Schedule An Appointment To See A Urologist
To schedule an appointment with a urologist at University of Utah Health, call 801-213-2700. You do not need a referral from your primary care provider or another care provider to schedule an appointment with our urologists. However, some insurance plans do require a referral in order for HoLEP to be covered. Talk to your insurance carrier about your specific plan requirements.
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How Is Greenlight Laser Prostatectomy Surgery Performed
Greenlight laser prostatectomy surgery is a minimally invasive surgery that is carried out under a general anaesthetic. Most patients are able to return home on the day of their procedure, but some require an overnight stay. The procedure usually takes around an hour.
Your surgeon will pass a long, thin surgical instrument called a cystoscope into your bladder via your urethra. The cystoscope has a small camera attached to the end, allowing your surgeon to clearly see your bladder on a screen.
They will then use the cystoscope to vaporise part of the prostate with highly targeted lasers to reduce its overall size before removing the cystoscope.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Surgery
What may be important for one person might be less important for someone else. The advantages and disadvantages of surgery may depend on your age, general health and the stage of your cancer.
Advantages
- If the cancer is completely contained inside the prostate, surgery will remove all of the cancer.
- The prostate is looked at under a microscope to give a clearer picture of how aggressive your cancer is, whether it has spread outside your prostate and if you need further treatment.
- Your health professionals can get a good idea of whether your cancer was completely removed during surgery. Your PSA level should drop so low that its not possible to detect it at six to eight weeks after surgery.
- If there are signs that your cancer has come back or wasnt all removed, you may be able to have further treatment.
- Some men find it reassuring to know that their prostate has been physically removed, although you will still need to have follow-up tests to make sure no cancer cells have spread outside the prostate.
Disadvantages
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Things You Should Expect After Prostate Surgery
Prostate removal is a major type of surgery and requires time for the body to recover. Even though robotic prostatectomy using the Da Vinci robot has less severe effects on the body and the patient can leave the hospital the same day, men should expect some changes in order to know how to deal with them. The surgery is performed through small incisions that are barely sensitive at the incision sites and the scar tissue is almost unnoticeable. Typically, the recovery is fast, most men are able to go home the next day and resume driving and working in two to three weeks after the surgery.
In the immediate hours after surgery:
What To Expect After Holep Surgery
Once the procedure is done, youâll have to spend the night in the hospital for overnight observation. You can expect some bleeding and pain during this stage, although this usually goes away after about 12 hours. Then you can go home, where youâll probably notice an increase in urination frequency during the first months after the procedure.
If you have any doubts, clear them with the doctors in charge of your operation. Theyâll be able to tell you the HoLEP pros and cons, which side effects to expect, and how to treat them during the first post-surgery months.
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Green Light Laser Surgery For Prostate
An enlarged prostate blocks the flow of urine from the bladder. Anyone who has known someone suffering from an enlarged prostate understands the importance of treating this condition that affects older men. Green Light Laser Surgery for Prostate is an effective procedure for treating this condition.
Before this time, enlargement of the prostate was treated either with medication or for the more serious cases transurethral resection of prostate. The aim of either treatment is to free up the passage for the flow of urine from the bladder.
The alternative to transurethral resection of prostate which is an invasive surgery is laser surgery for prostate. This is a non invasive procedure which employs the use of green light laser. This procedure involves the photoselective vaporization of the prostate thereby creating a passage for the flow of urine.
When people hear of lasers, there is a tendency to get worried. There is no need to get worried as this process is a safe and quick alternative to the traditional method. The green light laser also known as KTP laser facilitatesthe procedure being completed with minimal fuss.
Why Is Laser Surgery for Prostate Better?
This method of treating prostate enlargement is preferred for the following reasons:
Are There Side Effects?
Greenlight Laser Prostate Surgery
Birmingham Prostate Clinic specialises in GreenLight laser prostate surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH . We are highly experienced in this minimally invasive procedure, having now completed more than 800 operations and were the first in the West Midlands to introduce GreenLight laser prostate surgery in 2007.
We are one of the first centres in the UK to invest in the most advanced technology for this procedure, the third generation XPS machine. This £100,000 machine is more powerful than its two predecessors, allowing us to treat men with large prostates and to reduce the operating time by 50 per cent. In a study of patients who had GreenLight laser surgery at BPC, 84 per cent were positive about the outcome of their procedure.
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Focal Therapies Could Spare Side Effects Of Other Treatments
The research, published in the journal The Lancet Oncology, found that only six per cent of patients treated with VTP required surgery or radiotherapy compared with 29 per cent of men on active surveillance. However, a third of men in the VTP group experienced serious side effects compared to only one in ten in the active surveillance group.
