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Enlarged Prostate Treatment
Gets the Green Light

In cases where drugs fail, lasers have become the weapon of choice when it comes to enlarged prostate treatment.

It used to be you'd undergo a procedure termed TURP. That involved general anesthesia, a hospital stay of several days, plus wearing a catheter several days beyond that and a recovery period measured in weeks. But it was the gold standard for treating a swollen prostate.

Anymore green lasers are the cutting edge technique for treating an enlarged prostate. The lasers zap prostate tissue using a technique called photoselective vaporization. Sounds pretty Star Wars I know. But you get fewer BPH symptoms with fewer side affects as the laser vaporizes the prostate down to size.

You see, with this enlarged prostate treatment a thin laser fiber is inserted through a scope into the urethra. This allows the doctor to see the prostate tissue so the laser energy can be focused on the prostate tissue impeding urine flow. Vaporizing it while leaving surrounding tissue is minimally affected.

One advantage is this technique is virtually bloodless. There is next to no scarring. And men who undergo this procedure see an immediate increase in urine flow.

Instead of days in the hospital, it's typically at most an overnight stay.

Risk of loss of bladder control or sexual function are also minimized.

While some men may experience painful urination, that is generally short lived. And certainly no worse than what you'd experience with TURP.

Studies show the benefits of using lasers as a treatment for an enlarged prostate gland can last 5-7 years. While with TURP only 10% of men report requiring a second round of treatment. Unfortunately either way there is little data available about the long term benefits.

So if you've had it with your prostate problems, and assuming you're not dealing with actual prostate cancer symptoms, perhaps a green laser would be an enlarged prostate treatment option worth looking into?