GreenLight laser vaporization of the prostate (PVP)
GreenLight is an operation done through the penis, with no skin cuts. A high-powered green laser vaporizes the overgrown inner prostate layer by layer, opening a channel for urine.
Also called GreenLight, GreenLight laser, PVP, photoselective vaporization of the prostate, laser vaporization of the prostate, KTP laser prostatectomy, LBO laser, green light laser surgery
- Where
- Hospital operating room or outpatient surgery center
- Anesthesia
- General anesthesia (asleep) or a spinal (numb from the waist down)
- Time in the room
- About 1 to 2 hours
- Hospital stay
- Often the same day; sometimes one night
- Going home with
- Catheter for less than a day in many men; sometimes none or up to 2 to 3 days
- Back to normal
- About 1 to 2 weeks for light activity; 4 weeks for everything
- Back to work
- Desk work in a few days to a week; heavy work in about 4 weeks
Overview
In BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), the inner prostate grows and squeezes the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the bladder. GreenLight treats this from the inside. A thin laser fiber is passed through a scope in the urethra, and its green beam turns prostate tissue into vapor, a bit at a time, until the channel is wide open.
The green light is strongly absorbed by the red color of blood. This lets it vaporize tissue and seal blood vessels at the same time, which is why surgeons often choose it for men who take blood thinners. The AUA guideline suggests considering laser vaporization for men at higher risk of bleeding.
GreenLight is used most often for small to medium prostates. In a large European trial called GOLIATH, it gave results close to TURP over the first few years, with shorter catheter times and hospital stays. Experienced surgeons also treat larger glands, but very large prostates are often better suited to enucleation (HoLEP) or simple prostatectomy.
Because the tissue is vaporized, little or none is left to send to the lab. Your team will want a recent PSA, and sometimes an MRI or biopsy, before surgery if there is any concern about prostate cancer.
The parts of your body involved
The prostate sits below the bladder and wraps around the first part of the urethra. With BPH, its inner lobes grow and press the urethra closed, and a middle lobe may poke up into the bladder. The bladder has to push harder to get urine past, and over years its wall can thicken and become irritable. The continence muscle lies just below the prostate, and the erection nerves run along its outside.
- Prostate lobes
The overgrown inner tissue that blocks the channel. This is what the laser vaporizes.
- Urethra
The tube that carries urine and semen out through the penis. The scope travels along it.
- Bladder neck
The bladder's outlet, which also closes during orgasm to push semen forward.
- Capsule
The prostate's outer shell, where the surgeon stops vaporizing.
- External sphincter
The muscle that keeps you dry, just below the prostate. It is protected.
Why it’s done
GreenLight is offered to men whose urinary symptoms or blockage from BPH need a surgical fix, especially when bleeding risk is a concern or a short stay is a priority.
- Bothersome symptoms
Weak stream, straining, frequent urination, or getting up many times at night, despite medicines or because of their side effects.
- Blood thinners
Men who cannot safely stop warfarin, apixaban, clopidogrel, or similar medicines may still be able to have GreenLight. This is decided with your heart doctor.
- Retention
You cannot empty your bladder and need a catheter.
- Short recovery
Many men go home the same day, often with the catheter out within a day.
- Complications of blockage
Stones, infections, bleeding, or kidney strain from poor emptying.
Other options
- Watching and waiting or medicines
Lifestyle changes, alpha blockers such as tamsulosin, or finasteride and dutasteride to shrink the prostate over months.
- TURP
Shaves the prostate in chips that can be checked in the lab. Long track record. Slightly more bleeding and often a longer catheter time.
- HoLEP
Removes the whole inner growth with a laser. Works for any size and is very durable, with tissue sent to the lab.
- UroLift or Rezum
Office-based options that usually protect ejaculation, with smaller improvements and higher chances of needing more treatment later.
- Prostate artery embolization
Blocks the prostate's blood supply through an artery. No anesthesia needed, but smaller improvements and more retreatment.
Getting ready
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Weeks before
The week before
The day before
The morning of
In the operating room, step by step
Press play or pick a step. Each drawing shows what your surgeon is doing at that moment. Your team may do some steps differently.
1. Anesthesia
You are put to sleep or given a spinal so you are numb from the waist down. Monitors track your heart and breathing.
After the operation
Right afterward
- Recovery room
You wake with a catheter in most cases. Bladder spasms can occur and are treated with medicine.
- Catheter removal
Often removed within hours or the next morning, after which you urinate on your own and are scanned to check emptying.
- Eating and walking
You can eat, drink, and walk soon after surgery.
- Going home
Many men go home the same day. Some go home with a catheter for a few days, especially if the bladder was not emptying well before surgery.
At home
- Burning and urgency
Burning and frequent, urgent urination are common and can last several weeks, sometimes longer than after TURP. Anti-inflammatory medicine, if your team approves, and avoiding caffeine help.
- Blood in the urine
Light pink urine on and off is normal for a few weeks. Small flecks of tissue or scab may pass.
- Drinking
Aim for about 6 to 8 glasses of water a day unless told otherwise.
- Bowels
Use a stool softener and avoid straining.
- Activity and lifting
Walk daily. Avoid lifting over about 10 to 15 pounds (5 to 7 kg), hard exercise, and cycling for about 2 to 4 weeks.
- Driving
Not while you have a catheter or are taking opioid pain medicine. Most drive within a few days.
- Showering
Shower anytime. Skip baths and swimming for about 2 weeks.
- Sex
Usually after about 2 to 4 weeks. Some men have reduced or no semen at orgasm.
