Enlarged Prostate Patients Can Now Benefit From Novel Nonsurgical Minimal Invasive Treatment

Enlarged Prostate Patients Can Now Benefit From Novel Nonsurgical Minimal Invasive Treatment

Patients with enlarged prostate now benefit from minimally invasive treatment: prostatic artery embolization or PAE, which involves reducing blood flow to the prostate gland. Benign prostatic hypertrophy is one of the most common diseases that occur in older men and is manifested by pollakiuria, which means frequent urination.
The prostate is a gland located around the urethra and an increased gland has many consequences on urinary system . First, the patient begins to urinate with difficulty because the increased gland compresses the urethra and thus appears pollakiuria (first at night and then becomes permanent). Because of pollakiuria, urinary bladder begins to stop properly evacuate which leads to urinary retention. This residual urine increases gradually and can lead to false incontinence. Other complications that can occur are complete retention of urine, stones, infections. Also, other consequences of benign prostatic hypertrophy is hydronefrosis and kidney failure.

BHP

Patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia are treated with drugs or surgery. Drug treatment is chosen depending on the patient’s symptoms and includes various types of drugs such as alpha blockers, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, phytotherapy. When drug therapy brings no benefit, patients may choose surgery that can be done in several ways: there is transurethral resection of the prostate ( TURP), transurethral incision of the prostate ( TUIP). Others methods of treatment involve transurethral needle ablation of the prostate ( TUNA), transurethral microwave therapy ( TUMP) etc.

This treatment should be chosen depending on the patient’s condition and preferences, etc.. Now researchers have come up with a minimally invasive treatment option. Prostatic artery embolization or PAE can be an alternative for those who do not want surgical intervention or health condition does not indicate this type of treatment. Sandeep Bagle, MD, the study’s lead author and year interventional radiologist in the department of cardiovascular and interventional radiology at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Alexandria, said that surgery can be risky for some patients and involves several side effects. He added that PAE is a minimally invasive technique with low risk and that reduces symptoms in most patients.

PAE effectiveness has been tested so far in only 14 patients but of these 13 had a significant reduction in symptoms after just one month. None of the participants have suffered major complications such as impotence, incontinence or urethral infection. Now researchers want to conduct a prospective study showing long-term results of the PAE. “Patients who have not been helped by surgery or laser treatments have benefited. Since the treatment does not involve placing a catheter or device into the penis, there is no risk of narrowing of the urethra, incontinence or bleeding,” Bagle said.