Finasteride Can Decrease TURP-Related Blood Loss

Pretreatment with finasteride, but not dutasteride, appears to decrease perioperative blood loss related to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), Chinese researchers concluded in a paper published in BMC Urology (2015;15:47). 

In a meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials that included 1,489 patients, Yi-Ping Zhu, MD, and colleagues at Fudan University in Shanghai also found that finasteride can decrease blood loss per gram of resected tissue, microvessel density (MVD), and vascular endothelial growth factor level. Pre-TURP dutasteride did not decrease total blood loss or MVD. Neither drug decreased operative time, prostate volume, or weight of gland resected.

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