prostate enlargement

[timewas]

I had sinus surgery with the use of general anesthesia.I now have an enlarged prostate and can't pee for six weeks.I was told this could happen, is this true?

[Stephen Liroff, MD]

NO
S.A.Liroff, M.D.

[timewas]

Should the hospital have made me urinate after surgery before leaveing the hospital?

[Stephen Liroff, MD]

You did not develop an "enlarged prostate" from your surgery. First of all, this term of "enlarged prostate" is really a way of describing the failure of the prostate to open adequately to allow urine to leave the bladder. It may be due to physical enlargement or to functional issues, but the ultimate effect is the same: difficulty urinating. The drugs given around the time of surgery as well as oral decongestants (not nasal sprays) can influence urinating. Also, your bladder may have become overfilled while you were experiencing your anesthesia and then would not contract properly. I f you had some difficulty urinating before surgery, all of these effects would be  more likely to cause you problems after surgery.
Often just keeping your bladder drained and possibly giving you a drug of the alpha-blocker group (Uroxatrol, Flomax, Hytrin, Cardura) will enable you to urinate at least as well as before. Once in a while I come across a patient who cannot urinate on his own without surgery, but most do not require it.
S.A.Liroff, M.D.