Da Nang: Laser surgery to remove 120g prostate tumor for 95-year-old man

DNVN - Doctors at Gia Dinh General Hospital (Da Nang) have successfully performed a laser prostatectomy, removing a 120g tumor, five times the normal size, helping a 95-year-old man escape the haunting pain of urinary retention for many years.

Mr. LB (95 years old, Quang Nam) has suffered from prostate enlargement for many years. The disease has caused him to have recurrent urinary tract infections and he has to be hospitalized frequently for treatment due to painful episodes of acute urinary retention. Most recently, he had to be rushed to a medical facility for urinary retention, but after a week of treatment, as soon as the catheter was removed, the condition recurred. Therefore, his relatives decided to transfer him to Gia Dinh General Hospital for examination and treatment.

Dr. Dang Phuoc Dat examined Mr. LB after surgery.

At Gia Dinh General Hospital, after examination and in-depth clinical examination, doctors determined that the patient's prostate weighed more than 120 grams - about 5 times larger than normal, compressing the urethra and causing urinary retention. In addition to prostate enlargement, the patient also had some underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, acute gout with swelling in both feet and sciatica, making surgery using the traditional endoscopic cutting and burning method potentially risky.

According to Dr. Dang Phuoc Dat, Urology Unit, for the patient's condition, doctors will usually choose the minimal intervention method of placing a bladder catheter above the pubic bone to divert the urine flow, helping the patient avoid having to insert a catheter in the urethra. However, this method will cause a lot of inconvenience and discomfort for the patient, while increasing the risk of urinary tract infection.

After careful consultation with experts in many specialties, the doctors decided to choose Holmium laser endoscopic prostatectomy (HoLEP) - an advanced technique deployed at Gia Dinh General Hospital since the end of 2024. This method is considered the most suitable for the patient's current condition.

With the consent and trust of his family, Mr. LB underwent surgery one day after being admitted to the hospital. The surgery was performed with the participation of Dr. Chau Quy Thuan, Department of Urology, Cho Ray Hospital ( Ho Chi Minh City). After 2 hours, the team successfully removed the entire prostate mass weighing 120 grams using laser (en-bloc technique).

The entire prostate gland was minced and sucked out of the patient's body through the urethra without complications and without any incisions. In particular, this technique minimized bleeding.

Mr. LB was happy after getting rid of urinary retention - his problem for many years.

After the surgery, the old man recovered quickly, freeing himself from the urinary retention that had plagued him for many years. After only 2 days, he was able to urinate normally again, his body was healthier and his spirit was much happier. It is known that this is the oldest HoLEP surgery on an elderly patient in the Central region.

Dr. Dang Phuoc Dat said that benign prostatic hyperplasia (also known as prostate enlargement, prostate adenoma) is a benign enlargement of the prostate gland, causing symptoms of urinary disorders, a common disease in older men.

Previously, this disease was treated with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). However, the method has some limitations in cases of large tumors.

Holmium laser endoscopic prostatectomy - HoLEP has overcome the disadvantages of traditional surgery, with the advantages of being non-invasive, less blood loss, shortening recovery time, especially suitable for the elderly and patients with underlying diseases. Currently, Gia Dinh General Hospital is the first hospital in the Central region to successfully deploy this technique, bringing many practical benefits to patients.

Phuong Trinh