More than 40 million aging American men experience Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), a condition in which the prostate enlarges as men get older. Over 40 percent of men in their 50s and over 70 percent of men in their 60s have BPH. While BPH is a benign condition and unrelated to prostate cancer, it can greatly affect a man’s quality of life. As the prostate enlarges, it presses on and blocks the urethra, causing bothersome urinary issues known as lower urinary tract symptoms. These include:
- Frequent need to urinate both day and night
- Weak or slow urinary stream
- A sense that you cannot completely empty your bladder
- Difficulty or delay in starting urination
- Urgent feeling of needing to urinate
- A urinary stream that stops and starts
- Inability to urinate with the potential need for an indwelling catheter or intermittent catheterization to maintain bladder emptying
Since May 2023, Sean Hedican, MD, an SSM Health Fond du Lac Regional Clinic urologist, has been offering a new minimally invasive procedure within SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac to remove tissue that is blocking urine flow through the prostate. In fact, Dr. Hedican recently completed his 50th procedure at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital, where he has brought extensive experience and expertise performing this procedure while a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin Madison. St. Agnes Hospital is now the only center offering Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) in the Fox Valley. Patient benefits from this procedure are numerous and include:
- No overnight hospitalizations for the majority even those with massive prostatic enlargement
- Faster and easier recovery with a quick return to work and daily activities
- Immediate symptom improvement and improved quality of life
- Shortened requirement for post-operative catheter maintenance (typically 48 hours after surgery)
- Minimal bleeding during and after procedure
HoLEP uses a high energy laser beam to cut away the enlarged prostate tissue. This tissue is then pushed into the bladder, where it is further broken up into smaller pieces and aspirated using a device called a morcellator. “The entire procedure is performed without any external incisions, making it a highly effective, minimally invasive surgical option for the largest of prostates,” according to Dr. Hedican. “Using High Powered Holmium laser fiber inserted via a resectoscope within the urethra, obstructing tissue is enucleated which is similar to peeling an orange from the inside. “HoLEP gives patients with enlarged prostates the option of a minimally invasive approach with a significant reduction of intraoperative and post-operative issues while providing immediate improvement in symptoms upon catheter removal,” Dr. Hedican adds. Patients share with Dr. Hedican how appreciative they are following the procedure. “I hear many times the great impact this procedure has had on their quality of life. Patients who have had an indwelling catheter for years are now voiding with powerful streams. These patients benefit from early, immediate relief of BPH symptoms and fast return to normal activity. Patients usually go back to work within two to three days and can resume their physical exercise within two weeks.” To learn more about HoLEP, call the SSM Health Fond du Lac Regional Clinic Urology team at 920-926-8495.
