Do you have questions men's health related?
Please send them!
If you have a question related to men's health, please fill the form bellow.
1. It is a must to provide a valid email, unless you want your questions to be ignored.
We won't make your email public, but we like to talk with live persons.
2. To protect
your identity, take care the name you fill. We make public your name exactly as it is.
|
Public release date: 06 April 2008
[
]
Microwave treatments for enlarged prostate cause blood pressure surges
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Many men who receive microwave therapy for
enlarged prostates experience significant surges in blood pressure that
could raise their risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to new
research findings published recently in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
The Mayo Clinic-led study of 185 consecutive patients who received
transurethral microwave therapy at four medical centers found that 42
percent experienced systolic blood pressure surges of more than 30 mm Hg,
while 5 percent had surges of more than 70 mm Hg.
"Men who are candidates for this minimally invasive microwave therapy
tend also to be at higher risk for cardiac events," says Lance Mynderse,
M.D., the Mayo Clinic urologist who authored the study. "Blood
pressure surges of the magnitude identified in this study are troubling side
effects of treatment that need to be monitored and managed."
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or an enlarged prostate gland, is a
condition affecting half of men over age 50 and 80 percent of those
over 70. Symptoms include difficult urination, sudden urges to urinate
and inability to empty the bladder. BPH often is treated with medication
and in severe cases open surgery may be necessary, but since 1997
transurethral microwave therapy has been a less-invasive option.
Transurethral microwave therapy involves using a catheter to place a
microwave device within the prostate, which is then heated to destroy
excess tissue. Approximately 70,000 such procedures are performed each
year, usually in an office setting and typically involving patients from
50 to 85 years old.
"This patient population is at high risk of cardiovascular disease,"
explains Benjamin Larson, a medical student at Cleveland Clinic who is
the lead author of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings paper. "Anecdotal reports
of adverse blood pressure events during and after transurethral
microwave therapy, and our own experience, led us to look back at the records
to identify potential problems among these patients whose blood
pressure had been monitored."
The authors say the study findings should not necessarily deter
physicians and their patients from using one of the six FDA-approved devices
for transurethral microwave therapy, but they should take reasonable
precautions given the strong possibility of blood pressure surges. "Blood
pressure monitoring should be a standard part of the procedure. Blood
pressure readings should be taken throughout the procedure, multiple
times. Unfortunately, that has not always been the practice for this
office-based therapy," Dr. Mynderse explains. "Monitoring will enable
physicians to identify the problem and adjust treatment. Patients also should
be encouraged to continue their anti-hypertensive medications,
particularly beta blockers, as they prepare for the procedure."
Besides Larson and Dr. Mynderse, other authors of the paper include
Thayne Larson, M.D.; Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D.; Michael Jaff, D.O. and
William Evans, D.O.
# # #
A peer-review journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings publishes original
articles, reviews and editorials dealing with clinical and laboratory
medicine, clinical research, basic science research and clinical
epidemiology. Mayo Clinic Proceedings is published monthly by Mayo Foundation for
Medical Education and Research as part of its commitment to the medical
education of physicians. The journal has been published for more than
80 years and has a circulation of 130,000 nationally and
internationally. Articles are available online at www.mayoclinicproceedings.com.
An audio file of an extended interview with Dr. Mynderse is available
at Interview with Dr. Mynderse.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2008-rst/4750.html?src=email-release
To
obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to
http://www.mayoclinic.org/news/.
MayoClinic.com (http://www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource
for your health stories.
|
|
