Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Starting around age 40 it is common for the size of the prostate to increase. In many men this also ultimately affects their voiding. This does not have any association with the risk for cancer. But is does cause the PSA, a blood test used for prostate cancer screening, to increase.

Common complaints due to BPH include:

• Weak Urinary Stream
• Intermittent Urinary Stream
• Staining to Urinate
• Frequent Day or Night Voiding (Nocturia)
• Incompletely Emptying the Bladder

Treatment Options

Medications

• OTC remedies (Saw Palmetto,etc) - little published data on the effectiveness
• Alpha-blockers (Flomax, x) - works by relaxing the smooth muscle of the prostate, thus opening up the outlet from the bladder
• 5-DHT blockers (Proscar, Avodart) - blocks an enzyme step in the use of testosterone, thus causing the prostate to shrink

Minimally Invasive Office Therapies

• TUNA - Transurethral Needle Ablation of the Prostate
• TUMT - Transurethral Microwave Thermotherapy

Greenlight Photovaporization of the Prostate (PVP) - offering the results of the PVP without all the hassles.

Transurethral Resection of the Prostate - Considered the gold standard for BPH treatment.

Open Prostate Enucleation - used primarily for extremely large prostates.