Several treatment options exist for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate. Faculty experts at Indiana University School of Medicine provide these treatments for patients through the university’s partnership with Indiana University Health. They are also continuously researching ways to make these treatments more effective and to develop new treatment methods, while also training urologists through the department’s fellowship in endourology.
Medical Therapy
Some medicines can help ease symptoms of an enlarged prostate, such as alpha blockers, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors and Tadalafil.
Thermal Therapy
Thermal therapy is a non-surgical procedure in which a physician will use a small tool through the urethra to apply microwave heat or steam directly on the prostate.
HoLEP
Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate, or HoLEP, is a unique, minimally invasive surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, which is an enlarged prostate. The procedure uses laser technology to cut and remove the excess tissue. The prostate is unique in that it has a tough thin rim of capsule with a pulp like center. With HoLEP, all the pulp-like center is removed leaving the thin capsule, which results in an 85-90% prostate size reduction. Patients are often able to go home the same day because of the minimally invasive technique used in this procedure.
In the 1990s, IU School of Medicine faculty member James Lingeman, MD was the first urologist in the United States to perform the procedure. Now, the IU Health Methodist team performs more than 550 HoLEP procedures a year, as shown by the graph to the right, which is more than any other hospital in the country, and patients travel to Indianapolis from all over the world to receive this procedure. Learn more about HoLEP on the IU Health website.