A Rare Complication of Transurethral Resection of the Prostate: Explosion of the Bladder

Abstract

Monopolar and bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate is currently the gold standard modality in the treatment of bladder outlet obstruction due to prostatic enlargement. A rare complication of transurethral resection is the explosion of the bladder as may occur during resection of the prostate. The etiology of explosion is thought to be a result of ignition due to mixture of oxygen and hydrogen gas occurring during the resection under increased pressure of the bladder. To the best of our knowledge, our case is the first report of bladder explosion during transurethral resection with bipolar energy using saline solution.