Long-term follow-up after transurethral prostatic resection with or without a short peri-operative antibiotic course

This study was undertaken to analyse the results in 192 patients who 3 to 4 years earlier had undergone transurethral resection (TUR) in a controlled clinical trial on the value of a short peri-operative course of antibiotics. The survival rate was comparable in both groups. Most deaths were due to cardiovascular disease and/or cancer of the prostate and the gastrointestinal tract. Infectious events predominated in the control group and more antibiotics were prescribed for these patients during follow-up than for the patients in the peri-operative antibiotic group. Bacteriuria was found in 24% of patients, evenly distributed between the groups. Eighty-three per cent were satisfied with the results of prostatectomy but 38% complained of symptoms from the lower urinary tract. The maximum urinary flow rate was not influenced by the presence of bacteriuria and/or symptoms. There was no difference between the groups regarding mortality or morbidity except for the frequency of post-operative urethral stricture formation, which was significantly higher in the controls. It was concluded that prospective long-term follow-up is indicated to assess the effect of short peri-operative antibiotic courses.