What is the prostate in men? The prostate gland, or prostate, is a very vulnerable part of the male body. Several diseases threaten her at once. It is used to get rid of this ailment threatening men's health with medical and surgical treatment. Moreover, the choice depends on the manifestation of the disease.
Surgical method removes the prostate gland. Adenoma and cancer are indications for surgery.
Consider in this article a procedure such as removal of the prostate. The implications will also be described.
What are the diseases of the prostate gland?
The outdated name for hyperplasia is prostate adenoma. The nature of this disease is benign. In this case, nodules are formed that grow over time. Adenoma, or hyperplasia, is one of the most common diseases. The average age of men affected by the disease is 45-50 years.
But it is important to understand that a benign nature does not mean a guarantee that it will not go into a malignant formation. Prostate adenoma is very easily diagnosed. To do this, it is enough to take an analysis to determine the prostatic specific antigen (PSA), which is produced by glandular tissue cells.
And if it's oncology?
Of course, the likelihood of oncology is also there. The prostate specific antigen found during the study may also indicate cancer. Then, partial or complete removal of the prostate may be necessary. Implications for men's health will be considered later.
If oncology is detected, then just surgical intervention will not be enough. Most likely, it will be necessary to carry out therapy that can destroy cancer cells in the body. The selection of treatment methods greatly depends on what stage the disease is at. Often the prostate is removed (in whole or in part), and after this surgery, it is prescribed:
- radiation therapy;
- chemotherapy
- hormone therapy.
Surgery: types
If necessary, the prostate is removed. The consequences of this can be serious. We will talk about this later.
There are several types of surgical intervention. The most common include:
- Incision. First they penetrate the urethra, then glandular tissue is vertically incised, after which there is the possibility of widening the lumen.
- Transurethral resection of the prostate. A special instrument is inserted through the urethra, with the help of which the glandular tissue is excised.
- Radical prostatectomy. It is the main treatment method for removing not only glandular tissue. In addition, the capsule, seminal vesicles, iliac lymph nodes are removed (this is determined by the doctor).
Prostate Removal Surgery
The indication for surgery is the presence of a tumor, but without metastasis widespread throughout the body. If the case is severely neglected, then they resort only to palliative treatment (this is supportive therapy aimed at prolonging the patient's life).
Contraindications
To perform the intervention, general anesthesia is required. To avoid complications, contraindications should be taken into account:
- old age, which comes at 70 years old;
- the presence of cardiovascular disease;
- the presence of acute inflammatory (infectious) diseases.
Possible complications
Even if complete (with oncology) or partial (with adenoma) removal of the prostate has been performed at the highest level, the consequences are not excluded. The following complications cannot always be avoided:
- Sclerosis of the neck of the bladder.
- The presence of PSA in the blood. With prostate cancer, PSA in the blood of a man is steadily increasing, therefore, it is considered the primary diagnosis when contacting a medical institution.
- Common complications in the postoperative period: inflammation, weakness, suppuration.
- Urinary retention. It occurs quite often. Anything can lead to urinary retention, for example, blood clots remaining after surgery, or physiological changes in the canal. It is clear that such a consequence is not safe for men. This can lead to swelling, acute renal failure, inflammation of the bladder or kidneys, and the release of blood into the urine. If removal of the prostate has occurred, the consequences for the body are quite unpleasant.
- Leaking, urinary incontinence. In 10-12% of patients after the intervention, urine may leak involuntarily or there may be urinary incontinence. Sometimes the cause of the complication is that the glandular tissue is not completely removed. In this case, it is pointless to treat incontinence; a second operation will be required. If you have urinary incontinence after surgery, you should immediately see a doctor.
- The inflammatory process. The cause of the infection is an infection or an individual reaction of the body. The main sign of inflammation will be pain, fever, chills, unpleasant odor and purulent discharge. It is required to go to the hospital as soon as possible to prescribe treatment.
- Pain syndrome. About a week, a maximum of 10 days after surgery, a person will normally feel pain. If the deadlines are over, but the pain still persists, you should also visit your doctor and begin treatment after removal of the prostate.
- The absence of sperm or the presence of retrograde ejaculation (full / partial). This consequence is most common. Semen is thrown into the bladder. If you pass urine for analysis, it can be detected.
- In addition, there is a major and undesirable consequence after removal of the prostate, which all men are afraid of - a violation of potency. But there is no need to panic, it is rare and only at the later stages of oncology, the main thing here is to save a person’s life. Exceptions also occur, but with all the recommendations of the doctor and with the competent preparatory process for the operation, the risk can be reduced. It is important not to detect PSA in the blood test after the removal of the prostate.
The effects on men's health may be different.
Additional Consequences
The consequences could be:
- Various allergic reactions (rash, redness, burning, swelling, anaphylactic shock).
- Sepsis.
- Doubts about the complete excision of the tumor.
Severe blood loss is also possible with removal of the prostate. This is not a very common case, but this kind of complication can occur. Correction will require a blood transfusion.
There is a possibility of water intoxication during transurethral resection. The reason for this is the irrigation of the urethra during surgery with an antiseptic solution.
What to do if complications develop?
If any negative reaction of the body occurs, you do not need to consider this the norm, but you should immediately consult a doctor. It is important to understand that even with oncology, after removing a tumor, a man has a chance to lead a full life for at least 10 years. But if the stage of cancer is later, then the development of complications cannot be avoided. Especially when PSA is found in blood tests or existing metastases. Then, the preservation of the physiological functions of men is unlikely to be discussed. When the last stage of cancer, and metastases have already sprouted into the human lymphatic system, the task will be to extend the life of the patient.
What measures are taken to recover from surgery?
Many worry most about maintaining the ability to have sex after surgery, because they do not know until the end what the prostate is in men.
What can the complete restoration of potency depend on?
There are several reasons:
- From the age of the patient. The older he is, the less likely he is to restore sexual function. In addition to age, a significant role is played by the general condition of the body. The production of testosterone is gradually reduced, which causes sexual disorders and a decrease in potency. An erection after removal of the prostate is not so good, sometimes it disappears altogether.
- From the condition of the blood vessels of the penis. An erection can occur without a prostate gland, provided that blood flow and vascular integrity are maintained. But even if a violation of blood vessels has occurred, now there are many methods that will ensure filling the body with blood, that is, an erection occurs virtually without sexual desire. For this, there are special pills and injections.
- Male hormones cannot be fully produced due to prostate cancer. This leads to a deterioration in the overall well-being of men.
It is considered normal that immediately after the operation the sexual function does not work. In the early stages of cancer, health and sexual function can be restored one to two years after surgery. During this period, the body will be completely updated, the hormonal background will improve, other important processes will be restored in full. No prostate is needed for this. In men, surgery should not cause panic.
Conclusion
If there is an erection before the removal of the prostate, it will remain after it. The main thing is to ensure proper rehabilitation, then the potency can not only be restored, but also improved. It is important to understand that removal of the prostate (we examined the consequences in detail) is not a sentence for a man! Need to live on!