“They did exactly what they said they were going to do, and it worked well. It was good all the way around.”
At 60, Bill had already experienced a number of kidney stones. But suddenly a new problem bothered him.
“When I went to urinate, the stream was getting bad,” he said. “It was starting to be like a sprinkler. It was also taking a while. The worst part is I was waking up and having to pee three or four times in the middle of the night.”
The problem was an enlarged prostate.
When it comes to the surgical treatment of prostate enlargement, many people express concern about possible side effects. And those concerns are real: The prospect of incontinence, erectile dysfunction, pain, and slow recovery times cause many to avoid surgery. But thanks to new technology and a procedure called Prostate Artery Embolization (PAE), successful treatment is possible without surgical risk.
Undesirable Treatment Options
Bill tried medication to treat his enlarged prostate, but it didn’t help.
Then his doctor suggested a surgical procedure known as a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Bill wanted relief from his problem, but as the doctor explained the surgical procedure for enlarged prostate, the more worried Bill became.
“Well, we go in and there's this procedure, we core it out or something,” Bill recalled. “And he explained it, and it just sounded dreadful. And I thought ‘There must be something other than this.”
The Search for an Alternative Leads to PAE
Bill turned to the Internet to find other options for his enlarged prostate. And when he did, he discovered a doctor in California doing PAE. Less invasive than surgery, PAE involves threading a catheter through blood vessels and using microscopic particles to block blood vessels in the prostate. This causes the prostate shrink, and the shrinkage creates more room for urine flow. PAE has fewer risks and a faster recovery time than surgery.
Penn Medicine’s Advanced Technology Draws Bill’s Interest
After learning about PAE, Bill decided to look for someone closer to home who did the procedure. His thoughts quickly landed on Penn Medicine.
“I live right outside Philadelphia,” Bill said. “And I know that Penn's good for doing more state-of-the-art stuff, and they're a good hospital and an [academic medical center]. So I figured that was probably the place to go.”
Bill explored Penn’s website and learned about Timothy Clark, MD, director of Interventional Radiology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, who has helped many men find relief from enlarged prostate through PAE.
In fact, Penn Medicine was the first medical center in the region to perform the PAE, and has gained a reputation for the procedure.
Bill set up a video consult with Dr. Clark so they could talk about his case.
A Less Invasive Option
Bill had a lot of good questions about PAE: What were the benefits of PAE? What were the risks of PAE? Was it really a long-term solution? A proctologist had told Bill that if the particles were inserted in the wrong blood vessel, they might cause impotence or other long-term issues. Was this true?
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill and Dr. Clark talked the first time using video chat.
“Dr. Clark and his assistant basically just answered all my questions,” Bill said. They were upfront with me.”
Bill learned that compared with surgery, PAE was less invasive, and less risky. A successful procedure would provide relief from the problems Bill was having.
Dr. Clark also explained how the interventional radiology team used sophisticated imaging tools to watch the placement of the particles as it was being done. This would ensure placement in the correct blood vessels.
“It sounded a lot less invasive, and it sounded like probably a better option at least for the time,” Bill said. “I decided to do it.”
A Smooth Procedure and Great Results
According to Bill, the PAE procedure was both smooth and successful. He had mild pain when urinating for three or four days, which he was able to control using an over-the-counter medication for urinary pain relief.
Since then, things have been fine, outside of occasional unrelated pain caused by a bladder stone that was discovered during the procedure. Bill is now being followed by another physician for that condition.
Most importantly, Bill said, his prostate has shrunk in size. And with that, his difficulty urinating and frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom are no longer an issue. In fact, Bill would recommend that anyone in a similar situation talk to the doctors at Penn about PAE.
“Oh, I would say definitely go there, have them look at it, and do a consultation,” he said. “They did exactly what they said they were going to do, and it worked well. It was good all the way around.”
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