A study presented at a urology conference in Chicago on Tuesday showed that a new minimally invasive procedure for men who suffer from an enlarged prostate is highly effective yet doesnt come with the side effects associated with current gold standard treatments. The procedure, known as prostatic artery embolization, or PAE, is performed by using a catheter to place small particles into the prostatic arteries via a small incision in the groin. PAE prevents blood from flowing to the prostate, causing the gland to shrink. Doctors are hopeful that the procedure will revolutionize prostate enlargement treatment. According to Dr. Joao Martins Pisco, chief radiologist at Hospital Pulido Valente in Lisbon, Portugal, the study shows comparable clinical results to current treatments, but without the risks associated with surgery, including urinary incontinence, blood loss, sexual dysfunction and retrograde ejaculation. The current gold standard treatment, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), can only be performed on prostates smaller than 6080 cubic centimeters, but PAE can be performed on any size prostate. Pisco referred to PAE as the future of prostate enlargement treatment. Approximately 19 million men in the U.S. suffer from prostate enlargement. The condition is common among older men, with about half of sufferers over the age of 60 and up to 90 percent of sufferers over the age of 85.
Those with the condition suffer from an interrupted, weakened stream, leaking, a sense of urgency and frequent nighttime urination. According to Pisco, the condition is so common that it is presumed that all men, provided they live long enough, will have an enlarged prostate. The cause of the condition, however, is not clearly understood.
