Jefferson Offers Nonsurgical Treatment of Prostatic

Prostatron treatment for enlarged prostate or symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which impacts men age 50 and older, has been improved to better help patients with benign enlarged prostate. This medical device for nonsurgical treatment that uses microwave energy is also now being covered under Medicare in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Starting August 2, Medicare will begin reimbursement for treatment of BPH using the Prostatron, currently found in the Philadelphia area only at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. BPH affects more than nine million men over the age of 60 in the United States. The most common symptoms of BPH include frequent urination, waking at night to urinate, urgency or incomplete voiding.

"Medicare approved reimbursement for the Prostatron after proven efficacy," said David Rivas, MD, Assistant Professor of Urology, Jefferson Medical College, and a urologist at Jefferson Hospital.

More than 35,000 patients have been treated with thermotherapy using the Prostatron unit worldwide. Clinical studies in the United States, Europe and Japan show consistent success rates for patients treated with the Prostatron. In the United States, the FDA clinical study found more than 70 percent of Prostatron thermotherapy patients had symptomatic improvement with a five-year follow up.

The Prostatron uses microwave energy or TransUrethral Microwave Thermotherapy (TUMT) to safely eliminate excess prostate tissue without affecting adjacent, healthy tissue, said Dr. Rivas.

This procedure requires no anesthesia and is performed in a single, one hour outpatient treatment session. From a special catheter which is inserted through the urethra into the bladder, microwave energy heats the tissues within the prostate.

The Prostatron is computer controlled and has recently been upgraded with new software that increases the amount of heat energy delivered to the prostate gland to enable patients with larger prostates to be treated.

For more information about the Prostatron or to schedule a screening appointment, please call 1-800-JEFF-NOW.

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