Understanding Rezūm™: A Modern Approach to BPH Treatment

Millions of men struggle with benign prostatic hyperplasia in the United States, but there are more treatment options than ever before, including Rezūm™ therapy.

Perhaps you're groggy during the day, thanks to frequent nighttime bathroom trips caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Or, maybe you’re dealing with unwanted side effects from your BPH medications, such as dizziness or issues with ejaculation.

For the millions of men in the United States who struggle with BPH — the issue affects at least half of men over the age of 50 — the good news is that there are more effective treatment options than ever before.

So, whether you’re new to treating your BPH or you’re unhappy with your current treatment, it’s a good idea to explore some of the newer options, including Rezūm™ therapy, which we offer here at our practice.

As one of the leading board-certified urologists in the Houston area, Dr. Robert J. Cornell understands the importance of offering different options to patients for addressing BPH, and satisfaction rates with Rezūm are high. Here’s why.

How Rezūm shrinks your prostate using only steam

When you have BPH, your prostate gland has grown large enough to interfere with your urinary tract, which can lead to a host of issues ranging from frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom to kidney infections.

It used to be that the only two BPH treatment options were medications or invasive surgery to remove your prostate (prostatectomy). Well, science and technology have come a long way since then, and we now offer several effective and minimally invasive options, including Rezūm.

Rezūm works using only steam. During an in-office procedure, Dr. Cornell inserts a tube into your urethra to access your prostate, which is located at the top of your urethra where it meets your bladder. We use local anesthesia, so you shouldn't feel any pain.

Dr. Cornell then threads an instrument through the tube to deliver steam into the enlarged prostate tissue. When this sterile water vapor comes into contact with the tissue, it destroys prostate cells, shrinking your prostate gland and freeing up your urethra.

Each Rezūm treatment takes 9 seconds, and Dr. Cornell will deliver as many treatments as necessary to improve your symptoms and urinary function. In total, Rezūm therapy takes only about 30 minutes, and you’re free to return home afterward.

The benefits of Rezūm for treating BPH

There are many reasons why Rezūm is so popular among our patients, such as:

Your prostate is preserved
There are no incisions
There’s no general anesthesia
You can stop taking BPH medications (in most cases)
It doesn’t affect sexual function
Recovery takes just a few days

Simply put, Rezūm allows you to reclaim daily comfort without the downsides of surgery or lifelong medication.

Recovery process and long-term results

After your Rezūm procedure, we may insert a catheter. We do this because there’s often some swelling afterward as your prostate shrinks and heals, which can interfere with urination. Once the swelling goes down — usually within a few days — we remove the catheter, and it’s business as usual.

As for how well Rezūm works over the long term, less than 5% of patients need another treatment within five years of the first. While your prostate does continue to grow as you age, including after your Rezūm procedure, it does so very slowly, and you may not develop BPH symptoms again. If you do, we can repeat the Rezūm therapy.

If you have more questions about Rezūm or would like to find out whether you're a good candidate, please contact our Houston office today to schedule a consultation.