Rhode Island-based Miriam Hospital, through its Minimally Invasive Urology Institute (MIUI), has recently made a cutting-edge surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) available. The UroLift System treatment is a revolutionary, minimally invasive approach to treating an enlarged prostate that works by lifting or holding the enlarged tissue out of the way of the urethra. There is no cutting, heating or removal of tissue, and patients have reported experiencing symptom relief in as little as 2 weeks, without having to worry about sexual dysfunction. The procedure does not entail prolonged downtime, nor insertion of a catheter, with most patients receiving clearance to go home within the same day.

“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.”

Symptoms 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.”

To learn more about the UroLift system, visit www.urolift.com.

A research team from the Boston University School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Private medical office for Urology and Andrology in Germany, found that long-term finasteride therapy but not tamsulosin, worsens erectile function (ED) and reduces testosterone levels in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).  The study entitled “Finasteride, not tamsulosin, increases severity of erectile dysfunction and decreases testosterone levels in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia” was published in the journal Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation.