HOUSTON – It's an issue plaguing one in four men by the age of 55 and only worsens with age.
Nearly 40 million American men suffer from an enlarged prostate.
"BPH or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia is really the physical enlargement of that glandular tissue of the prostate and the incidence of that enlargement causing symptoms increases with each decade of life," said Dr. Paul Kenworthy of Northwoods Urology of Texas.
To find out if you suffer fromm BPH, take this quick quiz.
If left untreated, BPH can cause could cause permanent kidney or bladder damage.
Northwoods Urology in The Woodlands is the first Urolift Center of Excellence in Houston.
Urolift is an FDA-approved outpatient, minimally invasive procedure that uses tiny implants to relieve obstruction of the prostate with no cutting, heating or removal of tissue, as with previous treatments. (Watch animation here)
"What really interested me was that (the Urolift System) was a totally different treatment from what we had before. It's literally like holding the lobes of the prostate open like opening the curtains on center stage," Kenworthy told KPRC Channel 2.
The procedure itself lasts about an hour. Afterward, men walk right out of the doctor's office. Within a couple of weeks, most report that their symptoms have completely disappeared.
"With this treatment, because it's a quick treatment, it has minimal side effects, short-term side effects and rapid healing," Kenworthy said. "It makes it much easier to bring that up in the discussion with the patient as a treatment option to offer sooner rather than later."
Newly released five-year clinical trial results show the Urolift System is the only BPH procedure that does not cause new onset, sustained sexual dysfunction.
Doctors say it is a permanent solution that should become the standard of care.
Click here to locate a doctor. Click here to visit Urolift's website.