The prostate gland is a walnut-sized organ located between the bladder and penis in men. The urinary canal, or urethra, passes through the middle of the prostate. Two seminal ducts open into the urethra. The main function of the prostate is to ensure the expulsion of urine from the bladder and semen from the penis during sexual intercourse.
In benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as BPH, the parts of the prostate, especially those close to the bladder, enlarge, compressing the urethra and causing urination problems.
The most common treatment for prostate enlargement is a surgical operation called TURP. In this operation, an endoscope is inserted through the penis and the part of the prostate that compresses the urethra is torn apart and removed. This method, which can eliminate urinary problems in the early stages, unfortunately has significant side effects.
The most common of these is retrograde ejaculation. In retrograde ejaculation, since the seminal ducts and urethra are destroyed during surgery, the semen cannot be expelled from the penis during orgasm, but instead escapes into the bladder.
Other side effects of surgery include temporary or permanent urinary incontinence, impotence, and re-narrowing of the urethra due to trauma.
Due to these side effects, methods of shrinking prostate tissue by heating or freezing have come to the fore in case of prostate enlargement, instead of traumatic cutting with surgery. Among these, the method we most prefer in our centers is freezing, that is, cryoablation treatment.
In cryoablation, needles are inserted into both sides of the urethra by entering through the skin under local anesthesia, and the enlarged prostate tissue compressing the urethra is killed by freezing at -140-190 degrees. The body shrinks the frozen tissue over time, just like healing a wound. The pressure caused by the shrinking tissue disappears and the person begins to urinate normally again.
Since the urethra, sperm ducts and sphincters are not damaged during the freezing process, retrograde ejaculation and urinary incontinence do not occur. Since the nerves that provide erection are not touched, impotence does not develop. Since trauma to the urethra is minimal, subsequent urethral stricture does not occur. And finally, if there is an undetectable cancerous tissue in the frozen area, this cancerous tissue is also treated with cryoablation.