A transurethral prostate resection manipulator for minimal damage to mucous membrane

Abstract

Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TUR-P) is the most common surgical procedure for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). However, damage to the mucous membrane of the urethra and extended surgery lead to complications. In order to resolve these problems, we propose a new prostatectomy, and develop a TUR-P manipulator, which has a prostate displacement mechanism and a continuous perfusion-resection mechanism. Using these mechanisms, our manipulator can remove enlarged tissue rapidly through small incision on urethra, thus minimizing damage to the mucous membrane. In the experiments, 640 gf of power was delivered to the bending mechanism. The bending motion was highly repeatable, to within ±0.4 degrees. The device removed material from a swine-tissue test sample at 0.7 g/min. These results showed the machine's groundbreaking capability to shorten surgery times by one hour, from 90 to 30 minutes. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003.