Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - TULSA Procedure

Common Prostate Conditions

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (bph)

BPH

OVERVIEW

Enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), affects almost all men aged 50 or over.

With BPH, there is an overgrowth of prostate tissue that pushes against the urethra and the bladder, restricting the flow of urine.

It is important to remember that the ‘B’ in BPH stands for benign, BPH is not cancer².

BPH

SYMPTOMS & DIAGNOSIS

An enlarged prostate alone may or may not cause symptoms (the size of the prostate is not indicative of the degree of urinary symptoms). However, the degree of bothersome symptoms is the most common reason men seek treatment.

The most common of which is an increased difficulty urinating such as:

A weak or slow urinary stream
A feeling of incomplete bladder emptying
Difficulty starting urination
Frequent urination
Urgency to urinate
Getting up frequently at night to urinate
A urinary stream that starts and stops
Straining to urinate
Continued dribbling of urine
Returning to urinate again minutes after finishing²

BPH

COMMON DIAGNOSIS OPTIONS

QUESTIONNAIRE

The severity and type of symptoms you have and how much they bother you or impact your life are all facts that will help a doctor diagnose a patient. A simple questionnaire called the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) is a common starting point².

Urine flow study

A patient voluntarily empties his bladder, and the amount and speed of urine flow are measured. A special device can help physicians detect reduced urine flow associated with BPH².

DRE EXAM

The Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) test is performed by the Urologist who will use their gloved index finger to feel your prostate through the rectal wall to assess the size, shape and stiffness of your prostate¹.

PSA TEST

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is a protein made by prostate tissue. The amount of PSA measured in your blood normally increases with age and prostate size, but abnormally high levels may indicate the need for additional testing¹.

References

National Cancer Institute. (2011, August). Understanding Prostate Changes. Retrieved: http://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/understanding-prostate-changes/prostate-booklet.pdf.
American Cancer Society. (2015, March 12). Prostate Cancer. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society. Retrieved: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003134-pdf.pdf.
Rukstalis, D. B. (2002). Treatment options after failure of radiation therapy—a review. Reviews in urology, 4(Suppl 2), S12. Retrieved: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1477547/
National Cancer Institute. (2019, June 12). Prostate Cancer Treatment. National Cancer Institute. Retrieved: https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/patient/prostate-treatment-pdq
Radiologyinfo.org (2019, May 01). Brachytherapy. RadiologyInfo.org for Patients. Retrieved: https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=brachy

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