Prostate Conditions
Minimally invasive prostate treatment
Prostate conditions can affect men at any stage in their life. These conditions can range from benign issues like an enlarged prostate to more serious ones such as prostate cancer. It’s essential to be aware of the potential changes that can arise in the prostate gland.
Internventional radiology offers treatment for a number of prostate conditions, including an varicole embolization of prostate artery embolization. Embolization is a technique to prevent blood flow to a faulty or enlarged vein. Coils or substances called embolic agents are delivered to the site endovascularly (via catheter from inside a vein or artery) with imaging guidance from fluoroscopy, x-rays that produce real-time moving images.
Spectrum’s interventional radiology specialists have extensive vascular expertise, enabling them to treat the following prostate conditions through embolization:
- Varicocele embolization: A varicocele is an enlarged vein in the scrotum, and it can cause pain, infertility and swelling. With embolization, blood is diverted away from the enlarged vein by placing a coil or embolic agents to block the vein.
- Prostate artery embolization (PAE): Prostate enlargement, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is a common condition in older men; it causes poor urinary flow, frequent urination, incomplete bladder emptying, and a sudden urge to urinate. When medications don’t relieve symptoms, PAE is an alternative to surgery. Small particles are injected into the prostate arteries to decrease blood supply to the prostate, reducing its size and symptoms.
Questions?
If you would like to know more about any of these procedures or schedule a consultation, simply call our Vascular & Interventional Radiology office at 207.956.6650.
