Posts Tagged ‘Prostate Removal Question’

Question:

“I had my prostate removed six weeks ago, now I seem to pass some blood, is this a problem?”

Answer:

Without knowing how the prostate was removed makes specifics a little iffy, however what usually happens when the prostate is removed, a Foley catheter is left in the bladder. This is to relieve some of the tension that is exerted when the bladder contracts, as it pulls into what is called the urethrovesical anastomosis, which is the technical term that we use for sewing together the bladder neck or the bladder opening that was close to the prostate with the urethra on the other end.
Occasionally, there will be a scab there, it may fall, and that is why you may see some blood in the urine. This should subside.

The other common source for this could be urinary tract infection. Therefore, urine should be checked with urinalysis to rule out the presence of bacteria.  If that is the case, a culture should be taken and an antibiotic treatment should be considered.
This is important because one of the potential problems from infections early after surgery is developing urethral strictures, which are problems that are really hard to treat down the road and they are pervasive in the quality of life of individuals.

by Dr Fernando J Bianco
Miami urology