York County Medicine Summer 2020 - 35

YO R K C O M E D S O C . O R G

IN THE NEWS:

Non-Invasive Treatment
Option for Men with
Urinary Difficulties
By: Edward K. Leventhal, MD, Urologist, Hanover Medical Group Urology

F

or men living with enlarged prostate (or
BPH), medications often are the initial
solution to address urinary difficulties
and lifestyle limitations. Unfortunately, these
prescriptions often are needed indefinitely.
When medications stop working or are
not an option, surgery is often utilized, but
traditional surgery is invasive. Medicine and
surgery can fail to provide suitable relief and,
in fact, may create additional problems such as
dizziness, fatigue, pain, and sexual dysfunction.

A New Treatment for a Common
Problem
Fortunately for those diagnosed with
BPH, I have found that the UroLift® System offers a proven
option for patients looking for an alternative to drugs or major
surgery. Clinical data has shown UroLift® to be safe and effective
in relieving lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH without
compromising sexual function - not a guarantee with traditional
surgery.
The procedure, which I perform under light sedation, uses a
minimally invasive approach that compresses the prostate tissue
outward leaving an open channel through which to urinate. In
doing so, it addresses the symptoms of BPH without the side
effects of medications or the sexual dysfunction of more invasive
procedures.

How Does It Work?
UroLift® uses small anchors that compress the inside of the
prostate outward. This opens a channel for voiding. A suture
connects the inner and outer portion of the anchor which is about
the size of a grain of rice. Most men go home without a urinary
catheter, which is the advantage over many other procedures.
We began performing the procedure in 2015 and were the
first hospital to offer UroLift®. As the first urologist in the state

to perform it and having completed about 150
in total, the success rate is around 85 percent
in providing long-term relief of bladder outlet
obstruction and its associated symptoms.
Any procedure to improve quality of life
may not be successful or meet the desired level
of expectation; however, patients find UroLift®
to be the best solution in addressing their
urinary complications without any significant
side effects. Although side effects are minimal,
they may include blood in the urine for a few
days and an increase or urgency to urinate for
approximately three to five days. The benefits of
UroLift® include:
* Improvement in urine flow
* Ability to empty your bladder
* Reduced frequency to urination including in the middle of
the night to void
* Eliminating the need for lifetime medications
* No transurethral prostatectomy, which means no sexual side
effects
* Return to normal activity in days - not months

Who Should Consider It?
If you are a man over the age of 45 with lifestyle-limiting,
bladder-outlet-obstructive symptoms, you may be a good
candidate for this procedure. If interested in learning more about
UroLift®, the first step is a consultation, followed by a second
appointment for a diagnostic evaluation to see if your condition
fits within the parameters of doing UroLift®.
The message I emphasize to my patients experiencing BHP is
that living with problematic symptoms is not a life sentence. There
are options for finding relief with successful outcomes that allow
life to be led in a healthy, productive, and satisfying way.

SUMMER 2020 | York County Medicine

35
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York County Medicine Summer 2020

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