DRUG-THERAPY - BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA - MEDICAL AND MINIMALLY INVASIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate that is due to excessive cellular growth of both the glandular and the stromal elements of the gland. The condition is very common in men over 40 years of age of all races and cultures.1–8 For the past 50 years, transurethral resection of the prostate has been the mainstay of treatment. Approximately 400,000 such resections are performed annually in the United States, making this operation the second most common after cataract extraction in men older than 65.9 The associated expense is considerable; the total cost is approximately $5 billion… © 1995, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.