BPH TREATMENT
BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate that restricts urine flow from the bladder. Its symptoms affect almost half of men over 50, and can be debilitating and embarrassing.
If you have experienced any of the following symptoms, you may be affected by BPH:
- The need to urinate more often, especially at night
- The sudden sensation that you will wet yourself
- A weak urine stream
- The need to strain or push the bladder when beginning to urinate
- Blood in the urine, or discomfort while urinating
Many choices for BPH treatment are available today. While there are several different options available to treat BPH, most come with many adverse side effects. These side effects can be just as troubling as BPH symptoms, or worse.
Watchful waiting and drug therapy can be costly and less effective, and require a daily life-long commitment. Most drugs used to treat BPH symptoms cause side effects including impotence, abnormal ejaculation, dizziness, and headaches.
Certain surgeries, such as TURP, are effective in treating BPH, but are highly invasive, requiring a longer recovery time, and more complications.
Medtronic TUNA therapy, which stands for transurethral needle ablation, is a minimally invasive, effective way of treating BPH symptoms. TUNA therapy is a non-surgical treatment, performed on an outpatient basis. The procedure requires only a mild sedative and local anesthesia. The treatment is covered by Medicare and most insurance carriers as well.
During TUNA therapy a device is inserted into the urethra, delivering low-level frequency energy directly into the prostate. This low-level energy shrinks and destroys prostate tissue, relieving constriction on the urethra and improving the symptoms of BPH.
The procedure itself takes only half an hour, and your entire visit will be a total of an hour to and hour and a half, to allow time for preparation, the procedure, and any follow up treatment. You will be back to normal within 48 hours, and some patients are back to their normal activities the same day.
TUNA therapy causes sexual side effects in less than 2% of its patients, and you will begin to see improvement in BPH symptoms in two to six weeks. There have been no reported cases of incontinence following TUNA therapy, and the most common side effects, if any, have been obstruction, bleeding, pain or discomfort, and urinary tract infection.
Whether you have just begun to notice symptoms of BPH, or have been suffering for a long period of time, TUNA treatment is a safe and effective way to treat your disorder. Dr. Hatchett, at Southern Illinois Urology, can improve your quality of life and help eliminate your BPH symptoms, with the TUNA procedure, with little pain and inconvenience for you.