Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition in which the prostate enlarges as men get older. BPH is a very common condition that affects over 40 million Americans and over 500 million aging men worldwide. Over 40% of men in their 50s and over 70% of men in their 60s have BPH. While BPH is a benign condition and unrelated to prostate cancer, it can greatly affect a man’s quality of life.

As the prostate enlarges, it presses on and blocks the urethra, causing bothersome urinary symptoms know as Lower urinary tract symptoms. These include:

  • Frequent need to urinate both day and night
  • Weak or slow urinary stream
  • A sense that you cannot completely empty your bladder
  • Difficulty or delay in starting urination
  • Urgent feeling of needing to urinate
  • A urinary stream that stops and starts

If you suffer from the above symptoms, you are not alone. BPH is the leading reason men visit a urologist.

How is BPH diagnosed?

You will receive an initial evaluation including your medical history, a physical exam, a digital rectal exam (DRE) and urinalysis. A full assessment helps avoid the assumption that LUTS in men is due to BPH. Most of the causes can be diagnosed by an exam and a careful history. However, your urologist may order several tests including PSA, ultrasounds or x-rays, urodynamic testing, or cystoscopy to identify the underlying cause.

Treatment options for men with symptomatic BPH, could include:

  • Medical therapy
  • Lifestyle change
  • Transurethral resection of the prostate
  • Rezum
  • Greenlight PVP
  • Holep

Greenlight PVP is an advanced urology treatment for an enlarged prostate.

This treatment option provides rapid relief of symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In many cases, GreenLight™ Laser Therapy also offers a shorter hospital stay, less catheterization time, less bleeding, and a faster recovery than traditional surgical options.

GreenLight is suitable for most patients with an enlarged prostate. One of the benefits of GreenLight is the speed in which the treatment works. Most patients return home a few short hours after the procedure and can return to normal, non-strenuous activities within days.

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is a surgery used to treat urinary problems that are caused by an enlarged prostate.

An instrument called a resectoscope is inserted through the tip of your penis and into the tube that carries urine from your bladder (urethra). The resectoscope helps your doctor see and trim away excess prostate tissue that's blocking urine flow.

TURP is generally considered an option for men who have moderate to severe urinary problems that haven't responded to medication.

The Prostatic Urethral Lift Procedure (UroLift®) is a minimally invasive surgical approach to treating LUTS (lower urinary tract symptoms) secondary to BPH. The UroLift® system lifts or holds the enlarged prostate out of the way so that it no longer blocks the urethra. There is no cutting, heating or removal of prostate tissue and the treatment can be performed in an outpatient setting. The goal is to relieve LUTS due to BPH, and allow you to improve the quality of your life by improving the urinary symptoms.

This FDA-approved system opens the urethra by using tiny implants to prevent the prostate tissue from blocking urine flow in the urethra and preserves sexual function and quality of life. Because it is minimally invasive, there are minimal complications and rapid and durable improvements in symptoms. The UroLift® procedure avoids sexual side effects associated with other procedures. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, and provides relief from urinary discomfort as early as two weeks after surgery. There is no catheter and no overnight stay necessary.

While this is a permanent solution, it does not preclude other BPH treatments, if they later become necessary. If the implants need to be removed, it is a simple procedure. The implants will not interfere with MRIs or digital rectal exams (DREs). The UroLift® procedure will not complicate other BPH treatments such as laser prostatectomy in the instance that the procedure does not provide a satisfactory result.

In this short video, SSM Health Medical Group urologist explains the benefits of UroLift®, a minimally-invasive procedure used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

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