In 1975 almost everyone with breast cancer was given a radical mastectomy, says Professor Mark Emberton, who led the study. But since then, treatments have steadily improved and we now rarely need to remove the whole breast. In prostate cancer we are still commonly removing or irradiating the whole prostate, so the success of this new tissue-preserving treatment is welcome news indeed.
Dr Matthew Hobbs, Deputy Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: Focal therapy treatments like this one have the potential to offer a middle-ground option for some men with cancer that has not spread outside the prostate. By treating the cancer directly, rather than the whole prostate, this type of therapy could spare some men the long-term side effects of other treatments.
Laser Photodynamic Therapy Transforms Prostate Cancer Treatment
20 Dec 2016
Combination of near-infrared light and aquatic photosensitizer clears early-stage disease in half of men treated in major European trial.
A large clinical trial across 47 European hospitals has shown laser photodynamic therapy to be an effective treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, with no side effects.
Surgeons have just on more than 400 men in the journal Lancet Oncology. They found that, of the 206 patients to receive PDT, 101 had a negative biopsy result when tested two years after the treatment, while in 58 the disease had progressed.
At the same time, of the 207 men in the active surveillance group who did not receive PDT only 28 showed a negative biopsy at the two-year follow-up, while 120 tested positive for disease progression.
Destructive interactionSpeaking to the BBCs Today radio program the papers lead author Mark Pemberton, a professor at University College London, said: Interaction between the laser and photosensitizer destroys the cancer cells, and also importantly the blood vessels that supply the tumor.
Pemberton also highlighted how those treated with PDT were much less likely to require radical treatment after the two-year follow-up, and said that the lack of side effects was a key finding.
Weizmann licensed the drug to Steba via the Yeda Research and Development Company, the institutes technology transfer wing. Steba now manufactures a soluble version of Tookad.
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What Is A Cystoscopy
A cystoscopy is a test to check the health of your urethra and bladder. You might also hear it called a cystourethroscopy or, more simply, a bladder scope.
Itâs an outpatient test, which means you can get it at your doctorâs office, a hospital, or clinic and go home the same day. The doctor inserts a tube into your urethra. If youâre a man, the opening is at the end of your . If youâre a woman, itâs just above your . The test lets your doctor check the complete length of your urethra and the bladder for polyps, narrow areas called strictures, abnormal growths, and other problems.
Why Prostate Laser Surgery
Compared to open prostatectomy and transurethral resection of the prostate, prostate laser surgery offers significant advantages to the patient. They include a general lower risk of post-surgery bleeding, a much shorter hospital stay , and a much quicker recovery. Men who undergo prostate laser surgery for BPH will also, in contrast to other procedures, generally notice an improvement in their urinary output and comfort right away. They are highly unlikely to need a urinary catheter for longer than 24 hours, again unlike with other procedures.
Long-term complications are also much less likely with prostate laser surgery than with more traditional forms of prostate surgery. Though that is good news, laser prostate surgery still carries both short-term and long-term risks, just like practically any other surgery. What are they?
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What To Expect Post
Men who have just undergone prostate laser surgery will have a catheter in place. That is because, although your excess prostate tissue was removed during the procedure, the procedure also inevitably led to some swelling that can make passing urine temporarily very difficult.
It is best to use a catheter for as short as possible, as having one in place for longer increases your risk of developing a urinary tract infection. If, however, after catheter removal you are still unable to urinate naturally, the catheter will be replaced with a new one. After swelling goes down, you will be able to urinate normally. Most men who have prostate laser surgery do not need a catheter for more than 24 hours.
Men who have prostate laser surgery will also bleed from their urethra for days or even a few weeks, and they may experience burning sensations, some discomfort, and a need to urinate more frequently now that the pressure the excess prostate tissue was putting on your bladder has been removed.
What Is The Procedure For Prostate Laser Surgery
Prostate laser surgery allows removal of the excess prostate tissue, eliminating the obstruction that causes the typical symptoms of this disease.
The procedure is performed through the urethra without incisions or loss of blood. The laser is passed through a scope and delivers energy via special fibre optics that destroys the prostates excess tissue.
Laser treatment also allows large prostates to be treated which until now could only be done by open surgery through the abdominal wall.
The length of the procedure depends on the technique and laser used but does not usually last longer than 1 hour. However, various types of laser and techniques exist that work differently and take varying amounts of time.
With some lasers, there is no need to stop anticoagulant or antiaggregant medication. Other procedures that are essential after classical prostate resection surgery such as continual post-operative bladder washouts are very often unnecessary after this type of procedure, thus reducing the risk of complications and hospitalisation time.
