Study Compares 2 Prostate Procedures

Prostate removal using small cuts in the body leads to better results in some ways but not in others, a new study finds. The new study is based on five years of Medicare claims. Researchers looked at results for 1,938 men who had their prostates removed with instruments inserted through small incisions. They compared them with 6,899 men who had an “open” procedure. This is an older procedure that uses a bigger incision. The small-incision group stayed one day less in the hospital than the other group. They had fewer problems with breathing after surgery. They were less likely to need a blood transfusion. But they also were more likely to have problems up to 18 months later with urine control and sexual function. MedPage Today wrote about the study October 13. It was published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association.