science

Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate

Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate rather than just read about it. In short: Transurethral needle ablation (also called TUNA or transurethral radiofrequency ablation) is a technique that uses low energy radio frequency delivered through two needles to ablate excess prostate tissue. A cystoscope/catheter deploys the needles toward the obstructing prostate tissue and is inserted into the urethra directly through the penis under local anesthetic before the procedure begins.

Key takeaways

Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Transurethral needle ablation (also called TUNA or transurethral radiofrequency ablation) is a technique that uses low energy radio frequency delivered through two needles to ablate excess prostate tissue. A cystoscope/catheter deploys the needles toward the obstructing prostate tissue and is inserted into the urethra directly through the penis under local anesthetic before the procedure begins. The energy from the probe heats the abnormal prostate tissue without damaging the urethra. The resulting scar tissue later atrophies, reducing the size of the prostate which in turn reduces the constriction of the urethra. It can be done with a local anesthetic on an outpatient basis. It takes about an hour to perform the procedure. It takes about 30 days for the ablated prostate tissue to resorb. Transurethral needle ablation can be used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Some clinical studies have reported that TUNA is safe and effective, improving the urine flow with minimal side effects when compared with other procedures, such as transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and open prostatectomy. However, other studies have reported that the procedure has a high failure rate, with the majority of patients requiring retreatment. Some patients have reported long-term inflammation of their prostate after undergoing the TUNA process. This is known as chronic prostatitis.

Judgements in guidelines The American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines for the treatment of BPH from 2018 stated that "TUNA is not recommended for the treatment of LUTS/BPH". The European Association of Urology (EAU) has – as of 2019 – removed TUNA from its guidelines.

History The TUNA system was pioneered by Stuart Denzil Edwards. The device was the main product for a startup company called Vidamed. Vidamed was founded in 1992 by Edwards along with Ron G. Lax, Hugh Sharky and Ingemar Lundquist, in Menlo Park, California, before building an international global corporation headed up by Lyle F. Brotherton. Vidamed was floated in an IPO on the US NASDAQ stock market in 1995 and then acquired by Medtronic in 2001. In 2011, Urologix, Inc. acquired the worldwide exclusive license to Prostiva radiofrequency therapy.

References This article contains text derived from the public domain document at Pueblo.GPO.gov Main Page. Archived at: Publications.USA.gov Main Page on July 16, 2012, and accessed on December 29, 2015. This article incorporates public domain material from Dictionary of Cancer Terms. U.S. National Cancer Institute. Notes

External links The TUNA entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate

In research: Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Male genital surgery, Urologic surgery, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate in simple terms?

Why does Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Transurethral needle ablation of the prostate.