REZUM: a new treatment for prostate hypertrophy at the Europe Hospitals
The Urology Department of the Europe Hospitals now offers the new REZUM treatment for patients with prostate hypertrophy.
Did you know that 50% of men over the age of 60 have problems urinating due to a swollen prostate?
With age, the prostate swells, sometimes causing an obstruction in the urinary tract. This is a mechanical problem that will have various consequences such as the need to push to start urination, urinate twice, or even get up several times at night to empty the bladder.
The standard technique of going through the penis to chip away the inside of the prostate is suitable for a majority of patients, but is less suitable for those who are older, at general risk or have blood clotting problems. The REZUM treatment is a very good alternative for this type of patient. It consists of repeated injections of steam for 9 seconds into the prostate to destroy the cells responsible for the swelling. The procedure can be performed under any type of anaesthetic, including local anaesthetic. The patient can be discharged from hospital the same day, although a catheter must be kept in place for 3 to 7 days after the procedure, depending on the size of the prostate.
« The major interest of this treatment is to be able to offer more fragile patients a safe alternative to classic endoscopic resection. » says Dr Benoît Hermans, urologist at the Europe Hospitals who has been trained in this technique. « With the ageing of the population, it is important to be able to offer elderly patients who cannot tolerate medication (due to hypotension, for example) and/or who have a bladder catheter, a minimally invasive solution with proven effectiveness. »
This treatment is suitable for all types of patients with a prostate volume of at least 30gr, but is not indicated for cancer treatment, nor for a prostate volume of over 120gr. In addition to clearing the urinary tract, the major advantage of this treatment is that it preserves 80% of ejaculation. However, given the novelty of the technique, the effects of deobstruction are currently only validated for 5 years, unlike the classic technique which has existed for over 20 years.
