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With microscopic beads against the enlarged prostate

With microscopic beads against the enlarged prostate

At the Helios Hospital Krefeld, patients with a benign enlarged prostate can choose a new treatment option as an altenative to surgery - prostate artery embolization (PAE).


Prostate enlargement: symptoms and complaints

Benign prostate syndrome (BPS) is one of the most common diseases in men: more than 50% of men over 60 years of age suffer from the benign enlargement of the prostate gland.
There is a wide range of symptoms, starting from diffculties in emptying the bladder to the sudden or nightly urge to urinate.

The disease is initially treated with medication. If conservative treatment is unsuccessful or not longer sufficient, the prostate is usually reduced in size by surgery.

How prostate embolization works

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is a new procedure, performed by the specialists of the department of Interventional Radiology. In local anaesthesia, a thin catheter with a diameter of less than 1 millimetre is passed through the groin artery to the arteries of the prostate. Through that catheter our physicians insert tiny beads (0.25 millimetres in diameter) into the fine prostate vessels, by which the blood supply to the organ tissue is reduced. Due to the shortage of blood supply the prostate tissue shrinks.

 Prof. Katoh and Dr. Schott are at your disposal for a consultation
Prof. Katoh and Dr. Schott are at your disposal for a consultation

The local anesthetic is only applied at the access site in the groin. The patient can stay awake during the entire procedure and the risks coming along with general anesthesia is therefore eliminated. The interntion itself is virtually painless

Our treatment offers

Various surgical procedures are available for the treatment of benign prostate enlargement. PAE is a gentle, up-to-date alternative to classic surgery. The first PAE worldwide took place in 2009. In our PAE center, we are performing the procedure with excellent results since 2015. The necessary checks before the admission and the treatment are carried out together with the Department of Urology at out hospital.

We would be pleased to inform about the procedure in a personal discussion.

PAE – frequently asked questions

Here you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about PAE