I first became aware that I had a problem when I was using the toilet to pass water more frequently at night. In fact over the period of let’s say four to six weeks my visits to the toilet steadily increased to maybe ten to 12 times per night. As a consequence I was not getting a good night’s sleep. So, I made an appointment to see my GP who advised me that I needed to see a specialist.
For most of my adult life I have had private health insurance so I contacted Spire Cheshire Hospital and I was given an appointment with Mr Azi Samsudin, consultant urologist within two days of making the call. I have always used Spire Cheshire Hospital, as I know I will receive first class help and advice.
At my consultation, Mr Samsudin examined me and gave me a flow test. He then prescribed two different types of medication and after a day or so (or let me say a night or so), I felt like I needed less visits to the toilet. After a few weeks of taking these tablets I felt that they had stopped working so I made another appointment to see Mr Samsudin. On this visit he pointed out to me that he had recently been performing a new procedure called Urolift and he advised me that in his opinion I was a suitable candidate and it would achieve the desired affect for me. An appointment was then made for me to have the procedure at Spire Cheshire Hospital.
It’s now three months since I had the procedure and I have no regrets, my visits to the toilet are back to normal and I am now getting a good night’s sleep.
I cannot praise Mr Samsudin and the staff at the Spire Cheshire enough for their professional approach and the way I have been treated.
Mr Samsudin's response
Traditionally, prostatic obstruction is managed with medications in the first instance. These medications frequently result in side effects that can result in erectile dysfunction and dry ejaculation. When medications fail, the next step is surgery in the form of Trans-urethral resection of the prostate (TURP). This procedure carries an even higher risk of erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence and dry ejaculation. Patients who are not fit for this procedure often end up with a long-term catheter, connected to a bag on their leg to drain their bladder. This has risks of infection and trauma to the penile urethra.
UroLift is a minimally invasive treatment that helps open up the obstructed urethra using implants to lift or hold up the prostate tissue (much like holding open curtains). This revolutionary new technique remoulds the lateral prostate lobes to enlarge the urethral channel. Urolift does not alter the bladder neck like TURP does and hence does not interfere with ejaculation and erectile function. This is very important for younger men who are keen to retain their virility. It also means that patients are able to stop taking medications for BPH, hence avoiding their side effects. We now have very good results over four years. Urolift is most suitable for patients who have a small to moderate-sized prostate who have no middle lobe enlargement. This suitability is initially assessed by using a small flexible scope that is inserted into the penis under local anaesthetic.
Another group of patients that benefits from this novel treatment are men who aren’t fit for TURP and cannot tolerate long-term catheterisation. The procedure can be performed under local anaesthetic or sedation as a day case. There is usually no need for a catheter and patients are then reviewed again after six weeks.
Further information on Urolift can be found on http://urolift.co.uk/urolift-system
Mr Samsudin has two clinics a week at Spire Cheshire Hospital and is the only urologist here who offers this treatment.