Prostate Artery Embolization for BPH. Anyone have it done?

Also let me mention my prostate size was 80, and my psa before I started on dutaseride was 1.58. I am 78 and had quite a bit of difficulty with day time urgency and nocturnal urination. The meds controlled it pretty well, but I wanted to try to get off them if I can.

@riccja
Very interesting. Thsnk you for sharing.

@jojo99 I also had the PAE followed by aquablation. Not sure which practice in Northern Virginia he went to but mine does the combo procedure also. If reduces the complications from the Aquablation, namely bleeding, and speeds recovery. I only had the catheter for 24 hours and minimal bleeding in recovery. There's a study out there you can read that touts the combo procedure. They do the procedures days apart. I think it also helps the results of the aquablation last longer, but I think the combo procedure is still kind of new although it just combines two established procedures.

Where did you go to get these done?

@plynhky Potomac Urology in Fairfax, VA. Both were pretty painless, to be honest the PAE was worse than the Aquablation. My prostate got pretty inflamed after the PAE. When the discharge nurse told me it was going to get worse I wondered what she meant, but quickly found out. It wasn't bad at all, but my already weak stream got even weaker to the point i was really struggling to go. Got the Aquablation 5 days later and it was actually a relief. So far it's worked well for me although I've noticed recent increased frequency recently as I approach 3 months, but everybody's journey is different. I was 94gms with a large median lobe so this was best the best option for me, wish I had done it sooner.

5 month anniversary for my PAE done by Dr. Ari Issacson. 89 grams with no median lobe. Getting up once a night to go and everything is great. Ditched the Alfuzosin after a couple of weeks and not looking back!

@av8r6 How bad were your symptoms before you did the PAE? Mine is about 90 last MRI. I am wondering if it would be better to do the PAE before I have to go on meds and catheters….. I am 71 yo.

@plynhky
My symptoms were bad and the alpha blocker wasn't working anymore. I had to do something and was considering Aquablation. The thing about PAE is that there have been ZERO sexual or urinary side effects. The side effects from alpha blockers IMHO are terrible. Look into what happens to your eyes on alpha blockers. I'm just now starting to get my night vision back after 5 months.

@av8r6 do you know if it is true PAE’s do not work well if you have a large median lobe?

@albiet as someone who had a large median lobe and both the PAE and the Aquablation i would recommend skip right to the aquablation or do both in quick succession like I did. That large median lobe is damaging your bladder and the longer you wait the more permanent the damage and more likely the post procedure urgency and frequency. My results were good but they might have even been better had I acted a few years earlier. If you're concerned about the recovery I thought the PAE was worse than the Aquablation other than i had to have a catheter for 24 hours, but both were relatively painless. I think with the large median lobe you're eventually going to have a more invasive procedure. The PAE might work for a little while depending on your prostate size. I had a lousy Urologist who never even did cystoscopy and just put me on meds, the best thing that happened to me was when he retired and my new Uro did the required test, showed me I had a large median lobe and told me other less invasive methods wouldn't work. Lots of people have better or worse experiences, but delaying was a mistake for me. I also allowed myself to delay because I was scared of pain, retrograde ejaculation or loss of sexual function- all groundless fears.