Bipolar vaporization over Green Light...what I learned
Posted , 13 users are following.
After my cystoscopy yesterday, I met with my urologist-surgeon to talk over options.
I'd told him I was seeking out the Green Light laser treatment and he said that was fine, he could send me to someone for that, but that the surgery he performs, the bipolar vaporization was going to give me the same results with the boon that there is way less post-bleeding complications related to bipolar vaporization.
I told him I'd heard such rave reviews about Green Light and he said a lot of that is heavy promotional efforts on the part of the Green Light manufacturer. But, again, he'd send me to someone for that if I felt it was a big difference.
In the end I decided to go let him perform the surgery as I didn't have a sense that he was BS-ing me or trying to sell me something I didn't want.
He said I could do either spinal or general anesthesia and I think I want to just be knocked out rather than partially awake and observing things.
The only bad news for me was that he said I would have RE due to the major obstruction in my prostate involving the bladder neck in my bladder. I'm not thrilled about that, but if that is the trade off for constant cath-ing, well, so be it.
Any thoughts from you guys here about my decision?
0 likes, 44 replies
glenn77 DavidKMentor
Posted
Ask your doctor how many Greenlight procedures he has performed, how many this year, and what the worst outcome he's had. My first urologist did a Greenlight procedure in March of 2016 that left me totally and permanently incontinent.He did a cystoscopy afterwards, and I was able to see that the GL procedure left all sorts of hanging debris that looked like tree roots. . He then did a Gyrus TURP procedure, but I was still incontinent.
I found a second urologist who is my current specialist. He found that I had be left with complex strictures "right at" the external sphincter by the GL procedure. Was it just incompetence by the first urologist? I'll never know. What my second doctor, who is also a professor at a university, said was this: The GL ablates prostate material by an interaction between the the green laser beam and red blood cells. If there is no red blood, it doesn't work. ( I think that is the reason that there wasn't a clean removal of prostate material.)He also said that at one point, he had been trained to do GL procedures, and had trained other doctors. He came to dislike the technique, and he will no longer train other doctors to do GL, and he refuses to do GL himself.
From what I've read, I believe the button plasma (bi polar) allows a much more precise surgery to be done than for the GL. The GL is a relative crude "cutting tool" in my opinion. From my own horrible outcome, I tell people to be very very cautious before deciding to have a GL procedure. Make sure your doctor is truly an expert who does GL procedures every week, and has excellent outcomes.
Glenn
DavidKMentor glenn77
Posted
OMG, Glenn. I'm sorry to read about your issues, how disheartening.
And thank you for passing this on to me.
Lvscott glenn77
Posted
Agreed, Button Turp is way better - far more precise. Your 2nd procedure you had done is basically the old-fashioned barbaric Turp. May I ask - before your first GL, where urodynamics with a cystoscopy done first to check for bladder issues, such as diviculum?
kenneth1955 Lvscott
Posted
Hello all
You guy's know me not a fan of any procedure that cuts away at the prostate. But there are sometime you don't have any other chose for one reason or another. I have read up on Bipolar Plasma Turp is much better then the others because of the less bleeding and being the doctor has better control of what he get ride off.
There is still that chance of retro but if the doctor is good he can avoid all the good stuff and give you that chance. Not like that David doctor your going to get it and that is it. That doctor needs to stay away from the bladder neck. If with the Bipolar they can get rid of the prostate tissue that is blocking the bladder neck which will take the pressure off of the bladder neck.
Also that would mean that you would have to heal from 2 procedures not one. He is going to cut out some of the prostate which you will have to heal from and then the bladder neck That is another 12 week and then the leaking.
I hope he get some good advise from the other doctor. Take care Ken
glenn77 Lvscott
Posted
Yes, the urodynamics, cystoscopy, and a prostate scan with rectal prob were all done. There were absolutely no isssues noted at that time. I will say that the quality of the equipment used (an approximately 16" CRT display with poor color quality was on a rolling stand at the same height of the examination table I was lying on. It was beyond my head, so I could barely turn my head far enough to see it.
By contrast, my new urologist has a very modern exam room, with two large overhead flat screens, one for the doctor and one for the patient. During a cystoscopy, I can see everything clearly without craning my neck.
Glenn
glenn77 DavidKMentor
Posted
Thanks. I finally did get bailed out from the incontinence by my new doctor, who implanted and AUS (artificial urinary sphincter). So I escaped the 8-10 Depends per day, or alternatively a condom catheter with a leg bag. I had a bunch of procedures to get to where I am.