TUNA — An Effective, In-office Treatment for BPH

At first, your benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms were fairly mild and not too disruptive. These days, you’re waking throughout the night to pee, and you’ve developed other quality-of-life issues — such as incontinence — thanks to BPH.

You’re certainly not alone. BPH affects millions of men in the United States, with about half of men over the age of 50 showing evidence of this condition. And the numbers continue to climb as men get older because BPH is progressive.

As a leading expert in men’s health and BPH, Dr. Robert J. Cornell, who is board-certified in urology, offers a wide range of well-researched BPH treatment options. In this blog post, we’re going to focus on one in particular — Prostiva® transurethral needle ablation (TUNA) radiofrequency thermotherapy.

TUNA bridges the gap in BPH treatments

One reason Dr. Cornell offers the TUNA treatment for BPH is that it’s an excellent mid-level treatment option that lies between BPH medications and surgery. 

With TUNA, we thread a small tube equipped with two electrodes through your urethra to reach your prostate. Once in position, Dr. Cornell sends radiofrequency energy through the electrodes to reduce the excess prostate tissue that’s squeezing your urethra and leading to symptoms.

Advantages of TUNA for treating BPH

There are many advantages to using TUNA for relieving your BPH symptoms:

It’s a quick, in-office procedure

The TUNA procedure takes us about 20 to 30 minutes to perform, and we do it right here in our offices. 

No general anesthesia is required

When Dr. Cornell performs the TUNA procedure, he only needs to use local anesthesia or light sedation.

Recovery is fairly simple

After the procedure, plan on getting a ride home and resting for a few days. You’ll also have a catheter in place during that time to help give your prostate time and space to heal. 

Once we remove the catheter, however, you should be able to get back to your normal routine without any hassle.

Symptoms subside in about 8 to 10 weeks

Most patients experience relief from their BPH symptoms in about 8-10 weeks as their bodies work to reabsorb the treated tissue. This relief should go the distance and provide you with a future free from BPH symptoms.

Complications are unlikely

Many men hesitate to treat BPH, fearing complications like erectile dysfunction (ED). But TUNA has a great track record when it comes to sexual function issues, and side effects like ED aren’t common.

TUNA is widely covered by insurance

Most insurance companies cover the TUNA procedure, as well as Medicare.

Is TUNA right for you?

As you can see, there are many good reasons why we include TUNA as part of our larger suite of highly effective BPH treatment options.

If you’d like to explore whether the TUNA procedure is right for your circumstances, we invite you to contact our Houston office today to schedule a consultation.