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BPH stands for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or an enlarged prostate gland. Men who have an enlarge prostate often experience a difficulty with their urinary flow, causing embarrassing symptoms and discomfort.
This muscular, walnut-shaped gland in men is located right below the bladder. It surrounds the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) and is responsible for making the fluids that carry sperm.
Enlarged prostate or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a natural condition where the prostate gland slowly grows, causing pressure on the urethra, similar to a clamp on a garden hose. This common non-cancerous condition effects one half of all men over 60. If left untreated, an enlarged prostate can cause permanent urinary problems.
You may first notice symptoms of enlarged prostate yourself, or your doctor may find that your prostate is enlarged during a routine checkup. When enlarged prostate is suspected, you may be referred to Carolina Urology Practice.
The American Urological Association (AUA) has drafted a simple survey to help assess the severity of your urinary symptoms. If you are experiencing urinary symptoms, please complete this survey and take a copy to your visit with us.
Common Symptoms of enlarged prostate include:
- Frequent urination, especially at night6
- Sudden need to urinate6
- Difficulty beginning urination6
- Pain or burning6
- Feeling that your bladder never completely empties6
- Dribbling or leaking6
- Weak urine stream6
As a man ages, the prostate slowly enlarges and may begin to squeeze the urethra, causing problems with urination.
While it may be a natural part of the aging process, that doesn't mean you have to live with it. There are effective options for treatment, including the minimally invasive thermotherapy treatment called TherMatrx®.
The goal of BPH treatments is to increase urinary flow while decreasing discomfort from symptoms and decreasing the growth of the prostate. Some treatment options include watchful waiting, prescription drugs, outpatient procedures, and surgery.
The best option to treat BPH when the conditions are mild and do not affect day-to-day life is known as watchful waiting. This involves being screened frequently for other prostate problems and notifying the doctor of any uncomfortable symptoms. Then, if symptoms start affecting the mans quality of life, other treatment options can be pursued. Lifestyle changes will also be implemented to help control the condition naturally.
When the only symptom of BPH is mild urinary difficulty, drugs are often used to treat the symptoms. The prescriptions currently on the market for BPH either reduce the prostate glands size or slow down its growth. Common drugs used to treat BPH include Adovart, Cardura, Flomax, and Proscar. These drugs are often combined in a drug therapy plan that includes both alpha blockers, such as Flomax and Cardura, and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, such as Avodart and Proscar. Drug therapy is usually the first treatment that doctors will try, but if prescription drugs do not work, more aggressive treatments will be needed. Also, if the symptoms are severe at the outset of the condition, such as when blood is seen frequently in the urine, then drug therapy is not used at all.
Minimally invasive techniques can also be used for the treatment of BPH.
Microwave therapy is a safe and effective treatment for relief of enlarged prostate symptoms. It is a form of transurethral microwave therapy (TUMT) - commonly called thermotherapy - that applies gentle heat to a very precise area of the prostate resulting in long-term symptomatic relief. The procedure can be performed in your doctor's office in about an hour, with only a mild oral sedative.1
Laser energy can also be used, under sedation in the operating room.
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound is an outpatient procedure that can be used to treat BPH. When HIFU is used to treat prostate cancer, the entire prostate gland is destroyed. When using HIFU to treat BPH, the doctor will target a small portion of the gland, usually the area near the urethra, for ablation. This leaves most of the gland intact, but relieves the symptoms of BPH.
The most extreme treatment option is surgery. To treat BPH with surgery, a doctor will remove some or all of the mans prostate gland. Again, the area around the urethra is targeted whenever possible. BPH surgery carries a high risk of complications and side effects, particularly incontinence and impotence.
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