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By the age of 60, half of all men live with the side effects of an enlarged prostate. If you’re among them and considering surgery to remove the excess tissue, you might want to think about a less-invasive approach: cutting off its lifeblood.
That’s the literal blood that nourishes enlarged prostate tissue. Thanks to an advanced treatment called prostate artery embolization, or PAE, the enlarged areas of your prostate can be forced to shrink safely by blocking blood from reaching the tissue.
PAE is a welcome addition to other minimally invasive, incision-free procedures we offer for treating an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Thanks to such innovations, the number of BPH patients able to avoid surgery in favor of lower-risk, outpatient procedures is rising.
In this blog, we’ll explain how PAE is performed and whether this alternative to surgery is right for you.
If you aren’t familiar with the cause of BPH, here it is in a nutshell: As men age, the tissue in their prostate glands tends to expand, possibly because it produces stronger amounts of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone, which can stimulate growth.
When enlarged, the prostate can cause urinary problems due to its location beneath the bladder and surrounding the urethra, the tube that carries urine from your body. If the prostatic tissue grows so much that it’s bear-hugging the urethra, you’ll likely experience the following symptoms:
Fortunately, BPH is non-cancerous, and it does not increase the risk of sexual issues. However, left untreated it can lead to complications by hindering your bladder’s ability to push out urine. If urine sits in you bladder too long, it can cause urinary tract infections (UTIs), bladder damage that could require a catheter, and kidney stones.
Traditional approaches to BPH typically begin with medications that can relax the bladder muscles or regulate hormonal changes. If you do not respond to medications or your BPH causes complications, you could require surgery to remove the excess tissue.
PAE stands between these options as a non-surgical, outpatient approach. If your BPH does not respond to medications and is considered moderate, your doctor could decide you’re a good candidate for PAE.
PAE is performed by threading a slim flexible tube called a microcatheter through a small needle in your groin or wrist. The microcatheter is guided to the prostate using x-rays (interventional radiology). Once the microcatheter reaches the prostate, dye is injected into your blood vessels, enabling the doctor to locate the arteries that carry blood to the prostate.
The doctor then feeds tiny beads through the tube and into those arteries, where the beads become lodged, blocking blood flow to the tissue. Lacking its nutritional source, the excess prostate tissue shrinks.
Because PAE does not require an incision, it eliminates limited risks associated with surgery, such as potential erectile dysfunction or bladder control. And because patients typically do not require general anesthesia, you can expect to go home the same day. (You will receive intravenous medications to moderate pain and anxiety.)
You can expect a full recovery in just a few days, after which you can return to routine activities, including work. Side effects include soreness in the pelvic area, possible nausea, or fever. Expect a follow-up exam.
We offer PAE so you have more treatment options to suit your lifestyle. But the first step to recovery is recognizing and responding to the symptoms of BPH.
Self-care is the lifeblood of whole-body good health, after all.
You can learn how Spokane Urology diagnoses BPH and our other treatment options on our website.
