Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Rogue Valley Urology physicians are experts at treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is a common urological condition in aging men. It is caused when non-cancerous prostate enlargement compresses the urethra and causes trouble with urination. Symptoms often include the need to frequently empty the bladder, sometimes every hour or two, and especially during the night. Other symptoms include the need to stop and start several times when emptying your bladder, the feeling that your bladder is not empty even after urination, straining to urinate, or the inability to delay urination once the urge arises.

While surgery is often the most successful treatment for relieving symptoms, it also carries more risk than minimally-invasive options. Unless your condition is serious enough to make surgery your only choice, there are a wide range of treatment options available to you. These include:

Watchful Waiting

  • Some men may have difficulty with urination, but the symptoms are not significant enough to warrant medical or surgical intervention. If this is the case, we will keep track of your symptoms over time. If the condition worsens, then we will offer treatment options specifically tailored to your needs.

Medical Treatments

  • Medications to control symptoms
  • Alpha blockers to improve urine flow and reduce bladder outlet obstruction
  • 5-Alpha-Reductase Inhibitors to relieve symptoms, increase urinary flow rate, and actually shrink the prostate

Minimally-Invasive Treatments

  • Rezum Water Vapor Therapy to treat the excess prostate tissue
  • Prostatic stenting to hold open the prostatic part of the urethra
  • High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to destroy and shrink prostate tissue
  • Holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HoLEP) to vaporize prostate tissue
  • Interstitial laser coagulation to pierce the prostate and burn the tissue
  • Transurethral electroevaporation of the prostate (TUVP) to vaporize prostate tissue
  • Transurethral microwave thermotherapy of the prostate (TUMT) to heat portions of the prostate
  • Transurethral radio frequency needle ablation of the prostate (TUNA) to destroy and shrink prostate tissue
  • Photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) to vaporize prostate tissue
  • Catheterization to temporarily drain urine from the bladder

Surgical Treatments

  • Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) using electric current or laser is the most common surgery for BPH
  • Transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP) to widen the urethra and reduce pressure of the prostate on the urethra
  • Open prostatectomy requiring an incision in the abdominal wall to remove the entire prostate gland

Rezum Water Vapor Therapy

Rezum Water Vapor Therapy is an in-office treatment designed to reduce BPH symptoms in certain men with enlarged prostates — without the side effects of BPH medications.  Rezum Water Vapor Therapy is a minimally invasive procedure that uses the natural energy stored in a few drops of water to treat the excess prostate tissue causing BPH symptoms. So you can get back in the game quickly. No need to be in the hospital. And no need to continue taking costly BPH medications. Talk with your doctor to see if Rezūm Water Vapor Therapy is right for you.  For more information visit the Vapor Therapy with Rezum website.

PlasmaButton Vaporization

PlasmaButton vaporization of the prostate is a new surgical option for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This procedure, in which prostate tissue is removed more gently using low temperature plasma energy, is a significant advancement over the conventional TURP procedure. This new procedure does not cut or shave off tissue with a loop or burn it away with a laser, but instead gently vaporizes the tissue with a small, button-shaped electrode. PlasmaButton vaporization is a shorter procedure with less catheterization time. It is performed outpatient, with minimal post-operative discomfort, fewer complications, and a quick return to normal activities. For more information visit the PlasmaButton website.

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