Wake
Forest Baptist Medical Center is the first center in North Carolina to
offer a new treatment for the urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate
gland.
During a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, implants are inserted into
the prostate to pull the gland back and away from the urine tube. The treatment
is designed to eliminate symptoms of delayed urination and frequent nighttime
urination that are common with an enlarged prostate.
“Because it can offer rapid and lasting relief from the urinary tract symptoms
associated with prostate enlargement and it doesn’t compromise sexual function,
the UroLift system has the potential to change our treatment paradigm,” said Daniel Rukstalis, M.D., professor
of urology, who co-led a national study of the treatment.
Enlarged prostate, or benign prostate hypertrophy, is the most common prostate
problem for men over age 50. Studies have shown that by age 60, half of men
have the condition. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that sits below the
bladder. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that empties urine out of the body.
When the gland enlarges, it can press on the urethra and result in a weak or
slow urine stream, difficulty starting urination, frequent urination, an urgent
need to urinate and getting up frequently at night to urinate. In addition, the
narrowing can prevent the bladder from emptying completely, which can lead to
urinary tract infections.
Rukstalis said treatment is generally recommended when the condition affects
quality of life. In addition to the implant system, treatments include
medications to reduce symptoms, procedures that use heat energy to shrink a portion
of the prostate, laser surgery to remove prostate tissue, and traditional surgery
to remove a portion or all of the prostate gland.
“We are pleased to offer a full range of treatment options for this bothersome
condition,” said Rukstalis.
Rukstalis was the co-principal investigator of a study of 206 men in which 140
men were randomly assigned to receive the implants. These men who received
treatment experienced a reduction on an American Urological Association Symptom
Index from 22.1 at baseline to 11.1 at 24 months. The questionnaire asks about
the frequency of symptoms and assigns a point value for each symptom, ranging
from 0 to 5 depending on whether the symptom never occurs or occurs “almost
always.”