Want to know more about this treatment?
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Who Performs Prostate Surgery
A urologist performs prostate surgery. Some specialists use the term urologic surgeon, but board certification in urology requires extensive training in surgery, including prostate surgery. If you require prostate surgery for cancer, look for a surgeon who specializes in prostate cancer surgery. This doctor may be a urologist, urologic surgeon, or surgical oncologist.
Urologists specialize in surgical procedures in the urinary tract system and the male reproductive system, including the prostate. Surgical oncologists specialize in cancer surgery. All of these providers may specialize further in the surgical approach, such as laparoscopic surgery or robotic prostate surgery.
Regardless of the specialty, be sure your surgeon performs a high volume of surgeries per year of the exact procedure you are having, and at a hospital with a record of high qualitya low rate of complications. This expertise and experience will improve your chances of a successful operation and recovery. Check hospital quality at healthgrades.com.
Why The Procedure Is Performed
An enlarged prostate can make it hard for you to urinate. You may also get urinary tract infections. Removing all, or part, of the prostate gland can make these symptoms better. Before you have surgery, your doctor may tell you changes you can make in how you eat or drink. You may also try some medicines.
Your doctor may recommend prostate removal if you:
- Cannot completely empty your bladder
- Have repeat urinary tract infections
- Have bleeding from your prostate
- Have bladder stones with your enlarged prostate
- Urinate very slowly
- Took medicines and they did not help your symptoms
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What Can I Expect From The Procedure
The procedure takes an average of 60 to 90 minutes under general anaesthetic. A thin laser fibre is positioned within the laserscope and is passed up through the urethra to deliver the treatment.
At BPC, we recognise that for some men, a trim TURP can be a useful procedure at the end of GreenLight laser surgery if residual prostate tissue is still present. We call this a trim TURP. By completing the procedure in this way, the normal flow of urine out of the body is restored and the likelihood of needing further surgery in the future is reduced. Having a trim TURP in additional to laser surgery does not have a significant impact upon your post-operative recovery, our experience shows. After your procedure, you will spend one night in hospital.
The Different Types Of Prostate Surgery
Prostatectomy
The term prostatectomy is used to describe a number of different surgical procedures to remove either part or all of the prostate gland. This may be required to treat prostate cancer or BPH.
When only a part of the prostate is removed, this is called a simple prostatectomy. This process involves enucleating it from its capsule to trim away excess tissue, but where the sphincter muscle and nerves remain intact. It is usually used to treat BPH, which is a benign condition, meaning there is no risk of malignant cells having moved on to surrounding tissue.
When the entire prostate gland, capsule , the surrounding lymph nodes and neighbouring tissue is removed, this is known as a radical prostatectomy. This is usually a treatment for men with localised prostate cancer and there a number of techniques used:
Open Surgery This is where the prostate is removed via a large single incision in the lower abdomen, or the perineum .
Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy This is where the prostate is removed via several small incisions in the lower abdomen using small surgical instruments. This process is much less invasive than open surgery.
Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy Much like laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, the prostate is removed via small incisions in the lower abdomen. Robotic-assisted instruments are inserted through the incisions and controlled by a surgeon.
Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate
Transurethral Resection of the Prostate
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Possible Complications After Prostate Laser Surgery
Prostate laser surgery is now commonly used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia . BPH is a non-cancerous condition that occurs in most men as they age, but though it is not in any way life-threatening, it can lead to very uncomfortable symptoms. They include not being able to pass urine easily, a constant sense of urinary urgency, and the feeling that your bladder has not been emptied completely following urination.
During prostate laser surgery, excess prostate tissue is melted away or cut off with the use of a beam that delivers concentrated light to precise locations, a beam that is inserted into your body through the urethra. Various types of prostate laser surgery exist. vaporize the excess prostate tissue, while Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate is used to cut the excess tissue off, then to be removed by another instrument.
What Are The Advantages Of Holmium Laser Enucleation Of The Prostate
Use of HoLEP in many different parts of the world has shown it to be a safe and effective procedure. Although there are many types of BPH surgeries available, HoLEP offers a unique advantage in being able to remove a large amount of tissue without any incisions on the body, even in very large prostates, while decreasing the risk of bleeding and providing tissue for pathology . This decreases the need for blood transfusions during surgery, minimizes the time of stay in the hospital to one or two days, and reduces the risk of needing repeat treatment.
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How Does It Work
Hear Dr. Michael Bedecs FLA story
Sperling Diagnostic Group, in conjunction with Sperling Prostate Center has developed a simple, proprietary 4-step treatment protocol utilizing our advanced technological capabilities and expertise.