[Anesthesia for TUR procedures in the elderly]

Due to the increased life expectancy since the turn of the century also the urological interventions in patients of older age increased in number and thus in significance. Also when a smaller proportion of the TUR-interventions (in most cases only diagnostic measures) can be carried out in local anaesthesia, for the majority of cases a general anaesthesia or a central conduction anaesthesia is necessary. The particular characteristics of the anaesthesia in endovesical interventions, the pathophysiological peculiarities of the senium, the senile involution of the kidney, and a water and electrolyte balance often disturbed by urological complaints are among others the most important criteria which determine the choice of the anaesthesia in a senile patient when TUR-interventions are to be carried out. Based on an experience of many years, it is reported on the results of anaesthesia in 4,130 geriatric patients, among then 2,818 TUR-interventions. On account of the character of the TUR-interventions, of the age of the patient and the factors of risk even nowadays the central conduction anaesthesia, especially the spinal anaesthesia, is more often the method of choice.