The prostate is an organ that is present only in men; as men age, it enlarges and proceeds to block the urethral outlet. Now, there is a special volume reduction method involving microspheres that can be used for therapy.

Q1. Is it true that there is a new surgery that can solve urinary problems caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia?
The wound generated in the microsphere volume reduction (prostatic artery embolization) surgery is only the size of a needle tip. The minimally invasive surgery is conducted on the wrist, and the microspheres are delivered through a microcatheter to the prostate arteries in order to bring about hypoxia of the prostate tissue, which then leads to atrophy, achieving prostate size reduction and unblocking the urethra.

Q2. Are there any age limits for the surgery?
There are no age limits for the surgery. Since only local anesthesia is required, patients with special problems, such as elderly patients that cannot receive general anesthesia, patients with an oversized prostate, long-term catheterized patients, or even patients with cardiovascular diseases requiring anticoagulant medications, can be treated through prostatic artery embolization.

Q3. Is hospitalization necessary after the surgery? How long will it take to feel the improvement?
Hospitalization is not necessary after the surgery. Patients can also choose to receive an outpatient surgery, which will only require a one-day hospital stay. The condition of the patient will start to improve after about a week and begin to stabilize after two weeks.

Q4. Will the pain last for a long time after the surgery?
The sensation of pain as well as the size and condition of the prostate of every person are all different; however, the pain can be relieved through medication.

Q5. Is the risk of recurrence high?
The current recurrence rate of benign prostatic hyperplasia treated with microsphere volume reduction surgery is less than 10%.

Q6. Will the surgery affect sexual functions?
After a successful prostate artery embolization, the prostate will be shrunken through blood flow reduction in the prostate without damaging the original tissues, which will not affect sexual functions at all.

Q7. Will the atrophy and necrosis of the prostate cause other damages?
Antibiotics are used after the surgery so that the necrotic prostate tissue will not cause problems and be naturally metabolized by the human body over time. Moreover, the microspheres will be located only in the blood vessels of the enlarged prostate tissue without inflicting damage on the surrounding tissues.

Please stay in contact with the doctor after the surgery and arrange for regular follow-up visits for health maintenance.