I had one on September 10th, 2014 and would love to compare notes with anyone else that has had one. Thank You. ChuckP PS Some people just call it a "PAE" for short.
Haven't had it, but would love to hear your experiences. From the little I read, sounds very promising without some of the sexual side effects from Turp and laser.
Jim.
Chuck, I haven't had it, but there are one or two guys on the Healingwell "Gat-Goren" forum who have had it. One posted a detailed update about a week ago.
You are evidently one of the early ones. This is from the Southampton University Hospital web site. It sounds a promising method.
" PAE is a non-surgical way of treating an enlarged and troublesome prostate by blocking off the arteries that feed the gland and making it shrink. It is performed by an interventional radiologist, rather than a surgeon, and is an alternative to a TURP (trans urethral resection of prostate) operation. PAE was first performed in 2009, and since then over 200 men have had the procedure performed predominantly in Portugal and Brazil. University Hospital Southampton has been offering a PAE service from April 2012 and is the first UK centre to perform this procedure"
I had the PAE surgery in Alexandria, Virginia on September 10th, 2014 by one of the pioneers of this procedure. Today is friday November 14th, 2014 some 2+ months later and I have gotten NO improvement whatsoever. Iam still getting up anywhere from 4 to 5 times a night the same as before the procedure. The flow is a little stronger but nothing to write home about. So basically Iam still frustrated and trying to stay positive. The Interventional Radiologist told me it would take anywhere from 30 days to 6 months to see positive results. I guess we'll see. Please feel free to ask any questions but as of today I would NOT recommend it.
Sorry results aren't coming in yet. Has your radiologist done an imaging study since your PAE to see if your prostate has gotten any smaller? Other than the frequency you mention, what other symptons did you have prior to the PAE? What about retention, for example. Was that every a problem or was it more frequency.
This is exactly why I had this particular procedure rather than a turp or something else that is more invasive. Unfortuanately it has been about 2 months and a week with no good results. I still get up 4 times a night and that was the problem I was trying to correct. Some of these other procedures really scare me alot. Iam concerned about having to wear a "catheter", impotence, reverse ejaculation, etc etc.
I am considering having PAE at the same INOVA hospital. Besides not having improvenent of symptoms any side effects?
Was the procedure painful? How was the recovery?
My prostate is 47ml and the median lobe is pressing into the bladder. Was it your case as well?
I am considering having PAE at the same INOVA hospital. Besides not having improvenent of symptoms any side effects?
Was the procedure painful? How was the recovery?
My prostate is 47ml and the median lobe is pressing into the bladder. Was it your case as well?
Hi Stan; Sorry for being so "tardy" back to you. My prostate was twice the size of a normal one according to Dr. Sandeep Bagla my surgeon at Inova Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. My symptons are and continue to be getting up to the bathroom 4 to 5 times nightly. This is why I had this surgery done. It didn't work for me plain and simple. I had the surgery on Sept. 10th and have not seen any improvement. Lots of pain the first and second day. Peed blood for about 4 to 5 days. What he does is blocks the arterys and veins that lead into the prostate and it is suppose to shrink the prostate by 20 to 25% anywhere from 30 days to 6 months after the procedure. I did not have any problems getting and keeping an erection before the surgery but now that is a "new problem" that has arisen after this procedure. I guess you can color me not impressed with the results. For the record I was number 116 PAE procedure done by Dr. Bagla. He's a great guy but if I could do things over I would not do this procedure.
Hi chuck, sorry you havn't seen much improvement following PAE.
I underwent PAE last month and had immediate improvements. Just 2 hours afterward, first visit to toilet, flow rate about doubled. I guess this immediate change must be due to the prostate no longer being inflated so much by incoming bloodflow.
I've had no bleeding and little discomfort. Just some tightness in groin around artery where catheters inserted which mostly eased off after 2 weeks, and a feeling of lower stomach cramp or trapped wind starting to ease off towards 3 weeks.
My main problem, Nocturia was 5 or more visits a night, now mostly 1-3 visits but 3 nights I've slept through for 7-8 hours.
