Two to four weeks after

Typically, some patients complain of a slow stream or a reduced amount of liquid when they pass urine. Some patients feel that they want to pass urine urgently or more frequently during both the day and at night. They may also feel that they have not emptied their bladder completely and need to strain to do so. These symptoms are often worse at night. Urinary incontinence at any time after the procedure however, is very rare (<1%; less than 1 in every 100 men).

These side effects are due to the swelling of the prostate following the procedure and irritation of the prostate and bladder lining due to radiation from the seeds. They are usually temporary and your prostate gland and bladder will settle down again in time to its pre-implant state. We would normally expect this to be within 6–9 months after the seeds were implanted. Only 1 or 2 out of every 100 men (1–2% of patients) will continue to have difficulty for longer than 9 months.

If you have any difficulty passing water at all after your treatment we would like to know. This side effect, called urinary retention, rarely occurs in our patients treated with brachytherapy (~2%). If it is not possible for you to wait to contact us, then you should contact your GP or go to your local Accident and Emergency Department. A catheter may be inserted to relieve the immediate problem, but we would like you to contact us as soon as possible after this.