Urolift – a treatment option for men with BPH

A common occurrence for older men is waking up at least once or several times during the night.  Women who live with these men are also affected as they are tired of being woken up in the middle of the night by their husband’s trips to the bathroom.  Finally, there looks to be a better and improved method of treating these issues.

Urolift is a 2013 FDA-approved technique that is an innovative, minimally invasive procedure that can dramatically improve a man’s life after struggling with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).  This treatment may be an option for some men with an enlarged prostate offering relief from BPH.

What is BPH?

It is estimated that more than 50 percent of men in their 60s have symptoms of BPH.  As a man ages, his prostate may enlarge.  The prostate is a walnut-sized gland in men that sits below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body.

As the prostate grows, the urethral lumen becomes compressed, causing obstruction to urinary flow and symptoms. Though these symptoms are not life threatening, they can be extremely annoying and can affect a man’s quality of life. 

Symptoms include:

·      An urgent need to urinate

·      Having the need to urinate many times during the day and night

·      Hesitancy or troubling starting a urine flow

·      Weak or dribbling urine stream

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:

·      BPH rarely causes symptoms before age 40

·      More than half of men in their 60s have some symptoms of BPH

·      As many as 90 percent of men in their 70s and 80s have some BPH symptoms

Diagnosis of an enlarged prostate is sometimes found during a routine rectal exam. BPH can also be diagnosed by the use of common tests such as a urinalysis, a urine study flow, a cystoscopy or a transrectal ultrasound.

What is Urolift and how does it work?

Urolift is a straightforward procedure utilizing tiny implants to lift and hold the enlarged prostate tissue out of the way preventing it from blocking the urethra.  This relieves pressure on the urethra. This procedure involves no cutting, heating or removal of prostate tissue. The Urolift system is not a traditional surgical treatment. It is typically done in an outpatient setting and does not destroy or remove prostate tissue as it holds open the obstructed pathway that is blocking urine flow.  After the procedure is complete, successful erethral expansion may be immediately confirmed endoscopically.

Are all men eligible candidates for Urolift?

Any man who is bothered by his urinary symptoms is an ideal candidate to discuss with his urologist about whether Urolift is suitable for him.  

What are the benefits of Urolift?

BPH can have a significant negative impact on a man’s quality of life.  The benefits of Urolift not only include the relief of bothersome urinary symptoms, but also the preservation of ejaculation. Urolift is able to provide significant improvements without significant downsides often associated with traditional surgeries.

The Urolift system enables most men to get off their BPH medications and avoid the long list of side effects from pills as well such as headaches, dizziness, weakness, nasal congestion, loss of libido, and ejaculatory dysfunction. 

Because Urolift is usually performed in a doctor’s office under local anesthesia, the recovery time and return to daily activities is faster than with more invasive procedures.

What to expect

The first thing a doctor will typically do is perform a cystoscopy in which a tiny, flexible camera is used to examine the prostate and bladder to determine is a man is a good candidate for Urolift. If it determined the Urolift system is right for a man, his doctor will share how to prepare for the procedure, including temporary discontinuation of certain medications. If the doctor schedules a man for an outpatient procedure, he can expect for the procedure to take from one to two hours from the time he arrives for the procedure to the time it is completed.

Often, the procedure is performed in the doctor’s office or in an outpatient surgical center under local anesthesia. It may also be done in a hospital setting under general anesthesia which may require extra time for recovery. A man’s doctor will help him decide which facility is the best option for the procedure to be done at.

After the Urolift system is completed, the doctor will also recommend the postsurgical care treatment.  In a majority of cases, men will not require a catheter following treatment. Within a few days after treatment, they will notice a vast reduction of BPH symptoms helping them get back their quality of life with no incidences of sexual dysfunction.