ABSTRACT
As discussed in Chapter 4, to decide the most appropriate treatment for patients presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms thought to be due to BPH, the urologist should be aware of so-called clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) which summarize the available options. Guidelines started to appear in the early 1990s as an attempt to standardize treatment. This was a consequence of reports which showed wide variations in TURP rates both within and between countries. The fact that the treatment you received depended not so much on what condition you had, but more on where you lived, suggested that there was no consensus on the indications for TURP. Therefore, in an attemp to define more precisely the indications for treating BPH symptoms, clinical practice guidelines were established.
