Laser therapy is a treatment option used by urologists to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) which is otherwise known as an enlarged prostate.
BPH is a very common condition among men who are 60 and older. Approximately 80% of men have an enlarged prostate by the time they are 80. The cause of an enlarged prostate is not always known. Your prostate grows to normal size throughout the teenage years and then, for many, continues to grow and may become enlarged in their later years.
The prostate is a male reproductive gland that produces fluid for semen. It is found surrounding the urethra. A normal-sized prostate is about the size of a walnut. As a prostate enlarges it closes in on the urethra which can cause troublesome and uncomfortable symptoms in men.
The urethra carries urine from the bladder out of the body. If the prostate is affecting the urethra it can cause the following symptoms:
- Frequent need to urinate both day and night
- A weak or slow urinary stream
- A sense that you cannot completely empty your bladder
- Difficulty or delay in starting urination
- Urgent feeling of needing to urinate
- A urinary stream that stops and starts
- One treatment option for BPH includes greenlighting laser surgery.
What is Laser Surgery?
Laser surgery uses a small instrument inserted into the urethra using a cystoscope. This delivers high-powered laser energy to heat up the prostate tissues, causing them to vaporize. This removes all the enlarged prostate tissue and natural urine flow can be restored. This should also help alleviate any other urinary symptoms the enlarged prostate was causing.
Laser surgery is a great treatment option for BPH because it is a virtually bloodless procedure. It is a quick outpatient procedure, which is a long-lasting BPH solution.
There are a few risks that have been observed in rare cases of patients who have received this treatment. Complications may include blood in urine, bladder urgency, irritation of the urinary tract, retrograde ejaculation. These usually decrease over time but always contact your urology doctor in Springfield, Ohio if any complications are observed.
If you are a part of the large population of men who deal with complications due to an enlarged prostate, there are treatment options for you. Urology specialists of Ohio are here to help you treat your BPH, contact or team of urologists today.