Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Specialists

What is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia?

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) refers to the enlargement of the prostate gland, which can become more prevalent as you age.

With an enlarged prostate, symptoms can be exacerbated over time and include: 

• Nocturia, the increased frequency of urination during the night 
• Difficulty starting urination
• Weak urine stream
• Frequent or urgent need to urinate
• Inability to empty the bladder fully

Less common BPH symptoms include blood in your urine, urinary tract infections, and the inability to urinate.

What Causes Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia?

A man’s urethra — the tube that transports urine from his bladder out of his penis — passes through the center of his prostate. Prostate enlargement can block the flow of urine. 

Most men experience prostate growth over time. 

It isn’t clear what causes prostate enlargement, but it might be due to fluctuations of reproductive hormones with aging. Risk factors for an enlarged prostate include:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Lack of exercise
• Excess body weight
• Aging
• Family history

BPH can lead to kidney, bladder, or urinary tract complications. More severe cases can lead to bladder damage, bladder stones, and kidney damage.

How is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Treated?

To treat BPH, your urologist might recommend medications, lifestyle changes, minimally invasive therapies, and surgery when necessary, such as a procedure to remove or destroy a portion of your prostate.

There are several types of medications that are used to treat BPH. Alpha blockers make it easier to urinate by relaxing the prostate and the neck of the bladder. Examples include:

• Alfuzosin (UroxatralⓇ)
• Doxazosin (CarduraⓇ)
• Tamsulosin (FlomaxⓇ) 
• Silodosin (RapafloⓇ) 

There are also 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors like finasteride (ProscarⓇ) and dutasteride (AvodartⓇ) that prevent prostate growth and help shrink the prostate. If these drugs don’t work well enough on their own, your urologist at Associated Urologists of North Carolina might suggest combining alpha blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. 

Tadalafil (CialisⓇ) is another medication that can help treat prostate enlargement.

• UroLift®: UroLift is a minimally invasive treatment that can be performed in an outpatient or inpatient setting under general or local anesthesia. You can usually go home the same day. UroLift doesn’t involve cutting, heating, or the removal of any prostate tissue. Your provider places the UroLift device through the obstructed urethra to the prostate and places small, permanent implants to lift and hold the enlarged prostate tissue and widen your urethral opening. Your provider removes the device to leave an open urethra and give you immediate symptom relief. At Associated Urologists of North Carolina, Dr. John Kaspar of the Raleigh office and Dr. Frank Tortora of the Cary office have achieved Center of Excellence training with the UroLift System.
• Rezūm®: Rezūm delivers water vapor to the prostate tissues via a transurethral probe. The water vapor damages the prostate cells, which your body then removes naturally. The result is that your prostate shrinks, relieving BPH symptoms. If your prostate is very large, you might need to undergo a prostatectomy to remove the entire gland. Your urologist can perform this procedure using minimally invasive robotic technology.

Additional Treatment Options:

• Laser vaporization
• Aquablation- New technology that is FDA approved for treatment of BPH using robotic technology.

• Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)

If you’re dealing with BPH, you’ll need attentive care from the experts at Associated Urologists of North Carolina. Call the office nearest you to book an appointment today.