Dr. James Meaglia Performs First UroLift® Cases in Orange County

April 13th, 2015 by OCUA

Sexual Dysfunction No Longer Inevitable When Treating Enlarged Prostate; Dr. James Meaglia Performs First UroLift^® Cases in Orange County

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (April 13, 2015)

Dr. James Meaglia of Orange County Urology Associates (OCUA) has performed the first surgical cases of UroLift® in Orange County. UroLift is a new treatment option for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is also known as an enlarged prostate.

One in four men experience symptoms of an enlarged prostate by the age of 55, and that rate increases to 90 percent in men over the age of 70.

The new, minimally invasive UroLift is an outpatient surgical procedure approved by the FDA in the United States for the treatment of BPH that provides total preservation of sexual function.

“I have now done 15 surgical cases using the new UroLift surgical system for treating enlarged prostate, and couldn’t be more pleased with the patient and clinical outcomes,” Dr. Meaglia said. “I look forward to other urologic surgeons at Orange County Urology quickly adopting use of this new treatment system for surgical management of BPH.”

About BPH and the UroLift Treatment System

BPH is a common condition affecting more than 500 million aging men worldwide. Chronic lower urinary tract symptoms associated with BPH can cause loss of productivity and sleep, depression and decreased quality of life.

Medication is often the first line therapy, but relief can be inadequate and temporary. Side effects can include sexual dysfunction, dizziness and headaches, prompting many patients to quit using the drugs. For these patients, the classic alternative is surgery that cuts or heats prostate tissue to open the blocked urethra. Although effective, patients have to “earn” their symptom relief after a difficult period of irritative voiding symptoms and catheterization.

Even the ‘gold standard’ surgery, TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate), can leave patients with permanent side effects such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction (ED) and very commonly retrograde ejaculation (dry orgasm).

The UroLift system is designed to open the urethra directly without applying incisions, surgical resection or thermal injury to the prostate. Obstructive prostate lobes are transurethrally pushed aside and small permanent UroLift implants hold the lobes in the retracted position, thus opening the urethra while leaving the prostate gland intact. The prostate gland is similar in size and shape to a walnut.

Adverse reactions associated with the UroLift treatment system are comparable to other minimally invasive surgical therapies as well as standard cystoscopy. The most common adverse events reported during clinical trials included pain or burning with urination, blood in the urine, pelvic pain, urgent need to urinate, and the inability to control urine because of an urgent need to urinate. Most symptoms were mild to moderate in severity and resolved within two to four weeks after the procedure.

In a two-year randomized controlled study of UroLift in 206 people, which was published in Urology Practice (a journal of the American Urological Society), symptoms, quality of life, and urinary flow improved rapidly and remained durable to two years, with only 7.5% of the men who had the UroLift system needing additional BPH procedures. Treated men returned to normal activity within eight days and showed significant improvement in symptoms by two weeks. While urinary symptoms were effectively treated, not a single patient lost ejaculatory or erectile function as a result of the treatment.

By comparison, 65% of men undergoing the standard surgery (transurethral resection of the prostate, TURP) lose the ability to ejaculate.

“The advent of the UroLift treatment system underscores the need for men with BPH to discuss male orgasmic dysfunction with their doctor prior to treatment,” Dr. Meaglia said.

The UroLift system is currently available for patients in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.