If you suffer from the above symptoms, your doctor may perform a digital rectal exam. Because the prostate is so close to the rectum, he will insert a gloved finger into the rectum and feel the gland. Blood and urine tests and an ultrasound of the prostate gland and bladder may also be done to ensure that the enlarged prostate is non-cancerous. This is not a serious condition unless urination becomes extremely difficult or impossible and the bladder becomes infected. The most common form of treatment for an enlarged prostate is oral medication.
Surgery is also a successful method of treatment.
However, in a small number of cases, sexual potency and control of urination are adversely affected. The most common surgical procedure at this time is transurethral prostate resection. A thin tube is inserted into the urethra until it reaches the prostate. Then an electric cutting device enters the prostate and removes small pieces of the enlarged prostate. In effect, a channel is cored out to allow the flow of urine.