Urology located in Westchester, Los Angeles, CA, Redondo Beach, CA, Culver City, CA & San Pedro, CA
If you have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), you likely struggle with problems like difficulty starting urination and a weak urine stream. Sometimes, untreated BPH can cause permanent bladder damage or other severe issues like bladder stones. At Advanced Urology Medical Offices in Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, and Culver City, California, the experienced team of urologists offers an advanced system called UroLift® to permanently treat BPH with a minimally invasive procedure. Use the online booking feature, or call the office to learn more today.
UroLift Q & A
What is BPH?
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or 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 such as:
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
Inability to fully drain your bladder
Urinary tract infections
Hematuria (blood in your urine)
BPH can cause serious problems that worsen without treatment. BPH could also lead to serious bladder damage or bladder stones if you don’t get treatment.
Although there are a variety of treatments for BPH, from medication to prostate resection, the best option for many patients is the minimally invasive UroLift system.
Is BPH a type of cancer?
No, BPH is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, a benign condition and unrelated to prostate cancer; however, it can greatly affect a man’s quality of life. BPH is NOT a type of cancer.
What happens when BPH is left untreated? Are there any long-term risks?
If left untreated, BPH can lead to permanent bladder damage. When the bladder does not empty completely, the risk of developing urinary tract infections (UTIs) may increase. Other serious problems can also develop over time, including bladder stones, blood in the urine, incontinence, or urinary retention.
When should I seek BPH treatment?
You may want to seek BPH treatment if you experience BPH symptoms such as urgent need to urinate, difficulty starting your urine stream, need to push or strain when urinating, dribbling, the sensation that the bladder is not empty after urinating, weak urine flow, increased frequency of urination, frequent nighttime urination, burning or pain during urination.
What is UroLift?
Treatment with the UroLift® System uses a minimally invasive approach that provides rapid relief and recovery of BPH symptoms. It is an earlier treatment option that can get men off BPH medications and avoid major surgery. The goal of the UroLift System treatment is to relieve symptoms so you can get back to your life and resume your daily activities.
The UroLift® System treatment has demonstrated a significant improvement in quality of life for patients that is greater than reported for medications. The UroLift® System is the only BPH procedure shown not to cause new and lasting erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction*, while being a safe and effective treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH.
What is the UroLift® Delivery Device?
The UroLift® Delivery Device is a single-use, sterile medical device that contains one UroLift Implant. Patients typically require 4-6 implants during a UroLift System treatment. The Delivery Device is inserted transurethrally through a rigid sheath under cystoscopic visualization in order to reach the targeted area of obstruction.
How Does The UroLift® System Work??
The UroLift® System uses a revolutionary approach to treating BPH that lifts and holds the enlarged prostate tissue so it no longer blocks the urethra. It is the only available BPH treatment performed by a urologist that does not require heating, cutting, or removal of the prostate tissue. The procedure is typically performed using local anesthesia in a physician’s office or ambulatory surgery center. Patients typically return home the same day without a catheter.
The UroLift procedure takes only around an hour or two in most cases. You’ll be able to walk out of the office with no problems.
What is the UroLift Implant?
The UroLift Implants are small permanent implants that hold the obstructing prostatic lobes apart. They are deployed through a needle that comes out of the delivery device. Each implant is made with common implantable materials: nitinol, stainless steel, and suture. Typically, 4-6 implants are placed into the prostate.
Who is a good candidate for the UroLift® System treatment?
You may be a good candidate if you are a male, 45 years of age or older, and have symptoms relating to BPH. Speak with your urologist to see if the UroLift® System treatment is right for you. If you have a known allergy to nickel, titanium or stainless steel, talk to your doctor about your allergy before getting a UroLift System treatment.
What should I expect during the treatment? Is it painful? How long does it take?
If you and your doctor decide that the UroLift® System treatment is right for you, your doctor will provide you with more detailed information relating to the treatment. In general, the UroLift System is a minimally invasive treatment that entails minimal downtime. Your doctor will use the UroLift Delivery Device to deploy permanent implants to relieve obstruction caused by the enlarged prostate that is pressing on your urethra. The procedure, which usually takes about an hour, may be performed under local or general anesthesia and you may be given medication to feel comfortable during the treatment. This typically helps minimize discomfort during the procedure, though everyone’s definition for pain and discomfort varies greatly. Typically, no catheter and no overnight stay is required post-treatment.
Is the treatment permanent or can it be removed?
The Implants are intended to be permanent. The implant is made up of standard surgical implantable materials: a nitinol capsular tab, a stainless steel urethral tab, and polyethylene suture that holds the two tabs together. Your doctor can simply remove the urethral implant, if needed. The suture can be cut and the urethral endpiece can be retrieved with a standard grasper. The capsular tab will remain in place inside the body.
What happens post-treatment, during the recovery period? Are meds required?
After the treatment, patients typically go home the same day without a catheter. There is minimal downtime posttreatment and many patients experience symptom relief in as early as 2 weeks. Patients may experience some urinary discomfort during the recovery period. Most common side effects are mild to moderate and include pain or burning with urination, blood in the urine, pelvic pain, urgent need to urinate and/or the inability to control the urge. Most symptoms resolved within two to four weeks after the procedure.
Does the treatment affect my sexual function?
Clinical studies have shown the UroLift® System treatment does not cause new, sustained instances of erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction. The same cannot always be said of other BPH therapies such as TURP, laser, and even medication.
