Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate, is a common and treatable condition that affects some men in their 40s, with increasing risk of symptoms as you age. These symptoms, called lower urinary tract symptoms, include daytime or nighttime frequent urination, urgent need to urinate, incontinence, weak urinary stream, intermittent stream and sensation of incomplete bladder emptying. BPH isn’t related to prostate cancer, but it can be uncomfortable and can significantly affect your quality of life.

In the past, many men chose to suffer with bothersome urinary symptoms because they didn’t want to use daily medication that can have unpleasant side effects or undergo invasive surgery. Today, minimally invasive procedures offer effective treatment that prevents the need for daily medication and is less invasive than prostate surgery.

Urologists at PAMF offer these minimally invasive procedures to treat symptoms related to BPH.

UroLift

One of the newer treatments for BPH, UroLift® is a minimally invasive technique that improves BPH symptoms in 90 percent of men. With this no-heat technique, small implants lift and hold the enlarged prostate tissue away from the urethra, creating more space for the urinary channel. This results in improved urine flow and decreased urinary frequency, with symptom relief lasting for at least five years. UroLift has also been shown to preserve or improve sexual function.

UroLift is performed as an outpatient procedure with sedation or light general anesthesia. Most men — between 80 and 90 percent — won’t need a catheter after the procedure.

Common short-term side effects, which typically resolve in one to two weeks, include mild to moderate pain or burning with urination, blood in the urine and frequent urination. By week three after the procedure, 90 percent of men show significant improvement in bothersome urinary symptoms.

Rezum

Rezum® (transurethral water vapor thermal therapy) is an office-based, minimally invasive procedure performed with local prostate anesthesia and oral sedation. The urologist first injects local anesthetic around the prostate using a transrectal ultrasound probe. The doctor then passes a scope through the urethra into the prostate and injects heated water vapor into the prostate. The intense heat kills the cells that make up the enlarged portion of the prostate, which then shrinks over the next few months. No prostate tissue is removed. All patients have a catheter after the procedure, usually for three to five days.

The Rezum procedure lacks long-term data, but early studies show significant reductions in BPH symptoms, preserved sexual function and improved quality of life with few side effects. No permanent implants are left in the prostate.