New treatment option for enlarged prostate
Men here suffering from enlarged prostates have a new treatment option which some doctors say could result in less bleeding and shorter hospital stays.
Rather than scraping out the prostate, doctors at Tan Tock Seng Hospital have begun using the newest form of a green laser to vaporise the gland, which can grow so large that the patient has problems urinating, which can lead to kidney stones and kidney failure.
The newest form of the machine, which harnesses green light that stems bleeding well, is currently available only at TTSH.
“This version is faster and more effective than earlier lasers,” said Dr Tan Yung Khan, a consultant at the hospital’s department of urology. It has been used on 10 men since May, and another 10 or so are on the waiting list.
The prostate is a walnut-size gland between the bladder and the penis, and it plays a key role in producing semen. It increases in size as a man ages, and sometimes grows so large it presses on the urinary tract and obstructs urine flow.
The condition can be treated by medication but about 15 per cent of patients need surgery to relieve this obstruction.
A procedure called the transurethral resection of the prostate (Turp) – where urologists insert a scope up the urinary tract and scrape off the gland – is seen as the gold standard. But this causes a lot of bleeding and about 5 per cent of patients need a transfusion, said Dr Tan.
With the new treatment, the laser fibre is inserted up the urinary tract and doctors use it to vaporise the prostate. There is much less bleeding, and patients at TTSH stay only one day or less after the procedure, compared with three days after Turp.
For subsidised patients, the treatment could cost around $2,000 – $500 more than Turp. The procedure could become even more relevant with an ageing population, where more suffer from heart conditions and take blood thinners, making bleeding an even more critical issue, Dr Tan said.
About two in 10 men over 40 suffer from urinary problems due to an enlarged prostate. Other urologists say it is too early to tell if this form of treatment benefits patients in the long run.
Dr Chua Wei Jin, consultant and clinical director at the National University Hospital’s department of urology, is keen to test it out but said more time is needed to assess long-term side effects.
Professor E. Kesavan, head of the NUH urology department, added that the laser might not be as precise as Turp, and there was a risk of leftover prostate tissue which might grow back.
Source: The Straits Times
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
