Nobody wants to go under the knife, and now, thanks to ever-evolving medical technology, fewer people need invasive surgical procedures. Minimally invasive robotic surgery, scalpel-free procedures, and totally noninvasive therapies have revolutionized all areas of medicine, including urology.
If you experience pelvic pain, urinary difficulties, trouble with erections, or other urologic events, you may have deliberately tried to ignore the signs and symptoms in the hopes of avoiding surgery. But, in many cases, the optimal treatment isn’t surgery at all.
As an expert urologist who embraces the latest, evidence-based advances in medicine, Alex Lesani, MD, believes in using the least invasive techniques that are maximally effective. At our office in Las Vegas, Nevada, he may be able to resolve your issues without a blade in sight.
What urologic procedures can be done in-office, without a scalpel? The following are some of the common conditions that don’t require cutting.
If you’re a man, by the time you reach age 60, you probably have evidence of a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), otherwise known as an enlarged prostate. Unlike other organs in your body, your prostate continues to grow as you age. By age 85, 90% of men in the United States have BPH.
Original treatments for BPH sound even more painful than the condition itself. From the days of antiquity, doctors inserted catheters into the prostate to aid in urination. By the 19th century, surgeons removed both kidney stones and extra prostatic tissue through surgical incisions.
Although severely enlarged prostates may still need to be downsized surgically, it’s rare. Instead, Dr. Lesani first recommends lifestyle changes, including attaining a healthy weight and improving your diet and exercise to naturally shrink the prostate.
If you still have pain or trouble urinating, it’s time to move on to other therapies. Medications can shrink the prostate, alleviating pressure on your bladder and urethra. He can also insert a tiny instrument called Greenlight® laser through your urethra to vaporize the obstructive tissue.
A vasectomy is a permanent type of birth control. Dr. Lesani enters your scrotum and severs each of your vas deferens, the tubes that carry sperm into your penis. He then removes a section and cauterizes each end to seal it.
Back in your father’s, grandfather’s, or great-grandaddy’s day, the urologic surgeon had to use long incisions to reach each vas deferens tube. You could lose quite a bit of blood, and recovery could be lengthy and painful.
Luckily, these days, no-scalpel vasectomies are the norm. Instead of incisions, Dr. Lesani makes small punctures in your scrotum through which he inserts tiny instruments to sever and cauterize your vas deferens. Recovery is significantly shorter and easier.
Painful kidney and urinary stones have plagued humans since at least the days of ancient Egypt: An archaeologist found a stone in the bladder of a 5,000-year-old mummy.
By the 8th century BC, doctors in India had begun performing operations to remove urinary stones. Modern stone surgery began in about 1976. Large kidney stones may still need surgical removal.
Most kidney stones respond well to much less invasive procedures. Drinking 2.5 liters of water a day may be enough to flush out small stones and can prevent the formation of new stones.
For larger or more painful stones, Dr. Lesani performs noninvasive shockwave therapy, which breaks the stones into tiny pieces that you can pass through your urine, pain-free. He then modifies your lifestyle to prevent the development of further stones.
About 322 million men around the world experience erectile dysfunction (ED). When you can’t perform sexually, it affects everything from your mood to your self-esteem to the quality of your intimate relationship.
One of the first remedies for ED was a penile implant. Your surgeon may insert a balloon-type device in your penis, which you then pump up. You may also opt for rigid rods whose position you change when you’re ready for sex.
Few men need or opt for penile implants these days. Since the advent of medications such as sildenafil (i.e., Viagra) and other similar drugs that dilate the blood vessels in your penis, many men enjoy a healthy sex life well into their elder years.
You might also benefit from lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and alcohol, which degrade the health of your blood vessels. In addition, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) could improve your overall health, including your erections.
Get the urologic treatments you need without a blade in sight: Call our helpful team at 702-470-2579 or make your appointment online for treatment for BPH, kidney stones, ED, or a vasectomy today.
