Many options currently exist to relieve the symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). At present, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) serves as the surgical standard to which all other operative treatments are compared. Although TURP provides excellent short and long-term results, this procedure has many potential risks and complications. The desire to avoid the potential risks of TURP and still achieve results of comparable durability has led to the development of alternative surgical procedures.