Prostatic Artery Embolization

A minimally invasive procedure to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Available at the hospital
Maisonneuve et Bélanger

About the intervention

The procedure consists in treating the benign (non-cancerous) hypertrophy of the prostate, which is characterized by an increase in the prostatic volume. This is an alternative to transurethral surgery. The increasing volume of the prostate can affect the quality of life of men, causing lower urinary tract symptoms such as:

Increased urinary frequency
Difficulty to urinate (straining or slow urinary stream)
An inability to control urges to urinate

The intervention lasts approximately 2 to 3 hours. An interventional radiologist will meet with you to answer all your questions prior to the intervention.

Preparation for Prostatic Artery Embolization

It is required to previously carry out a coagulation and renal function assessment, as well as a prostate volume measurement by scanner or magnetic resonance.

Contraindication

If you have severe kidney failure.
If you have prostate cancer that requires curative treatment.
If you are allergic to iodinated contrast agents.

Intervention process

Our team will accompany you and install you on the exam table.

Local anesthesia will be performed and the interventional radiologist will make a millimeter incision in your groin to access the artery.

The interventional radiologist will introduce a small tube (catheter) into the artery up to the prostatic arteries, guided by X-rays and a contrast agent.

Microparticles (particles the size of a grain of sand) will be released into the prostatic arteries.

This is a one-day procedure. You will leave after an observation period of a few hours.

What you may experience

Once the catheter is in place, the procedure is painless.

After the intervention

In the days following the procedure, you may feel some signs of irritation like urinary burns. These symptoms are controlled by the medication. Antibiotics will also be prescribed to prevent infections.