Health Problem: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an enlargement or growth of the prostate that affects approximately 8 million men in the United States, including 30% of men older than 50 years of age and nearly 70% of men older than 70 years of age. The enlarged prostate restricts the urethra and applies pressure on the base of the bladder. This restriction of the urethra can result in clinical features, including an enlarged prostate and mild-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), such as obstruction, incomplete emptying, intermittency, weak stream, hesitancy, frequency, urgency, and nocturia.
Technology Description: The UroLift System is a minimally invasive prostatic urethral lift (PUL) system that provides anterolateral mechanical traction of the lateral lobes of the prostate, opening the urethral lumen, and reducing urinary obstruction.
Controversy: Initial treatment for LUTS resulting from BPH includes pharmacologic therapy designed to relieve and limit the progression of symptoms; however, this often provides only modest relief and > 30% of patients require surgical intervention. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), the current standard surgical treatment for BPH, requires general or spinal anesthesia and inpatient hospitalization. TURP is associated with complications, including sexual dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, bladder neck contractures, urethral stricture, and septic shock.
Key Questions:
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Is the UroLift System effective for reducing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)?
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How does the UroLift System compare with alternative treatments for BPH (e.g., transurethral resection of the prostate)?
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Is the UroLift System safe for treatment of BPH?
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Have definitive patient selection criteria been identified for use of the UroLift System to treat BPH?
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