Transurethral resection (TUR) is the current standard for diagnosis and therapy of non-muscle invasive bladder tumors, and classically performed by the use of monopolar electrocautery under non-ionic hypo-tonic fluid irrigation. Primarily TUR syndrome and the other potential problems such as bleeding, obturator nerve reflex and bladder perforation are main complications of monopolar method. In search of a novel and less invasive technique which may reduce these complications, bipolar technology was developed recently and offered both safe and effective treatment results at the same time. In the present paper, we reviewed and compared monopolar and bipolar TUR methods for the treatment of bladder tumors in the light of recent literature.
Keywords: transurethral resection, bladder tumor, bipolar, monopolar, plasmakinetic