Benign prostatic hyperplasia: diagnosis and treatment. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

Abstract

This Quick Reference Guide for Clinicians contains highlights from the Clinical Practice Guideline of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Diagnosis and Treatment. The Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Guideline Panel, a private-sector panel of health care providers, developed the guideline after comprehensively analyzing the research literature. As a result, this guideline comprises the most current scientific knowledge of the development, diagnosis, and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The guideline makes specific recommendations to identify both the most effective methods for diagnosing BPH and the most appropriate treatments for BPH based on patient preference and clinical need. BPH affects quality of life and is very rarely a life-threatening disease. Motivation to seek active treatment will, for most patients, depend on how much their symptoms bother them. Many patients choose a regimen of "watchful waiting." The guideline details the relative benefits and harms associated with all diagnostic and treatment approaches. Treatment options discussed include watchful waiting, alpha blocker and finasteride medications, balloon dilation, and the surgical options of transurethral incision, transurethral resection, and open prostatectomy.