GreenLight Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate (PVPTM)

GreenLight PVPTM (Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate) is a breakthrough laser procedure for the treatment of enlarged prostate, a condition known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). PVP is a safe, effective and minimally invasive, outpatient treatment. A patented green light laser (the GreenLight PV Laser System) provides the energy for the procedure. During GreenLight PVPTM, a thin fiber is inserted into the urethra through a cystoscope (an instrument that allows your doctor to examine the inside of the bladder and prostate). The fiber delivers green laser energy that vaporizes and removes enlarged prostate tissue, creating an open channel and better urine flow.

What to expect:

Before the GreenLight PVPTM Laser Procedure, patients had to choose between an effective - yet invasive - surgical procedure called Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), heat therapies (which were safer but less effective) and medication. During TURP, enlarged prostate tissue is surgically removed, resulting in symptom relief and restored urine flow. The procedure requires a hospital stay of one to four days (usually one), and a catheter must be worn for one to three days. Recovery time averages four to six weeks. Complications may include excessive blood loss, blood transfusion, incontinence, impotence, infection, painful urination and retrograde ejaculation. Heat therapies use different energy sources to heat and destroy prostate tissue. The destroyed tissue remains in the prostate and becomes scar tissue, resulting in an incomplete reduction of tissue and prostate swelling that can cause increased urinary symptoms for several weeks or months. You may need to wear a catheter for a few days or several weeks. GreenLight PVPTM successfully combines the effectiveness of TURP with the safety and ease of a minimally invasive procedure.