Green Light Laser at Warringal Private Hospital

Although the recent publicity about Prostate Cancer has made many people aware of the prostate, still, benign (non-cancerous) enlargement of the prostate is a larger hassle for men as they get older.  About 50% of Australian men over 50 years old will have symptoms of prostate enlargement.  These can be minor, but can be quite disabling, particularly getting up at often night, losing control of their urinary flow or blockage of the flow.

Medications help some patients, but for many years the “re-bore” operation – Transurethral Resection of the Prostate or TURP, has been the mainstay of treatment.  The operation is usually very successful, but it does require three or four days in hospital, and there are often problems with bleeding for days or weeks after the procedure.  This is particularly a problem for those men who take blood-thinning agents (anticoagulants) because of heart or stroke concerns.  This is quite common today, with about one man in three with prostate problems who present to our Urologists at Warringal Private Hospital, are also on anticoagulants. This means either risking more bleeding at the time of TURP or stopping the anticoagulants prior to surgery and risking heart attacks or strokes.

A new method of treating prostate enlargement is to remove prostatic tissue by heating it, rather than cutting it out.  This is known as “ablation” of the prostate.  One very effective way of heating prostate tissue is with a Laser, and Laser Ablation of the Prostate has been used, in one form or another for more than twenty years.  Recently a newer type of laser has become available, which is producing results that are as good as TURP, without many of the problems of that operation.  This new invention, the "Green Light Laser" (www.greenlighthps.com) is producing excellent results.  The Green Light Laser usually needs less hospital time than traditional prostate surgery and involves less bleeding.  The reduction in blood loss is so significant that the Urologists at Warringal Private Hospital are actively recommending this Green Light Laser for patients who are on anticoagulants (blood thinning medications).

At Warringal Private Hospital we have been using the Green Light Laser since 2010, and have had excellent results.  Most men are able to go home within twenty-four hours of surgery, even if they have been taking anticoagulants.  Not a single patient has had to have a blood transfusion during the procedure, and many have lost no blood at all.

The Green Light Laser is now the preferred method of surgery for benign prostate disease in those men who take anticoagulants, and is a great option for any man who needs his “prostate done”.

Warringal Private Hospital is the only private hospital in Victoria which is actively promoting the Green Light Laser treatment for Benign Prostatic enlargement. Costs are usually entirely covered by private insurance.