The Herald, Sharon, PA Published Sunday, July 30, 2000

MERCER COUNTY

Radio wave option can tune up enlarged prostate

By Erin Remai
Herald Staff Writer

For many men over age 50, an enlarged prostate gland keeps them up at night by forcing them to make repeated trips to the bathroom. In previous years their treatment alternatives included surgery or medicine.

But now men in Mercer County who are troubled by an enlarged prostate have another option open to them. A few months ago, UPMC Horizon began offering the Transurethral Needle Ablation, or TUNA, to relieve symptoms of an enlarged prostate.

"It’s a relatively new way to handle enlarged prostate, which causes problems in men when they get older," said urologist Dr. Walter P. Beh, M.D., who performs the procedure at UPMC Horizon.

According to VidaMed, the company that manufactures the equipment for TUNA, 50 percent of men over age 50 and 80 percent of men in their 80s have some of the symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate. A non-cancerous condition, BPH is an enlargement of the prostate which restricts the flow of urine from the bladder.

Symptoms of BPH include needing to urinate more often, especially at night; interruption of the urinary stream, with difficulty starting and stopping; the sudden sensation of wetting oneself; a sensation of incomplete bladder emptying and burning or pain during urination.

According to VidaMed, TUNA is a minimally invasive procedure that takes about 45 minutes and causes few side effects and less post-procedural complications than surgery. Most men reportedly return to their normal lives the day after the procedure.

The procedure works by delivering low-level radio frequency waves to the prostate via a needle inserted in the urethra. The heat from the radio waves helps clear the path from the bladder to the urethra to improve the flow of urine.

Beh said before TUNA, a surgical procedure called Trans Urethral Resection of the Prostate had been the mainstay for treatment. Drugs were also developed within the last ten years to relieve symptoms.

But TUNA differs from surgery or medication in many ways. Beh said TUNA can be performed under a local anesthetic under an outpatient setting and does not require a stay in the hospital, unlike surgery. Because no tissue is cut, there is no risk of heavy bleeding.

Surgery is performed under a general anesthetic and has side effects such as incontinence, impotence and retrograde ejaculation, which causes semen to be ejaculated back into the bladder, Beh said.

Another advantage TUNA has over surgery is cost. The average surgical procedure costs nearly $7,000 while TUNA only costs about $3,500. The procedure is also reimbursed by Medicare, Beh said.

And, unlike medication, which the patient has to take every day for the rest of his life to find relief, the procedure is permanent, with a 2 percent repeat rate, Beh said.

"It affects the nerves in the prostate the same way the medicine does, but it’s a one-time deal," Beh said. "Medication you have to take every day for the rest of your life if you want relief."

Beh emphasized that TUNA is not for prostate cancer patients, because there is no tissue removal during the procedure.



Back to TOP // Herald Local news // Local news headlines // Herald Home page



Questions/comments: online@sharon-herald.com
For info about advertising on our site or Web-site creation: advertising@sharon-herald.com
Copyright ©2000 The Sharon Herald Co. All rights reserved.
Reproduction or retransmission in any form is prohibited without our permission.

0006**