Comparative Outcomes of Monopolar and Bipolar Transurethral Resection of the Prostate: An Institutional Perspective

Objective This prospective comparative study aimed to highlight and compare two types of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), namely M-TURP (monopolar) and B-TURP (bipolar), in the endoscopic management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods and materials This research was conducted between 2022 and 2023 at a tertiary care health center. Included in the investigation were 100 consenting study participants undergoing M-TURP and B-TURP at our center. All referred patients presenting with clinical, ultrasound, or uroflowmetry features of BPH and those with failed attempts at medical management were included in the study. Patients with carcinoma of the prostate were excluded from the study. Post-operatively, the endpoints for comparison included maximal urinary flow rate (Qmax), prostate volume, duration of hospital stay, duration of catheterization, drop in serum sodium concentration, and drop in hemoglobin levels. Descriptive statistics were computed to delineate the study sample. After the completion of data collection, data analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0 (Released 2007; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), and the correlations sought were achieved using the Chi-square test of significance. Results The peak incidence of BPH was seen in the sixth decade of life: the M-TURP group was 65.16 ± 7.07 years (mean ± standard deviation), while that in the B-TURP group was 62.32 ± 8.16 years (mean ± standard deviation). Nine percent of the study participants did not show any comorbidities. The most frequent symptom of BPH at presentation was a poor urinary stream (78%, n = 100), followed by nocturia (67%, n = 100). In our study, patients undergoing M-TURP had a mean serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 4.31 ± 1.03 ng/mL, while patients undergoing B-TURP had a mean serum PSA of 4.24 ± 0.99 ng/mL (p = 0.820; p > 0.05). The study found that patients undergoing M-TURP had a mean prostate size of 35.04 ± 3.57 cc, while those undergoing B-TURP had a mean prostate size of 35.72 ± 3.22 cc (p = 0.765). For the B-TURP group, the mean decrease in postoperative serum sodium concentration was 4.3 mEq/L, while for the M-TURP group, it was 6.4 mEq/L (p = 0.903). In the M-TURP group, there were three cases of transurethral resection (TUR) syndrome, while the B-TURP group had only one case. Conclusion BPH is a common problem affecting the quality of life of several male patients. Both M-TURP and B-TURP are comparable in their efficacy in treating BPH, with the exception of a higher incidence of hyponatremia and TUR syndrome in the M-TURP group.