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Optilume balloon therapy for BPH
Hi. I'm 67 with BPH and a rather small (30ml) prostate.
I've researched the new Optilume procedure for BPH but not finding others that have had the procedure or have also been looking into it. For myself I had a Cystoscopy and the urologist said ideal for aquablation I agreed to it but have since changed my mind and here's why. Unlike other surgical procedures Optilume for BPH is performed in the Drs office with only local and usually spinal block anesthesia. Optilume for BPH does remove any Prostatic tissue. What it does is a dual balloon catheter is inserted thru the urethral, it small and is inserted thru a 19fr rigid cystoscope along with the camera . The catheter passes into the bladder then is backed out so the smaller of the two balloons is in bladder and will hold the specially sized for each patient second balloon in the prostate. The balloon is then inflated causing a commisoratomy or tear between the two anterior lobes of the prostate then a drug called paclitaxel is placed for about ten minutes on the tear. Paclitaxel prevents the lobes from growing back together again. You will leave the Drs office unassisted with a catheter placed that will be removed usually in 24 hours. It shows durability in 5 year studies. Mostly for me, I have no reason to have my prostate obliterated and even partially removed. I expect to continue to have unaffected sexual function other than being relieved of the side effects of tamsulosin which have hit me hard. Orgasm quality is extremely important and seldom discussed in research. Don't confuse orgasm with ejaculation. It's the orgasm that feels good and why would any patient not preserve that for themselves. Optilume for BPH was approved approximately July of 2023 so hopefully clinics and surgeons will jump on the opportunity to provide a very effective alternative to tissue removal.
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Thank you so much @keithmr, very detailed information.
It actually sounds like you are a medical professional - I guess they also can get BPH.
You mention that you have no longer retrograde, but for how long after the procedure did you have that, - assuming it was caused by the Optilume procedure?
And for how many days did you need a chather?
I'm asking because there are other patients, who had really bad experiences with Optilume, and I really want to be careful.
My guess is that a lot has to do with how careful and trained the physician are?
Thanks again
Soren
I believe that Optilume is a bad procedure. I had it done in August of 2024, and it has been a total nightmare for me. Six months or horrible pain, bleeding, and leaking. Additionally, it did not stop my BPH, and I am still on Flowmax, or I cannot pee. After six and a half months of almost constant pain, serious bleeding, and leaking, I was finally able toy done two days ago, something they could not do for six months because the Optilume damaged my prostate so badly have a cysoscopy, and we found that it did nothing to open up the BPH. I would not recommend this procedure to anyone. If you do it, do not plan on returning to work or anything for six months and expect it to be difficult to even sit in a chair.
Any new updates for anyone who's had Optilume for BPH? I am at the stage where I will definitely get a procedure done and I am leaning towards Optilume. One of my questions was about commercial insurance coverage for the procedure here in the U.S. It looks like Medicare covers it but some commercial plans don't. The other thing I worry about is any pain during the procedure. Even cystoscopies hurt for me so I am wondering if they can just knock me out with general anesthesia. I am also looking at iTind but it looks like that is not covered by most insurance and also not sure about its long term durability. My prostate is small and the narrowing is at the top of the prostate near the bladder opening due to the growth of the prostate in that area.
I would want to have at least several reviews by patients over the first year and why can't you talk to the doctor's patients about their experiences? How many such procedures has he done? They couldn't all be totally successful and wouldn't you like to hear from them too? Secondly, what does a team of doctors at an institution like Mayo think in general about the procedure compared to all your options for your particular case? Lastly, if you only have problems at night waking up several times to urinate and you have an acceptable urine stream during the day, you might consider stopping the medication and if you can tolerate waking 3 times a night maybe that's an acceptable quality of living instead of taking the surgery risks.
how large was your prostate prior to getting your Optilume procedure. Ive had a rezum 6 years ago and my prostate has grown back. My concern is that my prostate keeps growing and since this procedure does not decrease the size of the prostate, that continued growth would reduce the results.