Treatment Options For Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a condition that primarily occurs in aging men. Roughly half of all men over the fifty have this condition, and it can cause many difficulties. The prostate is a gland situated near the neck of the bladder, and it can grow as you age. This can be an issue because the enlarged prostate may make it difficult to empty the bladder. Men with benign prostatic hyperplasia often end up feeling sudden urges to urinate but find it difficult to start urinating or stop leaking in between bathroom trips. Benign prostatic hyperplasia may be unpleasant, but there is some hope for patients. If you are diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia, there are several different treatment options available.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is a method for getting rid of excess tissue in the prostate. It uses a laser to destroy prostate gland tissue and return the prostate to a healthy size. This kind of therapy is especially useful for individuals who take blood-thinning medications that keep them from being a good candidate for other types of benign prostatic hyperplasia treatments. Since it immediately removes all the extra prostate tissue, it immediately relieves symptoms.

There are two main types of laser therapy. Ablative procedures focus on getting rid of tissue around the urethra that is obstructing urine flow, and they use a kind of laser that immediately vaporizes tissue. Enucleative options use a different treatment that removes tissue without destroying it, so doctors can test the tissue for cancer or other issues.

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Embolization

Embolization is still a relatively experimental treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. It is a non-surgical procedure that does not involve directly removing any prostate tissue. Instead, the process involves a doctor inserting a tiny cannula into a vein in the arm or groin and using the cannula to lodge an embolus in the bloodstream. This essentially means they are lodging an artificial clot to block blood flow to or from the prostate gland. Without enough blood flow, the prostate gland may begin to shrink. The current results are successful, but the procedure is still new enough that there is not a lot of information on long-term outlooks for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, it is still becoming increasingly popular because it does not require surgery or a lengthy medical regimen. After the simple, outpatient surgery, men recovery quickly and can go back to normal activities.

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