1.5- Ablatherm Treatment

Treatment preparation

On the day prior to the procedure, you will be seen by both the urologist and the anesthesiologist. All your information will be reviewed and any final questions will be answered. A repeat prostate ultrasound examination may be performed as part of this consultation.

You will be given an enema the night before the treatment to prepare the lower bowel for the procedure.

Treatment procedure

The treatment is not painful and takes place under spinal or epidural anesthesia. The treatment may last anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on the size of your prostate. The treatment is performed with you lying on your right-hand side. Since it is necessary during the treatment that all your movement be minimized a sedative may be given to help you relax.

The urologist inserts a small probe into the rectum after coating it with gel and placing it inside a latex balloon filled with a cooling liquid. This keeps a constant temperature in the rectal wall during the entire treatment. The urologist locates the limits of the prostate by ultrasound examination and outlines the zone he wishes to treat. Then 400 to 600 pulses of high-intensity focused ultrasound are administered to the prostate. As a result of the treatment the prostate swells immediately and compresses the urethra. For this reason, a temporary catheter is inserted into the bladder to drain urine until the swelling of the prostate goes down. Generally, the catheter will be required to stay in place for 7 to 14 days.

The targeted prostatic volume is localized with the ultrasound imaging transducer.

High energy ultrasound waves are focused through the rectal wall to the targeted prostate area.

The prostate can be covered completely within optimal treatment time (1 to 2 hours according to the prostate size).