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Laser Treatment for Enlarged Prostate

Urologists at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville report that about two thirds of the men they have treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) experienced significant improvement in their urinary symptoms within six to 12 months following treatment with interstitial laser coagulation. One hundred men who were treated between July 2003 and May 2005 represent the largest reported group of patients given the newest laser technology available. Many men with mild to moderate prostate enlargement are candidates for this 30-minute procedure, which requires only a local anesthetic. A thin, fiber-optic laser is placed in the patient's urethra and into the prostate gland, where it delivers controlled laser energy to selected parts of the enlarged prostate. Tissue is destroyed, absorbed by the patient's body, and the prostate begins to shrink over time. Results vary, but most BPH symptoms resolve, including weak urine stream, difficulty in starting urination, urine flow stopping and restarting during urination, frequent nighttime urination and the inability to completely empty the bladder.