Symptoms

The symptoms of this condition are similar to the symptoms of urinary tract diseases. Patients may observe symptoms, including a weakened urine stream, which also exhibits interruption in the normal flow. Such patients are hesitant to pass urine. However, they always feel an urgent need to empty the bladder. There are also other symptoms like dribbling, leaking, and feeling like the bladder is not empty even when you have just urinated. In prostate gland hypertrophy, urination is frequent, especially during the night.

The symptoms are also like other condition, which is bacteria in the urine remaining in the bladder like the development of bladder stones and frequent urinary tract infections. If the situation of this condition is more serious than the patient may even feel urinary retention, which means unable to urinate, even kidney failure, but this is not very common.

Diagnosis

The first examination of the condition will be the doctor asking about the medical history and past urinary problems. The diagnosing will also involve testing the urine and blood and digital rectal examination.

There should be even an ultrasound of the rectum or abdomen to know the size of the prostate and examine its structure. The ultrasound should even be used to know the remaining urinary volume after urinating.

Treatment

The conservative treatment of this condition involves making some changes in your lifestyle, like not drinking fluids in the evening and reduction of stress. There also some medication that will reduce the symptoms. If the conservative treatments are not working for the patient, the patient can undergo a prostatectomy, which is the surgical way of removing the prostate. This can be done through transurethral resection or through open surgery.

The most common treatment of choice is transurethral resection. In this treatment, the part of the prostate gland is removed from the urethra. It mostly used in the patient who does not respond to conservative treatment. The difficulties which come with this treatment are narrowing of the affected area, blood loss, urinary tract infections, incontinence, post-operative pain and sexual dysfunction. There is also a risk factor associated with anesthesia, which is used during the process.

There is also another option, which is a minimally invasive method. The prostate artery embolization is a process that is used to treat prostate gland hypertrophy with maximum positive results. This process can be used in those cases where the prostate is too big for transurethral prostatectomy.

Local anesthesia is used during the process of prostatic artery embolization. In this method, a catheter is inserted in the patient’s femoral vein, which is located in the upper thigh under the guidance of fluoroscopic imaging. The catheter is guided in the prostatic artery, and microspheres are inserted to block the artery which feeds the gland. This will make the prostate gland to shrink in size.

To know whether the process was a success or not, imaging can be used. The process is performed on an out-patient basis. After the completion of the process, the patient can resume his normal activities.

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