Prostate surgery and laser prostate surgery at Spire Yale Hospital

Spire Yale Hospital provides comprehensive private hospital care to our patients across Wrexham and the surrounding region including Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire.

Our expert consultants will provide you with a treatment and recovery plan that’s personalised to your needs. We offer fast access to diagnostic tests and scans and consultations, so you won’t have to wait long to find out if surgery is right for you. We’ll usually be able to book your surgery within two to four weeks of your referral or diagnosis by your consultant.

We offer a variety of treatments for prostate surgery. Treatment choices available to you will depend on your condition and your general health. Your consultant will discuss which treatment is best for you.

The type of anaesthetic you need varies depending on the procedure you need. It may be:

• A general anaesthetic meaning you’re asleep
• A spinal or epidural – where you can’t feel anything from the waist down
• A local anaesthetic – you’ll be awake but you won’t be able to feel anything in the area being operated on

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)

• A special instrument is passed through your urethra and a small, electrically-heated wire is used to trim small pieces of prostate tissue
• You’ll need a urinary catheter for around one to three days after the operation

Laser prostate surgery

• A specialised tool is passed through your urethra and a laser (eg a HoLEP Holmium laser or GreenLight laser) which generates intense heat is used to trim small pieces of prostate tissue
• You usually need a urinary catheter for around one to three days after the operation, but it may be for a shorter time than with a TURP

UroLift (prostatic urethral lift (PUL) implants)

• Instead of removing prostate tissue, implants are positioned to hold your prostate out of the way and increase the width of your urethra
• This procedure can be performed under general or local anaesthetic
• Usually, a urinary catheter isn’t required

Every treatment has its own benefits and risks which your consultant will explain to you during your consultation.

Finding us

The hospital is a few minutes by taxi from Wrexham General and Wrexham Central stations, and approximately 25 minutes by taxi from Chester station. We have free parking for you and your visitors.

Your consultation

Your initial consultation will be in one of our private consultation rooms. During your appointment, your consultant will discuss:

• The symptoms you’re experiencing, such as weak urine flow or difficulty passing urine
• Your general health and medical history
• If you need to have further tests and scans to assess your condition and which treatment option would be best for you
• The treatment options, including alternatives to surgery, and which procedure they recommend for you

Before proceeding with your treatment, you may need to have a pre-operative assessment with one of our specialist nurses. This is to check your overall health and fitness before having surgery.

The procedure takes around 30 to 90 minutes. If you’ve come with a friend or family member, they’re welcome to wait while you have your operation.

You’ll usually need at least an overnight stay – most patients stay for one night. You’ll have one of our private, en-suite rooms, which all have:

• TV
• En-suite
• Armchair
• Window

After your procedure, you may have a urinary catheter in place to help you pass urine. This is because your urethra will be swollen following surgery, which can make urinating difficult. It will be taken out when you’re ready to leave hospital.

As expected after surgery, you’ll feel some pain afterwards. Our nurses will help you manage this by giving you painkillers and advice about what over-the-counter medicines you can take after you leave hospital.

Although the recovery time varies depending on the procedure you've had and your overall health, here’s a guide to recovery timeline for transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) – the most common procedure: