America
'Less painful' treatment for enlarged prostates
New York, March 2
Men with enlarged prostates can avail of a new, "less painful" treatment, research led by an Indian-origin physician has found.
The
researchers treated men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a
condition in which the prostate is enlarged but not cancerous.
The
new interventional radiology treatment known as prostate artery
embolisation (PAE) improved patient symptoms, regardless of the size of
BPH,, researchers found in a retrospective study.
"This
innovative treatment offers less risk, less pain and less recovery time
than traditional surgery, and we are hopeful that further research will
confirm it to be an effective therapy for BPH," said lead researcher
Sandeep Bagla, interventional radiologist at the Inova Alexandria
Hospital in the US.
Bagla and his team examined the cases of 78
patients, who underwent prostate artery embolisation (a way of blocking
abnormal blood vessels) for BPH as part of the clinicians' routine
practice.
Patients were categorised into three different analysis
groups based on the size of the enlarged prostate: less than 50 cubic
centimetres, between 50-80 cubic centimetres and greater than 80 cubic
centimetres.
The researchers evaluated the effectiveness of PAE in these patients at one, three and six months post treatment.
Ninety-six
percent of cases (75 of 78) were considered technically successful,
with both blood vessels leading to the enlarged prostate blocked by PAE
treatment.
The researchers found improvement in symptoms and
quality of life, as measured by the American Urological Association
Symptom Index, in all three patient groups.
The findings were
presented at the ongoing Society of Interventional Radiology's 40th
Annual Scientific Meeting at the Georgia World Congress Center in
Atlanta.