Abstract
Objective: The standard surgical treatment for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). The aim of this study was to compare normal saline (NS) (0.9% sodium chloride) and Ringer’s acetate (RA) as irrigation fluid with regard to visibility, resection feasibility, coagulation and bleeding in bipolar TURP.
Materials and methods: Twenty patients (mean age 70 years) who were diagnosed with BPH were recruited to the study. The first three 3 liter bags of irrigation fluid contained either NS or RA and were administered in a randomized fashion. The surgeon assessed visibility, bleeding, coagulation, resection efficacy and overall outcome after each 3 liter bag on a scale of 1–10.
Results: The results disclosed only marginal differences between the two fluids with regard to the recorded parameters. All of the differences lacked statistical significance (p > .05).
Conclusion: RA can be used as an irrigation fluid in bipolar TURP with no obvious difference in comparison with NS.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.