- Blood thinners
Restart them exactly when your team says.
Recovery timeline
- Day 0Surgery
Often home the same day. Stream may already be stronger.
- Day 1Catheter out
If you went home with a catheter, it usually comes out within a day or two.
- Week 1Burning and urgency
The most uncomfortable week for many men. Frequent trips to the bathroom.
- Weeks 2 to 4Improving
Burning eases. Some men pass small bits of tissue or have a brief bleeding flare.
- 4 to 6 weeksFull activity
Most men are back to everything.
- 6 to 12 weeksFollow-up
Symptom score, urine flow, and bladder emptying are checked.
- Long termDurable for most
Most men keep their improvement for years. Some need another procedure later.
What it feels like
Many men are surprised how quickly they go home. The hardest part for most is the burning and urgency in the first few weeks.
Before surgery
Worry about a laser in a sensitive place, and about leaking or sex.
What helpsAsk how many GreenLight procedures your surgeon does and what recovery usually looks like.
Waking up
A strong urge to urinate even with a catheter draining; occasional cramps.
What helpsSpasm medicine. It usually settles quickly.
The first days at home
Burning, especially at the end of urinating, and needing to go often.
What helpsDrink steadily, avoid coffee and alcohol, and use the medicines your team suggested.
Passing debris
Seeing small flakes or bits of tissue in the urine can be unsettling.
What helpsThis is healing tissue coming away. Call if it blocks your stream.
Intimacy
Less or no semen at orgasm for some men.
What helpsKnowing in advance helps. Orgasm usually feels the same.
A month later
A strong stream and fewer night trips. Many men say it was worth the rough weeks.
What helpsKeep follow-up visits and PSA checks.
How well it works
Most men urinate much more easily after GreenLight. Results are close to TURP for small and medium prostates over the first few years.
- Symptoms and flow
Symptom scores usually fall by about half or more, and flow rates rise a lot.
- Medicines
Most men can stop their prostate medicines.
- Durability
Most men keep their improvement for years. Some need another procedure for regrowth or scar narrowing, at rates similar to TURP in the first few years.
- Follow-up
A visit about 6 to 12 weeks after surgery, then PSA checks as advised.
Risks
Every operation has risks. These are the ones people ask about most, with honest odds where good numbers exist. Your surgeon’s own results matter more than averages.
Common
Can last several weeks while the vaporized surface heals.
Usually light and short-lived.
Less or no semen at orgasm. Less common than after TURP or HoLEP in most studies, but rates vary widely.
Less common
Treated with antibiotics.
Usually managed with a catheter for a few more days.
At the bladder neck or in the urethra, which may need a small procedure later.
From regrowth or tissue left behind, more likely with larger prostates.
Rare
Ongoing leaking that does not settle.
Very rare with GreenLight.
Because tissue is vaporized, a small cancer may not be found, which is why cancer checks come first.
As with any anesthesia and surgery.
Call your care team or go to the emergency room if
- Fever of 101°F (38.3°C) or higher, or shaking chills
- Not able to urinate for 6 hours, or a painful, full lower belly
- No urine draining from your catheter for 1 hour
- Thick dark red urine or clots that block the flow
- Pain, swelling, or warmth in one leg
- Chest pain or sudden shortness of breath (call 911)
Questions to ask your surgeon
- Why GreenLight rather than TURP or HoLEP for me?
- How large is my prostate, and is that a good size for vaporization?
- Can I stay on my blood thinner?
- Will I go home the same day? With a catheter?
- How long does the burning usually last for your patients?
- What are my chances of a dry orgasm?
- Since the tissue is vaporized, do I need an MRI or biopsy first?
- How likely is it that I will need another procedure?
Words you may hear
- PVP
- Photoselective vaporization of the prostate, the medical name for GreenLight.
- Vaporization
- Heating tissue so fast it turns into vapor and disappears.
- Side-firing fiber
- A laser fiber that sends its beam out to the side rather than straight ahead.
- BPH
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia: non-cancer growth of the inner prostate.
- Capsule
- The outer shell of the prostate, where vaporization stops.
- Retrograde ejaculation
- Semen goes into the bladder during orgasm instead of out.
- Catheter
- A soft tube that drains urine from the bladder.
- Anticoagulant
- A blood thinner such as warfarin or apixaban.
- PSA
- A blood test used to watch for prostate cancer.
Common questions
Why is the laser green?
Green light is absorbed strongly by blood. That helps the laser vaporize tissue and seal small vessels at the same time.
Can I have GreenLight if I take blood thinners?
Often yes. It is one of the main reasons surgeons choose it. Your surgeon and heart doctor will decide together.
Will I have a catheter?
Most men have one for less than a day. Some go home without one, and some need it a few days longer.
Is the result as good as TURP?
In the GOLIATH trial, results for small and medium prostates were similar to TURP over the first few years. For very large prostates, enucleation is often a better fit.
Will it affect erections?
Most men notice no change in erections.
Why is the burning worse than I expected?
The vaporized surface heals over several weeks, and that raw surface is sensitive to urine. It improves steadily.
Sources this page draws on
- American Urological Association, Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Attributed to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): AUA Guideline
- European Association of Urology, EAU Guidelines on the Management of Non-neurogenic Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
- GOLIATH study group (Bachmann and colleagues), GOLIATH randomized trial of 180-W GreenLight XPS laser vaporization versus TURP
- Urology Care Foundation, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Written November 2026. This page explains what usually happens. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with your own surgeon, whose plan for you comes first.