Prostate Laser Surgery: TULIP

06 Aug

Transurethral Ultrasound-Guided Laser Prostatectomy (TULIP) is a closed surgery, which emphasizes on the application of ultrasound and laser technologies. It was first used during the eighties to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia.

During the surgery, the urologist will insert an uninflated balloon, which holds the ultrasound and laser components into the prostatic urethra through the penis. Then the urologist will inflate the balloon, which creates two effects. Firstly, this will drain the blood from the tissue for deeper penetration of the laser procedure. Secondly, this will dilate the prostatic urethra, which helps in shedding the dead prostate tissues. As a result, the urinary difficulties are resolved.

With the help of the laser, the excess prostate tissue is removed. The urologist relies on the visual produced by ultrasound component in guiding the cutting laser. This procedure is so accurate that the beam can produce a cutting area of 2.8 mm in diameter.

The main benefit of TULIP is the application of local anesthesia. Some patients react adversely to general anesthesia. The surgery only takes a few minutes to complete. Sometimes, it can be performed without hospital stay. The accuracy of the laser cutting also brings other benefits such as decreased loss of blood, speedy healing after the operation, and reduced risk of side effects especially incontinence.

However, this method can be costly. In addition, there is a lack of trained urologists in performing this surgical procedure. It also does not produce any tissue for cancer biopsy. This requires another procedure.

You will not experience immediate results from the TULIP. It may need six weeks for the dead prostate tissue to be removed. Now a new method, which vaporizes the tissue, can solve this problem. With a laser, the urologist will create a larger passageway in the prostatic urethra for the urine flow. As the tissues are shed off, they are vaporized instantly and eliminated with the urine flow.