The Miriam Hospital offers new surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia

The Minimally Invasive Urology Institute (MIUI) at The Miriam Hospital is offering UroLift as one of the newest surgical treatments available for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlarged prostate condition.

An enlarged prostate becomes more common with age. With BPH, the prostate gland surrounding the urethra enlarges and squeezes the urethra - and that can cause difficulty urinating, frequent or urgent urination, or an inability to empty the bladder. The UroLift procedure relieves those symptoms by lifting the prostatic lobes and holding them away from the urethra, allowing urine to flow easily through the urethra.

"Fifty percent of men who are age 50 and 80 percent of men who are age 80 and above are adversely affected by BPH - unable to enjoy their normal, daily activities - and this can cause discomfort, anxiety, and other urologic complications," said Gyan Pareek, M.D., FACS, co-director of The Minimally Invasive Urology Institute at The Miriam Hospital and director of the Kidney Stone Center at The Miriam. "By offering our patients this new treatment option through the Institute, we strengthen our goal to provide patients with the most innovative and technologically advanced surgical care."

Unlike other treatments, such as transurethral resection of the prostate, UroLift does not involve cutting, heating, or removal of prostate tissue and does not cause sexual dysfunction. It is an outpatient procedure, so men are able to return home the same day, and the procedure will not limit or impair future surgical treatments for the prostate.

Signs of BPH include:

• Urgent or frequent need to urinate both during the day and at night

• A slow or weak urinary stream

• Difficulty or delay in starting urination

• A urinary stream that starts and stops

"We are proud to be one of the few hospitals in New England to offer this minimally invasive option for men with an enlarged prostate," said Joseph Renzulli, M.D., co-director of the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute and director of the Prostate Surgery Program at The Miriam Hospital. "This illustrates our commitment to providing evidence-based urologic care within a framework of personalized, precision medical care for our patients at the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute."