BPH, or Benign prostatic hyperplasia, also called an enlarged prostate, is a common condition. Fifty percent of men will have one by the age of 60.
A procedure being conducted at University Health System is leading the way in helping men fix the issue, and it’s the only location in South Texas doing so.
An enlarged prostate can affect a man's life greatly.
"It starts to manifest as waking up at night frequently. They may have urgency and frequency,” said Dr. Ahmed Mansour, an assistant professor of Urology at UT Health San Antonio. “The worst-case scenario patients can reach a state where they are unable to urinate completely.”
Dr. Mansour sees patients with BPH at University Health System and says that catching it early is key.
"If the condition continues to progress, this is the worst-case scenario that can happen, that they are unable to urinate at all,” he noted.
If lifestyle modification and medication does not help the patient, the next option is surgery.
"The standard method is called TURP, or resection of the prostate,” Dr. Mansour explained. “It involves using a hot wire to cut the prostate in pieces and take it out.”
But along with that method comes increased risk of bleeding, a recovery time of at least a week, and a prostate size limitation. But a newer surgical option, which is only done by a handful of institutions in the country, including San Antonio’s University Hospital, is called laser enucleation of the prostate.
"Instead of cutting the prostate into pieces, it is taking a big scoop of the prostate in an anatomical plane,” he said.
It is then pushed up into the bladder where the enlarged prostate is ground and removed.
"The patient stays, usually, in the hospital less than 24 hours. They have less risk of bleeding, no size limits, they are not associated with electrolyte imbalances, and they have a shorter catheterization time and equivalent outcomes," Dr. Mansour described.
For more men's health information, call 210-358-3045. You can also find the rest of our Real Men Wear Gowns stories at WearTheGown.com.