The Truth About Prostate Surgery Survival

QUESTION: So many things happen to you as you grow old, that it is hard to
continue on sometimes. I am almost 91 and now must have surgery for my
prostate. I know my doctor is right, for I can't continue this way. But I am
afraid, and I want you to tell me the truth. What are my chances of surviving
this operation?
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ANSWER: You write with a firm and steady hand, and you are thinking clearly.
I think you must be in pretty good shape. While your anxiety certainly is
understandable, I have all kinds of good new for you. Let's start with a
report from the Mayo Clinic that surveyed 185 patients that were 90 years of
age or older at the time of surgery. Despite the fact that many suffered with
hypertension, and some had past histories of heart attack, or cancer
treatment, 95% survived their surgery, and most went on to do well. In the
specific case of a prostate operation, called a transurethral resection (TUR),
there was a 98% survival rate for the 44 men who had the surgery performed.
The researchers concluded that old age is not a barrier to major surgery, and
noted that the patients did equally well with either local or general
anesthesia. More good news for you, in the new reports of the use of a
special balloon catheter to open the urinary passage, that has been
constricted by your enlarged prostate. After insertion of the catheter, the
balloon is inflated and enlarges the urethra, the tube which carries urine
from the bladder through the penis. This new procedure does not even require
a hospitalization, but does require leaving a catheter in place for a few
days, which may be a bit uncomfortable. You might ask you physician about
this, but in any case your outlook is a good one. Just use a bit of the
courage and grit you must have developed to reach your age, and you will do
just fine.