I was also suffering retrograde egaculation which was quite uncomfortable. There's been some improvement here, more would be good but at least it's not as uncomforable anymore.
I'm in Scotland and went to Professor Martins Pisco in Lisbon.
Southampton is only place in UK doing the procedure, but their charges are much higher, Lisbon total PAE prices plus flights and 11 day stay (for two) cost less!
I was PAE patient 723 at Hospital St Louis.
From the CT scan I appeared to be a straightforward case, but ended up taking longer than expected as one artery turned an acute angle. They had to use a special catheter to get around the corner, this was their first case where that catheter was ever necessary. It sounds that Southampton would probably not have been able to complete the procedure, so very glad I chose Lisbon.
Hospital St Louis in Lisbon is a centre specialising in uterine fibroid embolisation, a procedure that's been around since the 70s. I guess experience in that would also help in PAE.
Found your post when looking for place to get my 1 month checkup done. Required checks are flow rate; residulal urine volume ultrasound scan, trans rectal ultrasound scan of prostate (dimensions and volume); PSA blood test. Ive put up a new post looking for place to get the trans rectal ultrasound. Also you have to fill in questionairres including IPSS and IIEF.
They ask for these at 1 month; 6 months; 12 months then yearly as it part of ongoing research.
The incentive is that provided you return the results you can get the procedure re-done, I think at no cost or possibly for just the materials cost (1500 Euro) the pagagraph isn't clear. Says this depends on if your prostatic arteries have too much atherosclerosis, if bad then not free.
Before you had PAE did CT scan show atherosclerosis (tortuous or highly divided) to be a problem? more lightly in smokers and as you get older.
At my checkup after six days, Prof Pisco said the next day he was doing an 80year old smoker with atherosclerosis, he'd been advised of low chances of success but patient wanted to proceed.
After PAE were you told if embolism had been sucessfull on both sides?
Have you had results from any follow up checks yet? Would be interested in any changes acheived.
My pre procedure t-r ultrasound results were: dimensions 66x64x74mm; volume 162cc; median lobe 12mm.
There's a google group you may have seen, someone else with good result, try search "Prostatic Artery Embolization, Prof. Pisco in Lisbon"
The hospital site http://martinspisco.hslouis.pt/en/ has a large testemonials section - good reviews but I trust reports on independant sites more.
Just had 1 month check up.
Prostate volume 136ml was 163ml.
Retained volume (after urination) 2.5ml , was 127 ml.
Go 7 or 8 hours at night now, used to be up 4 or 5 times.
Had retrograde ejaculation for about a year. That's not perfect, but much better.
I have the opportunity to choose between Green Light Laser and PAE.
Is there anybody there who has had PAE and would be willing to talk to me about it?
I could phone you, or you me.
Hi Icejohn; See my posts above. I had one performed by Dr. Sandeep Bagla of Inova Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia on Sept. 10th, 2014. Its been about 4 months now and Iam seeing a "little improvement". I use to get up to the bathroom atleast 4 times a night and now I get up 3 times a night. Your lifestyle has alot to do with this as well. I have learned to drink my liquids (water, wine, whatever) in the early part of the day. When it hits around 4pm I don't drink a whole lot more for the day. I drink about 4oz of "tart cherry juice" at bed time as it is a "natural sedative". Not the blended crap the expensive real juice. It really does help. I also take 2 passion fruit capsules as they also are a natural relaxant as well. Back to the "PAE". Its outpatient and you go home the same day. Dr. Bagla told me I was number 116 so he has done it "alot" and knows it like the back of his hand. He's a good man but don't expect to get him on the phone for a long conversation. These Doctors are so busy it just doesn't work that way. HIs intake coordinator is Nicole Tolleson and she can help get it set up. The first 2 or 3 days after the surgery you do "pee blood" but thats all very normal. Yes, there is "some pain" but they send you home with pain meds. As Ron Texan said above he goes in and blocks the arterys to the prostate which starves the prostate of blood and oxygen and it will shrink it around 20% to 25% over a "6 month period". I still have 2 months to go before I get to the 6 month mark. I have seen a 25% improvement. From 4 down to 3. It doesn't seem like much but its better than a kick in the pants. Hope this helps. ChuckP
Hi Everyone, On November 21st 2014 I had a Prostatic Arterial Embolization procedure at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland CA. I found that there is little information about what to expect after the procedure. I know of one other person who had the procedure and he had a vastly different result. He had a very painful 5 days after the procedure but then had a total relief of BPH symptoms and a return to normal PSA.
