Bladder neck incision (BNI)

Procedures we perform

ABOUT BLADDER NECK INCISION

What is a bladder neck incision?

A bladder neck incision (BNI) is a procedure used to treat bladder neck obstruction, which causes urinary problems due to narrowing at the bladder neck.

The bladder neck is the area where the bladder and prostate connect. Sometimes this opening can be abnormally tight, which is known as a bladder neck stenosis.

Why is a bladder neck incision required?

Bladder neck stenosis causes urinary symptoms due to restricting the flow of urine out of the bladder.

These symptoms may include:

Waking through the night to urinate.

Needing to pass urine frequently and urgently.

Reduced urine flow.

Difficulty starting urination.

Incomplete bladder emptying.

Bladder neck stenosis is an issue which men can be born with, but it often worsens throughout life as the prostate enlarges.

What does a bladder neck incision involve?

A BNI is performed in hospital under general anaesthetic (completely asleep) or spinal anaesthetic (numb from the waist down).

What does a bladder neck incision involve?

A telescope is passed into your bladder through the urethra (waterpipe).

A cauterizing knife is then passed through the telescope and used to incise (cut open) the neck of the bladder.

A catheter (a soft flexible tube which drains urine from the bladder via the urethra into a bag) is inserted at the end of the procedure. The catheter is continuously flushed with fluid after the operation to remove blood and debris.

The catheter is usually removed one day after the operation but occasionally needs to stay in longer.

What is the recovery after a bladder neck incision?

You will usually be in hospital for one night after the operation.

It is common to have urinary frequency, urgency, waking at night to pass urine, stinging when passing urine, and blood in the urine for a few weeks after the operation.

You can usually return to sedentary work one to two weeks after the operation. If your job involves physical work, please discuss this with your doctor.

You can start doing gentle exercise such as walking approximately one week after the operation. You will need to avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for at least four weeks after the operation.

You can usually return to driving one to two weeks after the operation.