Prostate artery embolisation for benign prostatic hyperplasia
Prostate artery embolisation (PAE) is an innovative treatment that can provide relief for lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
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What is it for?
Treatment that can provide relief for lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia
Treatment overview
The prostate often enlarges with increasing age. As it grows it can press on the urethra, blocking the flow of urine from the bladder.
This may cause bacteria to grow and develop into a lower urinary tract infection.
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) symptoms can occur in up to 30% of men older than 65 years, with the most common cause of problems being BPH, or a non-cancerous enlarged prostate.
To assess your suitability for treatment, a thorough medical examination is carried out by world-renowned Urologist, Professor Proka Dasgupta.
Prostate artery embolisation is performed by Consultant Endovascular Radiologist, Dr Jocelyn Brookes.
The procedure involves blocking the arteries that supply blood to the prostate, causing it to shrink.
Why choose The London Clinic
Excellence in one place
The London Clinic, in collaboration with Northwestern Medicine, operate as teams of experts with world-class resources, dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of care. Supported by the latest treatments, expert guidance, and a comfortable recovery environment in our patient rooms, you'll have everything you need to regain your best health.
Personal care, every time
Exceptional patient care is a way of life for us. We’ll be with you every step of the way, tailoring your care to your specific needs, including healthy and delicious meals designed to support your recovery. We keep our staff-to-patient ratio low, so our nurses, clinicians, therapists, and support teams can offer a personalised, quality experience.
Effortlessly simple
We work together as one to guide you through every step of your patient experience. From explaining your personal treatment plan to ensuring all details are taken care of, we make the process stress-free, so you can focus on your health. Whether it’s your first consultation or follow-up care, our teams are here to provide seamless support and the peace of mind you deserve.
What's included in your package?
Choosing The London Clinic means your treatment plan will be laid out for you, with all the details taken care of so you can focus on you.
Your treatment package will include:
- Enhanced pre-admission assessment
- Your treatment with our complete care team at your fingertips
- Personalised aftercare and follow-up
We want you to be in control of your health. That’s why we also offer optional services such as comprehensive recovery packages and extra touches for you to choose from during your stay with us. To help you manage the cost, we also offer a 0% finance option, allowing you to spread the payments for your treatment over 12 months with no added interest. Learn more about our finance options here.
How to pay
- You can use private medical insurance (PMI) to access this treatment. We work with all major PMI providers in the UK and many internationally
- You can pay for yourself (self-pay)
- If you’re paying for yourself, we have 0% finance options available with Chrysalis. Find out more here.
FAQs
Prostate artery embolisation significantly reduces symptoms without complications, risks and recovery typically associated with surgery like TURP (Transurethral resection of the prostate).
- Shrinks the size of the prostate
- Relieves lower urinary tract symptoms
- Maintains sexual function and fertility
- Reduces risk of retrograde ejaculation
- Minimally-invasive with no scars
- Can return to full mobility within 48 hours
- Safe and effective alternative to surgery
- More than 3 out of 4 men avoid TURP surgery
- Problems passing urine, including difficulty starting the urine flow
- A weak stream and dribbling after going to the toilet
- Passing urine more frequently
- Getting up at night to pass urine
- An urgent need to pass urine
- Incontinence and leakage of urine
- The feeling that the bladder is not emptying properly
Prostate artery embolisation at The London Clinic is carried out as a day-admission in our Angio suite for specialist interventional procedures that require the use of X-rays.
You will be laid on an X-ray table and sedated by a Consultant Anaesthetist.
A catheter (thin plastic tube) is then inserted into an artery in your groin. Using an X-ray, the catheter is threaded into your prostate arteries (left and right).
After your consultant has identified and visualised the prostate blood supply, they will inject a fluid infused with microparticles into these small arteries, blocking the blood supply to the enlarged prostate.
Research has shown that the prostate shrinks, relieving the symptoms of BPH.
Our consultants, together with our experienced anaesthetists and nursing staff, work to minimise risks and support safe recovery.
No significant dangers are associated with prostate artery embolisation, but can occasionally cause:
- A small bruise at the site of the injection
- Most patients feel some mild pain during and after the procedure, which does not usually last more than 1 to 3 days
The complexity of finding difficult or small prostate arteries may lead to technical failures in very few cases, which can be rectified by TURP surgery.
Most men are able to go back to normal activities within 48 hours, however it’s sensible not to do anything too strenuous.
Your Urology Consultant will arrange a post-op appointment, to discuss the effectiveness of the embolisation.
