Dublin, July 21st 2017: Tallaght Hospital has become the first public hospital in Ireland to pilot a new, minimally invasive technology to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), commonly known as an enlarged prostate gland.
The condition, which affects one in four men over the age of 40, is part of the natural ageing process but results in an obstruction which causes lower urinary tract symptoms. Patients report a range of complaints including difficulty starting a urine stream; a weak or interrupted urine stream, frequent need to urinate both during the day and at night, or urinary retention*. Patients who require surgery to relieve symptoms have typically undergone procedures which clear obstruction by cutting, heating, vapourising or removing enlarged prostate tissue.
However, a pilot project at Tallaght Hospital, led by Consultant Urology Surgeon Mr. Rustom Manecksha, has seen five patients undergo a new minimally invasive procedure called Prostate Urethral Lift (PUL) using the UroLift® System. It uses implants to retract obstructing lateral lobes of the prostate gland and expand the urethral lumen, clearing the obstruction and relieving symptoms without the need to cut, heat or remove prostate tissue. A key benefit of this approach is that the procedure can be completed under local rather than general anaesthetic, with reduces the typical length of stay required in hospital afterwards.
Commenting on the pilot project, Mr. Manecksha said: “While I was completing my Fellowship in Melbourne, I was involved in the initial trial, which was carried out at 19 sites across Australia, the US and Canada. The early indications are that this new technology will benefit both patients and hospitals so I am very proud that Tallaght Hospital is the first public facility in Ireland to pilot the procedure.”
The key benefits of this technology are:
- Quicker recovery times: Time required for catheterisation is reduced or eradicated
- Reduced risk to sexual function: Relives lower urinary tract symptoms without the risk to sexual function posed by other surgical options
- Reduced Length of Stay: The procedure can be done as a day surgery, under a combination of sedation and local anaesthetic
- Futureproof: The procedure does not interfere with future procedures for the same condition, should the need arise
Dr. Eleanor O'Leary, Perioperative Clinical Director and Consultant Anaesthetist at Tallaght Hospital said “As a National Centre for Urology, Tallaght Hospital maintains a strong focus on improving its core clinical competencies and providing our patients with access to the latest services and technologies. This is central to our Clinical Services Strategy and we are very proud that Tallaght Hospital has had the expertise to run this pilot project, as it has the potential to radically improve the lives of patients affected by this very common condition.”
All five patients were happy that they could go home on the same day of their procedure and everyone also reported feeling ‘comfortable’ at all times as it was being carried out.
Commenting two weeks after the procedure a 63 year old patient said: “After just two weeks, I feel like my condition changes for the better every day. The difference this procedure has made to my quality of life is fantastic. I know that I am very lucky to have been given the chance to have this new procedure and in a way it feels a bit like winning the lotto. It was great to get home so quickly afterward and get on with my life without too much fuss.’
A short video which explains the UroLift® System is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lkdLN-Ek9Y
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Notes to the Editor
*Speakman M, et al., BJU Int. 2015 Apr;115(4):508-19. doi: 10.1111/bju.12745.
About Mr. Rustom Manecksha
Rustom Manecksha is a graduate of the School of Medicine in UCD. He completed his basic and higher surgical training in Ireland before embarking on a sub-specialty Fellowship in Melbourne, Australia. He has a special interest in endourology, kidney stone disease, BPH, minimal access renal surgery and prostate cancer. He is a keen researcher and has an active clinical research profile, as well as close links with the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences.
About Tallaght Hospital
Tallaght Hospital is one of Ireland’s largest acute teaching hospitals, providing child-health, adult, psychiatric and age-related healthcare on one site. The hospital has 495 adult beds and 67 paediatric bed with 2,600 people on staff. The Hospital is a provider of local, regional and national specialities. It is also a national urology centre, the second largest provider of dialysis services in the country and a regional orthopaedic trauma centre.
Tallaght Hospital is one of two main teaching hospitals of Trinity College Dublin - specialising in the training and professional development of staff in areas such as nursing, health and social care professionals, emergency medicine and surgery, amongst many others. Tallaght Hospital is part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group which serves a population of over 1.2 million across seven counties.
A new satellite centre is to be built at Tallaght Hospital as part of the National Children’s Hospital project as a key element of an integrated clinical network for paediatric services nationally.
The Hospital’s Emergency Departments catered for 49,512 Adult Attendances and 33,717 Paediatric Attendances in 2016. A further 252,418 patients were treated through the Hospital’s adult and paediatric outpatient clinics in 2016. The Hospital’s operations are supported by 200 general practitioners in surrounding communities.
