Laser prostate surgery a first for province
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/10/2011 (5305 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A new laser surgery that zaps enlarged prostates will save Manitoba men weeks in recovery time — and a lot of pain.
Victoria General Hospital announced Monday it is the first facility in Manitoba to acquire the non-invasive technology, already available in most provinces.
Patients who undergo the laser treatment, which quickly removes prostate tissue that restricts urine flow, go home the same day.
“It’s wonderful for patients,” said Francis LaBossière, Victoria hospital’s president and chief operating officer.
Enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), affects more than half of all men over the age of 50.
Until now, treatment options for BPH in Winnipeg have been limited to a lifetime of medication or an invasive surgical procedure. Medication is a costly alternative that can stop working over time and has potential side-effects. Invasive surgery is associated with higher risks and complications such as impotence and incontinence and typically requires a two- to three-day hospital stay and a four- to six-week recovery.
Dr. Marlowe Jason, chief of urology at Victoria hospital, said the GreenLight™ XPS Laser Therapy is done on an outpatient basis and the recovery time is one to two weeks.
“I did a guy (age) 97. He went home in two days,” Jason said, adding the elderly man only stayed overnight in hospital because he lived alone.
The hospital paid for the new $150,000 machine through private donations. It also required a pair of guiding laser-scopes worth $16,000 each.
Currently, the hospital is doing about six lasertherapy prostate procedures a week. That’s about how many can be done in the surgical time allotted to urologists at Victoria General. The number may rise depending on demand and funding.
“We will take on patients from anywhere in Winnipeg, and we will also accommodate surgeons, urologists from elsewhere who are wanting to use this particular technology,” LaBossière said.
Brock Wright, chief medical officer with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, called the laser therapy a “major advance” in treating men who suffer from an enlarged prostate.
The WRHA will assess demand for the laser procedure, which replaces traditional surgery, before deciding whether to make it available at other hospitals.
larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca