Prostate Artery Embolization Treatment in DC and Maryland

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is a minimally invasive treatment that can improve lower urinary tract symptoms that are caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. About 50% of men after 51 years of age can be affected by an enlarged prostate and BPH symptoms, which include urinary incontinence. Unfortunately, these symptoms may lead to more serious health conditions. However, with the PAE procedure, these symptoms can be improved, and the size of the prostate can be minimized, reducing the risk of erectile dysfunction, urinary tract infections, and prostate cancer.

If benign prostatic hyperplasia is left untreated, it can lead to concerning health conditions such as urinary tract infections, bladder damage, kidney damage, bladder stones, or urinary incontinence. The earlier you can receive a diagnosis for BPH, the sooner you can seek treatment to prevent these conditions from happening.

In addition, it is also extremely important to achieve an early diagnosis of BPH in order to distinguish it from more serious diseases like prostate cancer. While you may experience BPH symptoms, they may also be a signal for a health condition that will require much more treatment. Once you experience one or all of these symptoms, seeking a professional as soon as you can is highly recommended.

The Prostate Artery Embolization procedure will work to block blood flow to the areas of the prostate that have been most affected by BPH. Once blood flow to this area is cut off, enlarged prostates should decrease in size. However, because it is impossible to block all the blood flow to this area entirely, the PAE procedure is not focused on curing BPH completely but rather on preventing prostate gland growth and improving lower urinary tract symptoms. 

Other habits such as routine exercise, a balanced diet, and limiting your fat intake may also help improve your BPH symptoms and reduce your risk of erectile dysfunction, diabetes, and heart disease.

While there are other surgical treatment options available for benign prostate enlargement, one of the biggest benefits of PAE is that it is minimally invasive. Because Prostate Artery Embolization is a non-surgical procedure, it can provide many additional benefits by eliminating long recovery times from surgical incisions and lowering the risk of complications. In comparison to other surgical procedures, other benefits of PAE include:

• No need for general anesthesia
• No need for a hospital stay
• Same-day procedure
• Less invasive than surgery
• Full recovery in one to two weeks 
• No limit on prostate size
• Lower risk of complications 
• Lower costs
• Out-patient procedure 
• Less need for catheter use
• No sexual side effects
• No risk of incontinence leakage
• Minimal pain and swelling
• Lower risk of erectile dysfunction

The prostate artery embolization procedure can last anywhere between one to four hours. This timeframe will vary, depending on the location and size of the prostatic arteries.