Mayo's New Treatment For Enlarged Prostate

It's a natural enlargement of the prostate gland that happens as you age.

Treatment can be as simple as daily medication or as invasive as open surgery.

Now doctors at Mayo Clinic are using a new laser technique to relieve symptoms for many men.

"I just love getting out in the woods," says Richard Dooley.

Almost every day, Richard Dooley hops on the four-wheeler to enjoy the outdoors.

Richard is 74, and like most men his age, he began to notice symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

The main one was frequent urination.

"It wasn't that bad, but I wanted to do something about it before it got bad," says Dooley.

So Richard went to Mayo Clinic for treatment.

"Mr. Dooley had what is probably the most innovative procedure available called holmium laser inucleation or holep," says Mayo Clinic Doctor Amy Krambeck.

Krambeck says other laser techniques also remove excess tissue, but not as much as holep, so there's a chance it could grow back.

This newer procedure removes almost all of the prostate tissue, so results may last longer.

"When you remove more tissue you're setting the patient up for long term success. So even if they have regrowth of the prostate, the odds are they're not going to have enough re-growth to have blockage again," Krambeck says.

The procedure seems to be just as effective as standard surgery, but without big incisions and with less bleeding.

Here's how it works: with the patient under general anesthesia, Dr. Krambeck inserts a scope to the urethra, prostate and bladder.

Using the holmium laser, she removes and then extracts prostate tissue, relieving symptoms.

"I think it's going to work just fine," Dooley says.

Richard is symptom free, and can ride his four-wheeler without making any frequent stops.

In addition to frequent urination, BPH may also cause other symptoms including difficulty emptying the bladder.                                 

For more information on BPH treatment options, click on the link below.