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Prostatectomy (ILC)
What is
Prostatectomy (ILC)?
ILC or
Indigo laser treatment of the prostate is
another type of laser treatment of prostate
enlargement.
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Effects
of Prostatectomy (ILC)
ILC
is a safe and effective therapy for patients
with benign prostatic hyperplasia presenting
with acute urinary retention.
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Candidates for Prostatectomy (ILC)
This
procedure is ideal for men who have benign
prostatic hyperplasia, a non-malignant
enlargement of the prostate that may cause
problems with urination and impact quality of
life; this enlargement is a normal condition
with aging.
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Your Consultation
After
evaluating your medical history and giving you a
complete physical, your doctor will perform a
digital rectal examination.
Because
the prostate gland is in front of the rectum,
the doctor can feel if the gland has any
abnormalities during this examination. This
enables him or her to estimate the size of the
prostate and to detect any hard areas that could
be cancer.
Several
studies may be done to help diagnose your
condition:
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A
urine test called a urinalysis.
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A
seven-question BPH Symptom Score Index survey
to evaluate the severity of your symptoms.
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A
flow study to measure how slow the urinary
stream is compared with normal flow.
-
A
study to detect how much urine is left in the
bladder after urination is done.
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The
Prostatectomy (ILC) Procedure
ILC is
done as an outpatient with local anesthesia and
mild sedation. With ILC treatments a telescope
is placed through the penis into the prostatic
channel. Through the telescope special needles
are placed deep into the prostate tissue. Indigo
laser beams are emitted from the end of the
needles, which are similar to radio antennae.
The prostate is heated up to very high
temperatures. This causes destruction to the
prostate tissue. The heated prostate tissue is
destroyed and initially swells but then shrinks.
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Recovery
Most
men require a catheter for a period of time
(usually three to eight days) after the Indigo
procedure until the swelling resides. As with
other laser procedures, no prostate tissue is
removed for pathologic diagnosis.
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Risks
Side
effects may be urinary frequency and irritation
while the prostate is healing. However, many of
these techniques are new. Little is known about
the long-term effectiveness and complications of
these procedures
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
What is Benign
Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)?
A:
It is a very common, non-cancerous condition in
which the prostate cells grow and cause the
prostate gland to enlarge. The enlarged
prostate may compress the urethra and cause
urinary symptoms.
Q:
What are the symptoms of BPH?
A:
Many of the symptoms of BPH stem from
obstruction of the urethra and gradual loss of
bladder function, which results in incomplete
emptying of the bladder. The symptoms of BPH
vary, but the most common ones involve changes
or problems with urination, such as:
-
A
hesitant, interrupted, weak stream
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Urgency and leaking or dribbling
-
More
frequent urination, especially at night
Q:
What is laser prostatectomy?
A:
Laser prostatectomy is performed with the use of
a laser with various types and wavelengths have
the advantages of lack or decreased risk of
complications such as intraoperative bleeding
and fluid absorption, retrograde ejaculation,
impotence, and incontinence. Patients undergoing
this procedure tend to require shorter hospital
stays and can be admitted on an outpatient
basis. Four general techniques include:
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Non-contact visual laser ablation of the
prostate (VLAP)
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Interstitial laser coagulation of the prostate
(ILC)
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Transurethral laser enucleation prostatectomy
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Transurethral laser vaporation of the prostate
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Transurethral laser photoselective vaporation
of the prostate (PVP)
Q:
What are the advantages of ILC?
A:
ILC has many advantages over previous surgical
methods. It does not require general anesthesia
or a hospital stay, and most patients return to
normal activities in one to two weeks. In
contrast, past surgical treatments for prostate
enlargement required general anesthesia and a
two-day hospital stay, compounded by a four- to
six-week recovery period.
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The following list of Urology procedures are
performed at Beverly Hills Medical Group -
please click the links to find out more:
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