Enlarged Prostate

Transurethral resection of the prostate is a traditional surgery that uses a scope to remove excess prostate tissue. This longest-performing BPH treatment (since the 1970s) is the gold standard for other newer techniques.

No incision is needed. Your urologist inserts a narrow scope through the urethra to remove parts of the prostate gland using a cautery (heated metal element).

The TURP surgery takes about one to two hours and is done under general or spinal anesthesia. It requires an overnight hospital stay. You'll have a catheter in your penis for one to four days. Complete recovery requires three to six weeks.

HoLEP is a minimally invasive treatment option that is highly effective for large prostates (over 80 grams). The Holmium surgical laser removes prostate tissue that blocks urine flow.

Your urologist inserts a thin, narrow scope through the urethra to remove parts of the prostate gland using a high-powered laser. Like other minimally invasive procedures, there’s no incision in this technique. It's one of the most thorough procedures since all obstructing tissue is removed.

Depending on the size of the prostate, surgery can take two to three hours (up to four hours for extremely large prostates). It requires an overnight hospital stay. You'll use a urinary catheter for six days. Complete recovery takes three to six weeks.

Like the HoLEP procedure, robotic prostatectomy is ideal for removing extra tissue in very large prostates (over 100 grams). This minimally invasive technique is also used to remove the entire prostate in certain conditions.

Your urologist makes tiny incisions in your belly and uses robotic instruments to remove all the obstructing prostate tissue, leaving the prostate capsule (outer portion) in place.

The surgery takes three to four hours and requires an overnight stay in the hospital. You'll use a urinary catheter for seven to 14 days. Complete recovery takes four to six weeks.

Laser energy is used to vaporize the prostate tissue. The GreenLight vaporization procedure is ideal for moderate prostatic enlargement (under 80 grams).

Your urologist inserts a thin scope through the urethra to melt parts of the prostate gland using a high-powered laser. Unlike the TURP or HoLEP procedures that remove prostatic tissue, this laser technique vaporizes the excess tissue associated with an enlarged prostate.

This surgery is done under general or local anesthesia and takes one to two hours. It requires an overnight hospital stay. You may need to use a urinary catheter overnight or for up to seven days. Complete recovery takes four to six weeks.

In this minimally invasive treatment, your urologist injects steam into the enlarged portions of the prostate to shrink the tissue surrounding the urethra.

Like the GreenLight laser procedure, the Rezum water vapor treatment is ideal for moderate to small prostates (under 80 grams). This nonsurgical technique opens the blocked pathway and improves urinary flow from the bladder.

The 10-minute procedure is done under light sedation or general anesthesia. It's an outpatient procedure, meaning you can go home the same day. You'll need to use a urinary catheter for three to four days.

Instead of removing excess prostate tissue, your urologist uses the UroLift system to implant permanent sutures in the prostate.

This nonsurgical procedure widens the channel around the urethra by lifting enlarged prostate tissue out of the way for proper urine flow.

No incision is needed. The eight-minute, minimally invasive procedure is done under light sedation or general anesthesia. You can go home without a catheter the same day.

Prostate artery embolization is a minimally invasive alternative to surgery performed by an interventional radiologist. This nonsurgical technique involves few side effects and no hospital stay. You can recover at home and return more quickly to normal activities.

Using X-rays and other imaging technology, your doctor inserts a small catheter into an artery in the upper thigh or wrist. Tiny particles are injected through it into the prostate arteries to reduce or block blood flow, shrink the prostate and relieve BPH symptoms. This treatment is done under intravenous (IV) sedation.

The minimal invasiveness of this technique is beneficial. Still, there's a chance of recurrent problems five to 10 years after surgery because the extra prostate tissue is not removed as in the other procedures.

UC San Diego Health is among the first medical centers in the region to offer PAE treatment.

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