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A Physician’s Perspective on Prostate Artery Embolization (PAE)

Prostate artery embolization is one of the most satisfying procedures I perform. Often patients are referred to me after years of lower urinary tract symptoms with miserable quality of life. The medication side effects, waking up at night to go to the bathroom and other symptoms make life difficult for these patients. This procedure works particularly well with very large prostates where the other available interventions are less effective.

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Featured

 An Updated Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Prostatic Artery Embolization vs. Transurethral Resection of the Prostate in the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

PAE could replace TURP as an alternative treatment for BPH patients who do not want to have surgery or with operational contraindications, although TURP is still the gold standard.

Articles of Interest

What is the Success Rate of Prostate Artery Embolization?

Prostate artery embolization is a relatively new outpatient procedure that uses X-ray technology to treat an enlarged prostate. The procedure started to be performed in 2012 and has grown in popularity since then.

PAE: Factors That Will Influence Widespread Acceptance

A look at the current position of PAE and the opportunities and challenges of establishing its role in the treatment pathway for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Prostatic Artery Embolization for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A 10-Year Update

A review of technical tips, available devices, and embolic agents used in PAE for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Prostatic Artery Embolization for BPH: Some Words of Caution

Patient selection is very important: “those who do well tend to be those with the larger prostate with large lateral lobes … without a significant middle lobe, with big prostate vessels…” and without kidney dysfunction.

Prostatic Artery Embolization for the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Due to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: 10 Years’ Experience

A decade after PAE was introduced in clinical practice, there have been multiple reports of symptom reduction, quality-of-life improvement, and reduction of prostate size (9–14). The use of intraprocedural cone-beam CT has improved the accuracy as well as the efficacy of the procedure.

Resources

Yale Medicine

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is an outpatient procedure performed by an interventional radiologist that involves the release of microscopic, plastic beads into the arteries that feed the prostate gland. The beads travel to the patient’s prostatic arteries, and once there, they permanently block off the blood flow that’s causing the swelling in the prostate. While some enlarged prostate treatments negatively impact male sexual function, that’s not the case for those who opt for PAE,