After eight years of suffering with the effects of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) – or an enlarged prostate – Paul, 71, started searching for a permanent solution.
“My prostate was super large,” he says. “So large that I wasn’t a good candidate for the most
common solutions to BPH.”
He turned to his computer, and also consulted with friends and urologists, to find a solution
that did not require a surgical operation on the prostate. That’s when he stumbled upon a non-
surgical procedure called prostate artery embolization (PAE). It wasn’t offered where he lived in
Louisville, but based on what he read, it sounded like the procedure would be worth the drive
to Vascular & Interventional Associates in Northern Kentucky.
At the time, Paul woke up four to five times a night to urinate, was having problems with
increased urinary frequency, urgency, and straining. “I was wearing pee pads daily,” he says.
He was evaluated at Vascular & Interventional Associates by Dr. Ben Tritle, who specializes in
PAE. After a consultation with Dr. Tritle, and some pre-procedure testing, he was determined to
be a good candidate for PAE. His next trip to Northern Kentucky was the day of his procedure,
where Dr. Tritle performed the two-hour, outpatient procedure.
Working through an artery in Paul’s leg, Dr. Tritle injected tiny round microspheres (particles)
into the blood vessels that fed Paul’s prostate. The microspheres reduce blood supply to the
prostate shrinking it to a normal size within a few days.
“I was under conscious sedation the entire time. I heard what was going on, but didn’t feel a
thing,” Paul recalls.
Today, less than three months since his PAE procedure, Paul is thrilled with the results. “I can
drink liquids whenever I want without looking for the nearest bathroom. Spicy foods and
caffeine, which previously made my problem worse, are no longer an issue. And I’m going on
road trips and taking bathroom breaks just like anyone else!”
Paul talks about PAE for BPH with anyone who will listen. “It’s revolutionary. It has literally
changed my life.”
