Antibiotics to patients with urinary infections in connection with transurethral prostatectomy

79 male patients with bladder neck obstruction and urinary tract infection were randomly divided into two groups prior to transurethral prostatectomy. One group (37 patients) was treated preoperatively and for 10 days postoperatively with cephazolin-cephalexin, and the other group (42 patients) was treated with methenamine hippurate in the same way. In the first group, 2 patients developed chills postoperatively without untoward effect on their general condition. In the second group, 7 patients developed postoperative sepsis with systemic symptoms while on therapy with methenamine hippurate: therapy was then changed to cephazolin--cephalexin and the patients were cured. Urinary cultures 4--9 weeks postoperatively did not show bacterial growth in 21/37 treated with cephalosporins and in 11/42 treated with methenamine hippurate. This difference is statistically significant (P = 0.0082).