Doctors at Fortis Mohali treat 73-year-old man with complex prostate problems through Water Vapor Therapy

Chandigarh, July 25, 2024: A 73-year-old man with an enlarged prostate (BPH), which had damaged his kidney and for which a urinary catheter was inserted, got a new lease of life through a Water Vapor Therapy (Rezūm) – the latest form of minimal invasive surgical treatment for Prostate – available at Fortis Hospital Mohali.

Water vapor therapy (Rezūm) is a painless day-care procedure that is offered to patients who are at high risk or are young and to want to preserve their fertility. The long-term effects are the same as those of a traditional procedure.

The Patient had also suffered a stroke and was a known case of heart disease for which cardiac stenting had been conducted and he was being administered blood-thinning medication. This case of BPH required surgery but since he was a high-risk case, conducting a surgery could be life-threatening for him. The Patient visited several hospitals but finally approached Dr Rohit Dadhwal, Consultant, Department of Urology, Andrology and Robotic Surgery, Fortis Hospital Mohali, in May this year.

Following thorough investigation, the patient was electively planned for water vapor therapy (Rezūm). The procedure involves injecting water vapors inside the prostatic parenchyma through a specialized hand-held radiofrequency device, which in time leads to progressive shrinkage of the prostate and improvement of symptoms. The entire procedure takes about five minutes and the patient is discharged on a catheter, which is removed after a week.

The procedure itself doesn’t require any cutting of the Prostate tissue, hence there is no bleeding, and there is no pain. The procedure is conducted under local anesthesia and the patient is kept under observation for one hour.

Discussing the case, Dr Dadhwal, said, “The Patient underwent Water vapor therapy on 23rd May and was discharged after an hour of the procedure. Since his kidneys were affected by the disease, the catheter was kept for two weeks until the kidney recovered from damage. Post two months, the patient is completely fine and is leading a normal life.”

Dr Dadhwal further, added, “Since BPH occurs in old age, most of the patients have cardiac and other comorbidities. In such cases like these, patients are on blood-thinning medications, which may lead to high chances of bleeding during the procedure, also multiple diseases and old age increases the peri and post-operative risk. For such patients, this procedure is a blessing.”

“Also, traditional prostate surgeries like TURP or Holep lead to sexual problems like ejaculatory and erectile dysfunction. For young symptomatic patients of BPH, who want to preserve their fertility, this is one of the few treatment options which offers such relief. Long-term data which is available now suggest that the effect of this therapy is the same as that of TURP, but it negates the need of anaesthesia and admission,” he further added.