Tehran, YJC. Iranian researchers have introduced a new treatment for Benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Hossein Qenaati, MD and head of Imam Khomeini (RA) Imaging
Center and an expert in interventional radiology, told IRIB that the new method
rules out the need for surgery, and simply by blocking the artery for a shrink
in prostate size, Mehr News Agency reports.
In prostatic artery embolization, a catheter is fed through
the femoral artery to the prostatic artery on both sides of the prostate. Once
the catheter is placed as close to the prostate as possible, it delivers
microscopic spheres (Embozene) that block some of the blood supply to the
gland, causing it to shrink, Qenaati was quoted to say.
"Currently patients suffering from Benign Prostatic
Hyperplasia (BPH) or benign prostatic hypertrophy (technically correct term to
describe the case) with failed attempts in medication with other therapies are
candidates for prostatic artery embolization,” added he, and called all
urologists to refer patients to the hospital for treatment through the new
method.
"The new method is currently expensive, since the equipment
used is imported; we expect to see the costs of the method decreased by
insurance provisions,” he said.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia affects men with fist symptoms
appearing in 40. 80 per cent of men above 70 suffer from the disease. Symptoms
that adversely affect quality of life include increased urinary frequency, a
sudden urge to urinate, frequent nighttime urination, weak stream, and feeling
like the bladder is not empty.