The most common method used in this country is the retropubic approach "BPH: Considering Surgery," it is preferred by urologists for relieving BPH problems when the prostate gland is too large for a TURP. Many doctors think that it is the most logical approach, as it permits the removal and examination of the pelvic lymph nodes to which the prostate cancer tends to spread.
For this approach, the doctor makes an incision from just below the belly button to the top of the pubic bone. This part of the procedure is the same as that for BPH. The big difference is that in the BPH operation, only the portion of the gland that was obstructing the flow of urine and causing annoyance is removed; most of the prostate tissue and the capsule are left behind. However, a total prostatectomy removes your cancerous prostate completely—and also the seminal vesicles that lie along the prostate (they are the two glands that provide nutrients to the semen).
A cancer that is confined to the prostate gland can usually be eliminated by this procedure. If the cancer is discovered to have spread to the lymph nodes, then the operation will not continue. Other types of therapy, such as hormone treatment, will probably be more effective in such a case.
There is often a considerable loss of blood from this type of surgery. Recovery requires ten days to two weeks, and involves insertion of a catheter, which will be removed in about three weeks.
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Men's Health Erectile Dysfunction
