The Use Of Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques For Treating An Enlarged Prostate

By Author: Donald Saunders
Total Articles: 84
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For the majority of men who are suffering from an enlarged prostate gland medication is the solution and can lower prostate symptoms to a satisfactory level. For others however medication is not successful or is not a feasible option and the doctor could well recommend one of a number of minimally invasive surgical procedures.

The first option to examine is catheterization which involves the insertion of a catheter into the penis and bladder as a drain and is usually considered to be only a temporary solution. It is used primarily for men who are waiting for the affects of medication to kick in (a lot of drugs used in enlarged prostate gland treatment can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months before they show results) or for other surgical procedures. It can also be of assistance in the treatment of infections.

The next option to examine is referred to as Holmium laser enucleation prostate (HoLEP). This procedure, which is carried out under anesthesia and needs a brief 1 or 2 days in hospital, uses a resectoscope which is inserted through the penis and into the urethra. Once in place a laser is then used to remove ...
... tissue from the prostate.

A comparable procedure to HoLEP is interstitial laser coagulation. This procedure is once again carried out under anesthesia although patients are not usually required to remain in hospital. For this procedure a cystoscope, which is a metal tube through which a optical lens and laser can be passed, is utilized and tissue is burnt away from the prostate gland using laser energy.

In those cases where a patient is not able to tolerate anesthesia then a prostatic stent may be used. Stenting involves the insertion of a spring-like device in the urethra at the point at which it passes through the prostate gland in order to hold the urethra open. Sadly there are a number of difficulties associated with this type of treatment and it is normally only used for patients who suffer from additional medical problems and for whom surgery would present an unacceptable.

TUMT (transurethral microwave thermotherapy of the prostate) is another method of minimally invasive surgery which does not involve hospitalization or full anesthesia and is carried out using a local anesthetic and oral pain medication. In this procedure a catheter is inserted through the penis and computer controlled microwaves are used to heat and shrink areas of the prostate.

Yet another procedure is TUNA (transurethral radio frequency needle ablation of the prostate). Here light anesthesia and medication are used to make the patient drowsy and prostate gland tissue is heated using radio frequency energy that is transmitted through a number of needles placed directly into the prostate. This procedure initially results in a swelling of the prostate which is followed by shrinkage and patients will generally be required to use a catheter for a brief period after this procedure.

As can be seen there are clearly several different types of minimally invasive surgery available for enlarged prostate gland treatment and patients will have to discuss each of these with their doctor to determine which will be best in their own specific circumstances.