Microwave Treatment for Benign Prostate Hypertrophy
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Now in terms of the treatments that heat the prostate, the commonest treatment is microwave treatment of the prostate.
I was fortunate to do the first one in Australia, and what happens with that is, the patients generally do not have to have a general anaesthetic, they have sedation.
We put a catheter into the bladder from the urethra, we have radiofrequency waves from the tube into the prostate.
We heat up the prostate, the cells die, the patient is usually discharged often with a catheter if we use the high energy, and then with time the cells die, the prostate shrinks back and the patients can pass urine better1.
Microwave Treatment for Benign Prostate Hypertrophy
How microwave therapy works
Microwave therapy is the commonest of the heat-based treatments for benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH). A catheter is passed along the urethra into the bladder, and radiofrequency waves delivered from the catheter heat the prostate tissue. The heated cells die, the prostate gradually shrinks back, and urine flow improves1.
Anaesthetic and recovery
Microwave therapy does not usually require a general anaesthetic - it is generally performed under sedation. After a high-energy treatment, patients are usually discharged with a catheter in place while the prostate settles and shrinks1.
Dr Kooner performed the first microwave treatment for BPH in Australia.
References
- Juan VA Franco, Luis Garegnani, Camila Micaela Escobar Liquitay, et al - Transurethral microwave thermotherapy for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia - Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021; 2021(6): CD004135. Published online 2021 Jun 28. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004135.pub4