For me the procedure itself was easy. I was aware but drifted in and out of sleep. It took 2 and a half hours. I had significant bruising after the procedure that did clear up in about two weeks. For the two and half weeks after I had a very small amount of blood in semen and a couple of times after a bowel movement but never during urination. My pain level was minimal even right after the procedure but I was taking Naproxin for the 10 days after the procedure. By one month I felt normal again but have had only marginal improvement in flow. As of today 1/6/15, I still need to take .8mg Flomax every day but I can almost sleep through the night getting up only once so things are better, but not as good as I have hoped. I really wanted to be off the drugs. I don’t know how long it can take to get the full effect of the procedure so maybe it will still get better.
I should note that my stream slowed very suddenly at age 25. Literally overnight I had a 25% reduction in flow. I saw urologists for two years, had a meatodomy and a complete urodynamics test. It showed a constriction at the bladder neck but none of the doctors could explain why. The only drug at the time was minipress and I didn’t want to take it. and I figured I could just get used to peeing slower. It was fine until I hit my 50’s when it started to get worse and I go to the point where I could barely pee at all, especially late at night. This is what drove me to try the PAE procedure.
I sincerely hope all of us get better. I am willing to talk to anyone who has questions about my experience.
Bruce
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Hi Chuck,
Thanks for your reply, it's very informative.
Anyone been to Portugal for a PAE? if so I'd like to hear from you.
John
I'm considering having a PAE in Sydney. I'll be the third in Australia if I decide to go ahead with it.
Ive had experience with Embolisation before. About 20 years ago I had an Artero Venal Malformation (AVM) at the base of the skull. It could only be treated by embolising the arteries that led to the AVM.
What happens is that because the arteries are blocked off, the part of the body that is affected effectively "dies". Dying is painful...I was in excruciating pain for around five days as my AVM died. It was worth it because it saved my life.
Because of this I know the PAE aftermath will be painful but if it clears up my BPH symptoms it will be worth it.
From my research PAE seems to offer the least amount of unfavorable side effects. If it doesn't work then TURP or HoLEP are still available to me.
My pain was minimal. I did see some blood in semen for about three weeks but that cleared up. My prostate is a bit seneitive during intense orgasm and aches for a half an hour or so after sex but no reall too bad. This developed about six weeks after the procedure. I have had limited improvement but it can take up to six months to shrink so I'm still looking for more improvement in stream. I can say that I get up 1-2 times a night and that's an improvent. I am still on Flomax.
I am having an angiogram in Sydney tomorrow as a precursor to having a PAE. I'm located in Sydney and if I go ahead will only be the third person in OZ to have this procedure. I was very optimistic about this procedure until I got onto this forum. It seems there are a significant number of men here who had no improvement.
My radioligist is a very experienced interventional radioligist but has only done two prostate embolisations. One was highly successful the other not so. So I'm counting on a 50% chance of success. If it's not successful I still have HoLEP still available to me.
Actually I am finding that my symptoms are improving. I take Flomactra but what really helped was taking Pygeum and especially Stinging Nettle Root (SNR). The SNR made a huge difference. I now only get up once a night and have only a small hesitancy period...about a minute although it seems much longer. In fact the improvement is making me think of postponing the whole process.
My radioligist is a very thorough guy. He wants to do the angiogram first to "map" out my artery system to see whether I will be suitable for the process. I guess he's trying to optimism the chances of success before we decide to go ahead. I guess he'd like to get his success ratio up.
I will keep you informed.
Why does nettle help as it is a diuretic?