How to Pronounce Transurethral Resection of Prostate

Say it like this: trans-yoo-REE-thral reh-SEK-shun of PROS-tayt. The stressed syllables are REE (in transurethral), SEK (in resection), and PROS (in prostate). If you break it into chunks and say each part slowly, it becomes easier to manage this longer medical term.

Transurethral means 'going through the urethra'—the tube that carries urine out of the body. The prefix 'trans-' means 'through,' and 'urethral' refers to the urethra. So when a doctor uses this word, they're describing something that goes inside the body through that passage.

Resection is a medical term meaning 'removal' or 'cutting out.' It comes from Latin and is used whenever doctors talk about removing a piece of body tissue. You'll hear this word in many medical contexts, not just for this procedure.

The abbreviation is TURP, which stands for Transurethral Resection of Prostate. Doctors and nurses often use 'TURP' as shorthand when talking about this procedure, and it's pronounced by saying each letter: T-U-R-P.

Many people stress the wrong syllable and say trans-yoo-REE-thral with the stress on THRAL at the end, but the correct stress is on REE in the middle. Another common mistake is rushing through and not pronouncing the 'yoo' sound clearly in the middle of 'transurethral.'

Here's how it breaks down: trans-u-RE-thral re-SEK-tion of PROS-tate. Notice that 'transurethral' has four syllables and 'resection' has three. Breaking longer medical words into smaller chunks makes them much less intimidating to say out loud.

Words like 'urethritis' (inflammation of the urethra) and 'urethral stricture' (narrowing of the urethra) all share the same root. Understanding that 'urethral' always refers to the urethra helps you understand a whole family of medical terms.

You might hear a doctor say: 'The urologist recommended a transurethral resection of prostate to relieve the patient's urinary symptoms.' The term describes a specific approach—that the procedure happens through the urethra rather than through an external incision.