Enlarged Prostate / BPH: new treatments including laser PVP HoLAP and microwave TUMT

Doctors with expertise in incontinence, bladder suspension ("bladder lift") and sling procedures, kidney stones, no needle no scalpel vasectomy, vasectomy reversal, laparoscopy and laparoscopic kidney and prostate surgery, prostate diseases including cancer and enlarged prostate

Adult and pediatric urology, urologic surgery, in Orange County California

Serving Orange, Tustin, Irvine, Santa Ana and Garden Grove

Treatments for BPH (for a table summarizing this information, click here)

Observation

Men with mild to moderate symptoms may choose not to be treated, but to be followed instead by a urologist with periodic check ups.

Medication

Medical treatment for the enlarged prostate includes alpha blockers (a few examples are Hytrin, Cardura and Flomax). These medications relax the prostate to help relieve the symptoms of urinary tract obstruction. Another class of drugs includes Proscar and Avodart. They shrink the prostate. Sometimes both types of drugs are given together for maximal effect.

Microwave Heat Therapy (TUMT)

Microwave therapy, or thermotherapy, is an office procedure for BPH. The urologist places a temporary urinary catheter under local anesthesia. The catheter shrinks the enlarged prostate gland by emitting gentle microwave heat. The procedure is painless and takes about one hour.

Laser Prostatectomy

The urologist uses a laser fiber to vaporize the obstructing enlarged prostate tissue. Unlike the traditional transurethral resection (TURP), Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate (PVP) using the Greenlight PV or Holmium Laser Ablation of the Prostate (HoLAP) have very minimal pain or bleeding. Laser prostatectomy can be performed on an outpatient basis and requires regional or general anesthesia.

Transurethral Resection of the prostate (TURP)

Prostate tissue is resected thru the urethral by using an electrode. This requires a 1 - 3 day postoperative hospital stay and can be associated with significant bleeding and other urological complications.

Open Prostatectomy

Benign prostate tissue is removed with open surgery. This operation is reserved for extremely large prostates.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH, is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. This condition affects millions of men, and often causes problems with urination, including urinary obstruction or retention of urine. Other symptoms include slow urine stream, pushing or straining to empty the bladder, urinary frequency, nocturia (waking at night to urinate) and even urinary incontinence. .