Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)/Enlarged Prostate Treatment

As men get older, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), commonly known as an enlarged prostate gland, often becomes a problem with symptoms ranging from mild to life disrupting. To help us understand the condition and the options available to treat it is Mircea Cristescu, MD, a vascular and interventional radiologist with the Froedtert & MCW health network. 

What are the symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland?

So patients with enlarged prostates often complain of having to urinate multiple times of day, inability to start and stop their urinary stream and then urination at night multiple times. As symptoms progress, they can become very intrusive and affect quality of life. 

What treatments are available for an enlarged prostate gland? 

So once a diagnosis of BPH is established, we generally will offer patients medications to improve their urinary stream. Unfortunately, medications have side effects, and they aren't always enough to decrease symptoms. For those patients, we can offer surgical and nonsurgical minimally invasive treatment options to reduce their symptoms. Treatments like HOLEP, where we put a laser into the prostate and destroy some of the prostate tissue, and prostate artery embolization where we put a small catheter through the wrist and inject particles into the prostate to shrink it are great treatment options with low side effect profiles for patients. 

Why should men choose the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network for their treatment? 

You really want to see a provider that can tailor a treatment specific to you, and we're fortunate to have a great team of general practitioners, urologists interventional radiologists that offer the full range of treatment options for BPH.