How Long Do I Need to Stay in Istanbul After Prostate Surgery?
Most men plan seven to ten days in Istanbul after robotic prostatectomy. What decides the day you fly home, how the route changes it, and a typical week.
By Prof. Dr. Murat Binbay · Professor of Urology · Uro-oncology and Robotic Surgery · Istanbul · Reading time about 7 minutes
The short answer: most men who travel to Istanbul for robotic prostatectomy plan a stay of seven to ten days in total — arriving one or two days before the operation and flying home a few days after the catheter has been removed. With single port surgery, the stay is at the shorter end of that range; with a wider operation, at the longer end.
The longer answer is more useful, because the number is not fixed by a calendar. It is fixed by four things that have to be true before I let you fly. This page explains what they are, how your choice of operation changes them, and what a typical week looks like day by day.
What Actually Decides When You Can Go Home
You can leave Istanbul when four conditions are met. Not before, and not later than necessary.
- The catheter is out and you are passing urine comfortably. After radical prostatectomy the bladder is joined to the urethra, and a catheter protects that join while it heals. Removing it too early risks a leak; removing it and sending you to an airport the same hour is unwise. We remove it, check that you are voiding well, and keep you nearby for a day.
- You are walking, eating and in only mild discomfort. These are the signs that recovery is on track and that the risk of an early complication has passed.
- Your blood results and wound are satisfactory. A final check the day before you fly.
- Any early complication has declared itself. The uncommon problems that follow prostate surgery — a leak at the join, bleeding, a collection of fluid, a urinary infection — almost always appear in the first days. Keeping you in Istanbul until the catheter is out means that if one of them occurs, it is treated by the team that operated on you, not by a stranger at home.
The pathology report is not one of the four conditions. It takes five to seven working days and we discuss it by video if you have already flown. You do not need to wait for it.
How the Operation Changes the Number
The length of your stay is largely set by the length of time the catheter must remain. That, in turn, depends on the route taken to your prostate and the extent of the operation.
| Operation | Catheter typically removed | Typical total stay in Istanbul |
|---|---|---|
| Single port transvesical prostatectomy | Day 3–5 | 6–8 days |
| Single port extraperitoneal prostatectomy | Day 5–7 | 7–9 days |
| Multi-port transperitoneal prostatectomy with extended lymph node removal | Day 7 | 9–11 days |
| Single port simple prostatectomy (benign enlargement) | Day 3–5 | 6–8 days |
These are typical figures to help you plan flights, not promises. Your written assessment gives your own expected stay before you book anything.
Two points stand out. First, the single port routes — and the transvesical route in particular — shorten the stay because they shorten the catheter time: the join between bladder and urethra is made with the surrounding tissues undisturbed, and it heals quickly. Second, the longest stays belong to men with high-risk cancer who need extended lymph node removal. That is not a reason to choose a smaller operation; it is a reason to plan an extra two days.
The routes themselves are explained in transvesical single port prostatectomy and extraperitoneal vs transperitoneal robotic prostatectomy.
A Typical Week, Day by Day
This is what the stay looks like for a man having single port prostatectomy. Multi-port surgery follows the same sequence with a day or two added at the end.
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day −2 | Arrive in Istanbul. Transfer to your accommodation. Rest. |
| Day −1 | Hospital: blood tests, ECG, anaesthesia assessment, consent. We meet in person. |
| Day 0 | Surgery, in the morning. You walk the same evening. |
| Day 1 | Breakfast, walking, discharge to your accommodation in most cases. |
| Days 2–4 | Rest and daily walks. Simple painkillers only. A phone call from the team each day. |
| Day 3–5 | Catheter removal at the hospital. We check that you are voiding well. |
| Day 4–6 | Final review: wound, blood results, fit-to-fly letter, discharge summary, follow-up schedule. |
| Day 5–7 | Fly home. |
Your companion stays with you throughout and is welcome at every hospital visit. The whole journey, from sending your scans to follow-up at home, is described in your journey to Istanbul for robotic urological surgery.
Flying Home Safely
The flight itself needs a little planning, because any pelvic operation raises the risk of blood clots in the legs for a few weeks, and a long flight adds to it. For most men this means:
- Walk in the cabin every hour and do ankle exercises in your seat
- Wear compression stockings for the journey
- Drink water, not alcohol
- For flights of more than four hours, or if you have other risk factors, we may prescribe a short course of blood-thinning injections that you give yourself; we teach you how before you leave
- Keep your discharge summary and fit-to-fly letter in your hand luggage
You will have a pad for the flight. Most men have some leakage in the first days after catheter removal, and this is expected; it does not mean something has gone wrong. How bladder control usually returns is covered in urinary continence after prostate surgery.
What Could Make the Stay Longer
In a small number of patients the stay is extended by a day or more. The usual reasons are:
- A slow return of bladder control that makes us prefer to keep the catheter an extra day or two
- A leak at the join between bladder and urethra, seen on a check X-ray, which heals with the catheter left in place a little longer
- A fluid collection or infection that needs treatment
- Simply feeling not yet ready to travel — which is a perfectly good reason
We ask every patient to book flights that can be changed, and to allow a margin of two or three days in their diary. In practice most men fly on the planned day; the margin is there so that nobody has to choose between a flight and their recovery.
What You Do Not Need to Stay For
Some patients stay longer than necessary because they expect to. You do not need to stay in Istanbul for:
- The pathology report — discussed by video
- The first PSA test — done at home at six weeks and sent to us
- Removal of stitches — the skin is closed with dissolving sutures or glue
- Pelvic floor exercises — taught before you leave and continued at home
- Follow-up consultations — held by video on a fixed schedule
The stay is for one purpose: to see you safely through the early days. Everything else travels with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I shorten the stay by having the catheter removed at home?
In principle a urologist at home can remove a catheter. In practice I prefer to remove it myself, because the moment of removal is when a problem at the join is most likely to show itself, and because a day’s observation afterwards is part of the plan. If your home urologist agrees to take over, we discuss it case by case.
Is it safe to fly five or six days after prostate surgery?
Yes, for men whose catheter is out, who are walking well and whose checks are satisfactory, provided the precautions above are followed. Flying is not what delays going home; the catheter is.
Do I need to stay in a hospital room the whole time?
No. Most men spend only one night in hospital and the rest in a hotel or serviced apartment nearby, which is more comfortable and better for walking.
What if I live in a country twelve hours away?
The stay is the same; only the journey is longer. For very long flights we are more likely to prescribe blood-thinning injections for the journey, and we may suggest an extra day before flying.
Can I combine the stay with a holiday?
You will not feel like sightseeing in the first days, but gentle walks are encouraged, and many patients and their companions enjoy the city in the days before the catheter comes out. Save the longer excursions for a return visit.
Plan Your Stay with a Real Number
The figures on this page are typical. The number that matters is yours, and it depends on your cancer, the operation we recommend, and the route we would use. Send your MRI, biopsy report and PSA history, and within two business days you will receive a written assessment that includes the expected length of your stay in Istanbul — before you book a single flight.
Send us your imaging and reports · Tel: +90 530 100 90 85
This article is for general information only and does not replace an individual medical consultation. Treatment decisions are made after a personal assessment with your surgeon.
