Prostate treatment when returning to Vietnam for Tet

Mr. Xuan, 67 years old, has had benign prostatic hyperplasia for many years, difficulty urinating, and frequent urination. 6 years ago, he had prostate reduction surgery in the Netherlands, but recently the disease recurred. For the past two years, he has had to take medicine every day to make it easier to urinate.

At the end of January, he went to Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City with acute urinary retention, pain, and discomfort in the lower abdomen. Master, Doctor Nguyen Tan Cuong, Deputy Department of Urology, Center of Urology - Nephrology - Andrology, helps patients quickly clear urine, release stagnant urine in the bladder, recorded about 1 ml, equivalent to Maximum capacity.

Doctor Cuong said that the patient's prostate is 80 ml in size, about 4 times larger than normal (25 ml). Taking medication did not help, Mr. Xuan had laparoscopic surgery using the Holmium Laser (HoLEP) method to remove prostate enlargement through the urethra. Large pieces of prostate tissue in the bladder are sucked and ground into small pieces through a tissue grinder system to remove.

Half a day after surgery, Mr. Xuan recovered, had no pain, ate, drank, and walked normally. Two days later, he had his catheter removed, urinated freely, and was discharged from the hospital.

As for Mr. Hung, 75 years old, he had a urinary catheter inserted in the US a year ago due to urinary retention due to benign prostatic hypertrophy. After the tube was removed, the disease relapsed and he had to go to the emergency room but had to wait two months in the US for surgery. When he returned to Vietnam to celebrate Tet, he also received medical treatment.

Doctor Cuong said that Mr. Hung's prostate volume is 200 g, 10 times greater than that of a normal person (15-20 g). He had his prostate enucleated by a laparoscopic surgeon one day after receiving the preoperative examination results.

Two days after surgery, he had the catheter removed, could urinate without pain, eat and walk normally. "Now I can rest assured to celebrate Tet with my family, without fear of having to go to the hospital for catheterization," he said.

According to MSc. Nguyen Truong Hoan, these are two of many patients undergoing surgery to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia at Tam Anh hospital near the Lunar New Year 2024. Compared to the same period in 2023, the number of Vietnamese Kieu returning home to celebrate Tet combined with prostate examination and treatment this time increased by about 5%.

Dr. Hoan believes that there are many reasons that attract overseas Vietnamese to return home for medical treatment, including the increasing quality of medical examination, treatment and health care services in Vietnam. Modern technology and good doctors help patients be treated with difficult, advanced techniques in the world such as robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery at much lower costs abroad.

"Like Mr. Hung, if prostate surgery in the US, the cost can be more than 300 million VND, at Tam Anh hospital it is only about 50 million VND," said Dr. Hoan.

In some developed countries, patients have to wait many days to schedule an appointment with a specialist. With some surgeries such as prostate surgery, patients have to wait many months, according to Dr. Hoan. Meanwhile in Vietnam, patients receive quick surgery, are discharged from the hospital early, and can arrange time to travel and visit relatives. In addition, some overseas Vietnamese also encounter language barriers and obstacles when communicating with doctors.

According to Dr. Cuong, Tet is the time when men with benign prostatic hyperplasia have an increased risk of urinary retention due to drinking a lot of beer and wine. Beer and alcohol have a diuretic effect, and also contain ingredients that affect the bladder nerves and muscles, causing patients to urinate quickly. People with a large prostate gland are susceptible to urinary retention, unable to urinate even when the bladder is full, causing pain, and must be treated immediately. If left untreated, prolonged urinary tract obstruction can lead to many dangerous complications such as urinary tract infections, bladder stones, hematuria, bladder muscle weakness, and impaired kidney function.

There are many surgical methods available to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. Minimally invasive treatments are increasingly popular due to their lack of incisions, minimal pain, high effectiveness, and quick recovery. Laparoscopic prostatic enucleation or embolization is a suitable treatment option when the prostate is large (over 60 ml). Depending on each specific patient, the doctor prescribes an appropriate treatment plan.

Doctor Cuong recommends that older men with dysuria, nocturia, frequent urination... need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment soon. Patients need to drink enough water every day, avoid drinking too much alcohol, eat more green vegetables and fruits, regularly do light exercise, avoid cycling or driving motorbikes long distances.

Thang Vu

* Patient's name has been changed