Netanyahu to Undergo Prostatectomy on Sunday

Photo Credit: Moshe Shai/FLASH90

Hadassah Ein Kerem medical center.

The Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday night issued the following statement:

“Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent an examination at Hadassah Hospital in the course of which was discovered a urinary tract infection stemming from a benign enlargement of his prostate. Since then, for several days, the Prime Minister has been treated with antibiotics which have successfully dealt with the infection. As a result, Prime Minister Netanyahu will undergo treatment tomorrow (Sunday) to remove his prostate. Full details will be issued separately.

“Tomorrow’s Government meeting will be held as planned.”

Prostatectomy is a surgical procedure to remove all or part of the prostate gland. It is performed to address benign conditions causing urinary retention, prostate cancer, or other pelvic cancers.

There are two primary types of prostatectomy: simple and radical. A simple prostatectomy, also called a subtotal prostatectomy, involves removing only a portion of the prostate and is typically reserved for treating benign conditions. In contrast, a radical prostatectomy entails the complete removal of the prostate gland, seminal vesicles, and vas deferens, and is primarily performed to treat cancer.

The subtotal prostatectomy subtotal prostatectomy takes about an hour to an hour and a half, and patients are usually discharged the day after the procedure.

Complications that can arise immediately after any surgical procedure, including a prostatectomy, include risks such as bleeding, infection at the incision site or systemically, blood clots in the leg or lung, heart attack, stroke, and, in rare cases, death.

Last April, Netanyahu underwent hernia surgery under general anesthesia following a routine examination. In July of 2023, Netanyahu had a pacemaker implanted, a week after having a heart rate monitoring device implanted in his body.

In the past, Justice Minister Yariv Levin filled in for the prime minister while Benjamin Netanyahu underwent surgery or spent many hours in the air on his way to the US.