Treating BPH

Diagnosis is made in three steps:

During the digital rectal examination (DRE), the urologist feels the size of the prostate through the anus with a finger.
With transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), the prostate is shown graphically, and at the same time a computer calculates its volume.
In addition, the urine is tested and the PSA level is determined; this is a blood value that can be used to detect prostate cancer.

Conventional operation

Surgery for benign prostate enlargement has up to now been carried out through the urethra with a narrow instrument (cystoscope).
With the conventional method, an electric wire loop is used to slice away the problematic tissue in layers from the inside outwards.
The prostate generally has a very rich blood supply. Therefore, despite the hemostatic effect of the electric wire loop, considerable bleeding and after-bleeding can occur in some cases.
After surgery, a catheter is inserted, which covers the wound surface and allows urine to flow through. The patient usually wears this catheter for 3-5 days until he is discharged from hospital.
If prostate tissue is stripped out in a standard operation, the seminal hillock (the outlet of the vas deferens in the urethra) and the inner sphincter muscle of the bladder can be damaged, developing a retrograde ejaculation. In this case, semen is not ejaculated outwards, but rather into the bladder. This often leads to impotence. This can be prevented with the LIFE laser therapy from biolitec®.

The laser radiation of the LIFE laser system is conducted via a laterally emitting fiber.
The laser vaporizes the tissue of the prostate in a very precise and selective way while leaving deeper tissue unaffected.
Non-vaporized tissue can be taken to be tested for malignant cells. This gives the patient the security that any cancer will be detected.
The catheterized time is generally only a few hours, as the wound surface is sealed very effectively by the laser.
The patient can usually be discharged from hospital after a day.
Using special technology, the doctor can prevent a retrograde ejaculation from developing after treatment. With this technology, the seminal hillock and the area around the seminal hillock are not removed, but left like a plateau. The inner sphincter muscle of the bladder is spared so that the semen is ejected out of the body rather than into the bladder when ejaculating.