Prostate Artery Embolisation
What is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)?
It is normal for the prostate gland to increase in size and volume with age. In the majority of cases this is non-cancerous and what is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. Symptoms can include frequency of urination, nocturia (having to get up at night to pass urine), hesitancy (difficulty getting started), dribbling and a sensation of incomplete bladder emptying.
What treatments are available?
It is normal for the prostate gland to increase in size and volume with age and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) does not necessarily require treatment unless causing symptoms.
There is now a wide range of treatment options ranging from medication to open prostatectomy surgery, transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) surgery and laser TURP. The number of less invasive treatment options has increased over recent years to include Urolift, aquablation (Rezum) and prostate artery embolisation (PAE).
Prostate Artery Embolisation for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Prostate artery embolisation (PAE) is a minimally invasive interventional radiology procedure to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It aims to shrink the prostate gland and improve urinary symptoms by blocking the blood supply. It is done under x-ray screening guidance and is usually a day-case local anaesthetic procedure.
Referral and booking
You may be referred by your urologist or general preactitioner or can self refer. It is advisable that you are initially seen by a urologist for full clinical assessment and discussion of other treatment options in order to make a fully informed choice.
Dr. Crowe is a member of the Birmingham Prostate Clinic and works closely with a team of urologists, interventional radiology colleagues, oncologists and pathologists all of whom are experts in the management of prostate disease.
Initial Investigations
It is quite possible that you may have already had some investigations including PSA blood tests and ultrasound scans. These are useful baseline studies.
At your initial consultation Dr. Crowe will take you through an IPSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) questionnaire. This is a standardised scoring sheet of prostate symptom severity that gives an objective baseline for future comparison.
The next stage of planning involves arranging a pelvic CT angiogram scan to precicesly delineate the arterial supply of the prostate and plan the procedure.
What is prostate artery embolisation (PAE)
Prostate artery embolisation (PAE) is a minimally invasive interventional radiology procedure to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It aims to shrink the prostate gland and improve urinary symptoms by blocking the blood supply. It is done under x-ray screening guidance and is usually a day-case local anaesthetic procedure.
The day of the procedure
The Priory Hospital Reservation department will confirm arrival time and you will be admitted to the ward an hour or two before the procedure. Dr. Crowe performs prostate embolisation procedures with his interventional radiology colleague Dr. Ian McCafferty who is also a Birmingham Prostate Clinic member.
The procedure is done under local anaesthetic via a femoral artery puncture in the groin. A urinary catheter is not essential for the procedure. The interventional radiology theatre at the Priory Hospital has state of the art equipment for PAE with 3D rotational angiography capacity.
Afterwards
Following the procedure you will need to lie flat for the first two hours and will be ready to go home later in the day. You should not drive yourself and will need to be collected.
Improvement in symptoms following prostate embolisation is a gradual process though improvement is often seen within a few weeks. A follow up consultation and ultrasound scan will be arranged at three months and you may be asked to complete a follow up IPSS symptom score sheet.
You will have a direct dial number for the Priory Hospital ward and access to Dr. Crowe via his practice manager Lisa Whittaker in the event of any queries or concerns before your follow up is due.
Next steps
Please complete an online enquiry form or contact Dr. Crowe’s secretary on 0121 448 1502. Initial consultations and scans can take place at any of our sites.
Dr. Crowe is currently undertaking actual prostate artery embolisation procedures at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham only.
Many private insurance companies now cover the procedure and for non-insured patients The Priory Hospital offers a competitive all in price. Please get in touch for more information.
For more information or to make an appointment, please use the contact form or speak to Dr. Crowe’s secretary on 0121 448 1502.
Private Medical Insurance
Dr. Crowe is recognised by all the major private health insurance providers. To avail of your private insurance cover it is essential to contact your insurer in advance and obtain the necessary pre-authorisation for treatment. Dr. Crowe’s office can provide his provider number for the insurance company concerned as well as the procedure codes for the proposed treatment. Having this information before contacting your insurer speeds up the process of getting pre-authorisation.
While Dr. Crowe’s professional fees are within the insurance companies’ published guideline ranges the level of cover will depend on the conditions of your individual policy or that provided by your employer and cover should always be checked in advance. Some policies may stipulate an excess to be paid by the policy holder and this may be invoiced to you directly. There may be annual limits on cover, limits on out-patient cover or restricted cover for pre-existing conditions. Certain policies may also limit the choice of hospitals where treatment can be provided and this is particularly the case when considering treatment in central London. Insurers may stipulate that you must be referred to Dr. Crowe by your general practitioner or specialist but some allow self-referral or provide their own online GP service.
Self pay
It is not necessary to have private health insurance to avail of private medical care. More and more people are choosing to self-fund private treatment and are finding costs are often less than they had anticipated. Private medical care offers prompt and efficient diagnosis and treatment with your choice of consultant, at a time that suits you, in a clean and pleasant hospital environment.
Upon request price quotes can be obtained for the various treatments offered by Dr. Crowe. Having an initial consultation and scan does not commit you to proceeding with treatment and for more expensive high tech procedures the individual private hospitals can often offer a range of payment options. Although Dr. Crowe’s professional fees are standard regardless of treatment site the total costs are usually lower in Birmingham, reflecting higher hospital and clinic charges in central London.
For diagnostic scans Dr. Crowe can offer ultrasound, CT and MRI scanning at very reasonable self-fund rates that also vary from one private hospital to another. Plain X-Rays required for immigration and pre-employment health screening purposes can also be arranged.
Overseas Patients
Dr. Crowe is happy to take overseas referrals and can offer telephone and online consultations. Scans performed in your home country can be reviewed and he can liaise with your local doctors before you travel. Advice can be given on travel and follow up arrangements.
The private hospitals where Dr. Crowe practices can quote all in prices for treatment and assist with booking and arrangements prior to travel.
Dr. Crowe is recognised by many international and expatriate health insurance providers. In other cases the private hospitals may have agreements with international insurers and can facilitate treatment planning by liaising directly with the insurer for price quotes and invoicing.
Dr Crowe is based in London and Birmingham. Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK and is situated approximately 100 miles (160Km) north of London. There are excellent road and rail links and Birmingham International Airport provides direct flights to most European destinations as well as direct links to American, Asian and Middle Eastern cites.