It may or may not make you feel better to know that benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or prostate enlargement, is a relatively common condition that affects mostly older men. Many men notice symptoms at about age 60, but because your prostate continues to grow throughout your life, the enlargement probably begins much earlier.

Our expert team of board-certified urologists at Urology Associates of Southeastern North Carolina are well-versed in providing treatment solutions for BPH, including minimally invasive UroLift®. It’s a fairly simple treatment that uses advanced technology to increase natural urine flow and effectively decrease or eliminate BPH symptoms.  

Is BPH dangerous?

BPH is a benign (noncancerous) condition, but the symptoms are often very frustrating and can interfere with your daily activities. The small tube (urethra) that carries urine from your bladder runs through the center of your prostate. When the gland enlarges, it can prevent urine from exiting your body.

As your enlarging prostate restricts urine flow in your urethra, you may experience:

• Frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom (nocturia)
• Difficulty starting your urine stream
• A weak urine stream that stops and starts
• Inability to empty your urinary bladder

BPH may also cause:

• Recurrent urinary tract infections
• Urinary bladder stones
• Stretching and weakening of the muscular bladder walls
• Inability to urinate
• Kidney infection

Fortunately, our specialists at Urology Associates of Southeastern North Carolina offer many treatments for BPH, so there’s no reason to live with the uncomfortable symptoms.

What is the UroLift difference?

Other treatments for BPH include medication therapy that’s designed to slow the growth of your prostate. But these medications may fail to resolve symptoms, since they can’t reduce the size of your prostate. 

So if the enlargement is already causing symptoms, medication may not help. Medication also comes with unwanted side effects that you may not tolerate well.  

BPH surgical treatments require removal of prostate tissue to reduce symptoms. Transurethral microwave therapy (TUMT), for instance, uses microwave heat to kill excess prostate tissue. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) requires your doctor to remove portions of the prostate that are affecting your urine flow.

UroLift, on the other hand, takes advantage of advanced technology to hold back enlarged prostate tissue and restore urine flow through the urethra. Unlike surgical treatments that require removal of prostate tissue, the UroLift procedure leaves your prostate intact and spares you the discomfort and recovery time associated with surgery.

How does UroLift work?

UroLift is typically a one-time treatment that we perform in-office. Using the patented UroLift device, we access the enlarged prostate through the urethra. Then we permanently attach tiny implants to the enlarged prostate tissue. Working much like curtain tiebacks, these implants effectively hold back the prostate tissue and free urine flow through your urethra.

The procedure is fast, and recovery is quick. You can expect nearly immediate relief from the urinary restriction that characterizes BPH.

To find out more about minimally invasive UroLift treatment for BPH, call us today to schedule a consultation at our Wilmington, North Carolina, office.