa: Case Series and Literature Review

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common cause of bladder outlet obstruction in men worldwide. African men are known to have larger mean prostate volumes than other races. Giant benign prostatic hyperplasia (GBPH) is defined as prostate size greater than 200 grams. Management of GBPH is associated with several challenges which have been under-reported from the African sub-region.

To highlight the peculiarities of clinical presentation, surgical management and outcome of GBPH.

Men with BPH and trans-rectal ultrasound estimated prostate volume > 200 grams who were scheduled for open simple prostatectomy between January and December 2016 in our hospital were prospectively studied.

Four patients with GBPH had simple prostatectomy during the period under review. Their ages ranged from 68 to 78 years with a mean age of 73.7 years.Three patients (75.0%) had transvesical prostatectomy while one (25.0%) had retropubic prostatectomy. The enucleated prostate specimen were found to weigh 312.1g, 396.4g, 420.8g and 450.0g respectively with mean weight of 394.8 ±50.2g and mean operation time of 111.7 ±19.7 minutes. They all had blood transfusion post-operatively with mean transfusion of 3±1.5 pints of blood per patient with relatively longer hospital stay (mean 10 days).

The surgical management of GBPH can be quite challenging. Recalcitrant gross haematuria, chronic urinary retention and renal impairment are possible modes of presentation. Open simple prostatectomy is the best option for treatment in our environment. It is associated with improved quality of life and minimal morbidity in expert hands.