Sexual Dysfunction No Longer Inevitable When Treating Enlarged Prostate

PLEASANTON, California, November 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

British Journal of Urology International paper underlines need for men with BPH to discuss "male orgasmic dysfunction" with their doctor prior to any treatment; UroLift® system shows ability to treat prostate symptoms while preserving sexual function 

NeoTract, Inc., today welcomes the publication of a paper in the British Journal of Urology International which calls for men suffering from enlarged prostate to discuss with their doctors the likely impact of treatment options on their sexual function.  Most procedures and many medications can cause sexual dysfunction.  Clinical studies show that treatment with the UroLift® system has not been associated with any new onset of sustained ejaculatory or erectile dysfunction.  

BPH, benign prostatic hyperplasia, enlarges the prostate, which can lead to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) that can cause serious quality of life issues such as interrupted sleep, urgent and frequent need to urinate, depression and isolation.  The paper, by Sturch, Woo, McNicholas and Muir suggests the days of men having to accept the inevitability of dry orgasms following BPH treatment should be over as new surgical techniques and treatments become available. The paper also welcomes the emergence of the UroLift® prostatic urethral lift system which effectively treats BPH while preserving sexual function.

The authors state, "An even more radical development may be the UroLift device, now available in many countries and with randomized controlled trial evidence for its efficacy in LUTS/BPH patients. The device reshapes the anterior prostatic urethra creating a channel by tensioned monofilament sutures placed under cystoscopic guidance. Sutures are anchored with a metallic tab on the prostate capsule and then tensioned on the luminal aspect to compress the prostate. This has been shown to achieve a rapid and sustained improvement in flow rate and symptom score in follow up studies (up to 12 months). So far not a single patient has developed dry orgasm following its use. This system seems to offer an excellent minimally invasive method to treat LUTS, while preserving sexual function."

The BJUI paper is being made public as the two-year results from a randomised controlled study of 206 subjects are published in Urology Practice, a journal of the American Urological Society. Symptoms, quality of life and urinary flow improved rapidly and remained durable to two years, with only 7.5% of the men who had the UroLift system needing additional BPH procedures.  Treated men returned to normal activity within 8 days and showed significant improvement in symptoms by two weeks. While urinary symptoms were effectively treated, not a single patient lost ejaculatory or erectile function as a result of the treatment.  By comparison, 65% of men undergoing the standard surgery (transurethral resection of the prostate, TURP) lose the ability to ejaculate.

In January 2014 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended the Prostatic Urethral Lift procedure, which utilizes the UroLift implants, for adoption within the NHS under normal arrangements.

Please see http://www.urolift.com .