A total of 7 patients were the first to be successfully operated on by the Urology Service with thermal steam therapy to relieve the symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) last December. In this way, the Bellvitge University Hospital becomes the first public center in Catalonia to use this procedure.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a very prevalent disease that affects about half of men from the age of 50, and is characterized by excessive enlargement of the prostate gland, which among other complications, can compress the urethra. and block the flow of urine.
Therapy involves injecting water vapor into the prostate through the urethra, which causes cell death in the tissue, which is then absorbed by the body itself, thus preventing complications caused by abnormal growth of the prostate gland. The system by steam condensation causes a rapid vascular collapse in the area of treatment, which enables an intervention without blood loss. "
It is a minimally invasive technique with a much shorter application time than other techniques used so far and is useful for patients with prostates of specific characteristics or clinical situations in which general anesthesia must be avoided. It also relieves symptoms and improves the quality of life of patients, avoiding the side effects produced by other therapies ", explains Dr. Francesc Vigués, head of the Urology Service at Bellvitge University Hospital. The Urology team that performed the interventions with the new technique is completed by Dr. Cristina Ferreiro and Drs. Xavier Bonet and Narcís Camps.
The reduction of the treatment time allows, in addition, a more efficient use of the operating rooms, to be able to treat more patients per surgical day than with the rest of the techniques.
On the other hand, in the case of an outpatient procedure using intravenous sedation, patients can leave the hospital a few hours after the operation, with a tube that will be removed three to five days later. In this way, symptoms can be reduced without the need for permanent implants or prescription medications.