Estepona, June 8 2022. Hospiten Estepona launches a call to make men more aware of the need to take care of their health and to take the drama out of regular check-ups with a urologist which help detect, among other ailments, benign prostatic hyperplasia, one of the most common pathologies in urological patients. Hospiten Estepona uses minimally invasive green laser and water vapor techniques to treat these pathologies with very satisfactory results. The application of each technique will depend on the characteristics, needs, symptoms, age and prostate volume of the patient.
“These minimally invasive techniques offer the patient great advantages, like maintaining their sexual function. They are also highly indicated for elderly men with complex, high-risk cases, given their minimally invasive nature”, explains Dr. Jaime Pinzon, head of Urology at Hospiten Estepona. Furthermore, such techniques are indicated for patients who do not wish to undergo any of the traditional, invasive treatments or who do not see any improvement with the treatment prescribed by their doctor.
The green laser technique is a definitive solution to the symptoms that arise from benign prostate growth, a prostate tumor which starts to grow from the age of 30 on and affects all men. The first symptoms usually appear between the ages of 45 and 50, so over the age of 60, practically 50% of men have some symptoms. It is estimated that two out of 10 men in these circumstances will need surgical treatment.
On the other hand, the water vapor technique is particularly effective in cases of patients with voiding symptoms (or emptying their bladder) and who reject pharmacological treatment due to medical and/or personal circumstances, often because of the adverse effects of the drugs. In addition, the efficacy of such treatment decreases in cases where the growth of the tumor is progressive.
"The problems that we deal with using these techniques could have been avoided with early detection, but men are less willing to have regular check-ups," explains Dr. Pinzon. The recommended age for a first urological examination is 45. However, Hospiten insists that men go to the doctor as soon as they notice any discomfort (difficulty urinating or a more frequent need to do so, pain or bleeding) regardless of age. In addition to prostate cancer, there are other conditions that commonly affect men, like the abovementioned benign enlargement of the prostate or benign prostatic hypertrophy.
Dr. Pinzon also reminds men of the importance of maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, like regular exercise, keeping one’s weight under control, eating fruit and vegetables and keeping an eye on the fats in our diet. The doctor stresses that "All of these factors can help with benign prostatic hyperplasia and reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction, diabetes and heart disease”.
What do these techniques consist of?
The water vapor technique does not require hospitalization and it involves small amounts of steam being applied to the enlarged prostate to damage the cells causing the obstruction. This reduces the overall size of the prostate thus relieving the symptoms.
As for the green laser technique in the treatment of benign prostate growth, this is performed through the urinary tract, which means there is no need for incisions or wounds in the skin. This allows the patient to return to their normal routine very quickly, with rapid relief of the symptoms caused by the enlarged prostate but with less damage to the body than with conventional surgery.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia affects half of the male population over the age of 50 and almost all men over the age of 80. Until now, the solutions available ranged from classical surgery or endoscopic treatment. But treatments currently available at specialized hospitals like Hospiten allow an intervention to be carried out without loss of blood, with almost no risk of urinary incontinence and impotence, with the patient being discharged within just 24 - 48 hours without the need for a catheter and with a faster, more comfortable recovery.
About the Hospiten Group
The Hospiten Group is an international healthcare network with 50 years of experience, committed to providing the highest quality service, and which has 20 private medical-hospital centers in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and Panama and more than 100 outpatient centers under the brand Clinic Assist. The group is chaired by Dr. Pedro Luis Cobiella and attends more than 2,000,000 patients from all over the world every year with a workforce of more than 5,000 people.