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GreenLight Vs Urolift

Posted , 28 users are following.

daniel1960
daniel1960

Hi

I live in Toronto, Canada. I have been suffering with BPH for the past five years. I am 54 years old with no children and don't expect to have children. I am faced with two options. Take the greenlight surgery which is completely free and is paid by the government health insurance. The other option is to do the Urolift, but it will cost me $10000 which is not covered by insurance and has to come out of my own pocket. $10000 is a lot of money for me. I am not sure how long the urolift will last and if my prosate will keep on growing even with the urolift in place.I really don't know what to do. Hoping that you'll can give me some suggestions.

1 like, 129 replies

129 Replies

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  • lunarrainbow
    lunarrainbow daniel1960

    Posted

    Hi Daniel,

    I had the Gat-Goren procedure in May 2011, and I'm happy with it.  No retro, my prostate shrunk back a lot, and symptoms were greately eased.  I posted a long reply in the "CPPS / BPH / Chronic Non Bacterial Prostatitis - My Sad Story" discussion.  I'm active on the HealingWell Gat-Goren forum, where PAE is also sometimes discussed.  GG is a boutique procedure:  high cost, no insurance reimbursement, uneven outcomes and not successful for some patients such as those with large midlobes.   Still, I'm happy with mine. 

    BTW One PAE patient posted a month ago on HW that they were happy with their results. Another PAE patient never posted his follow-up results. PAE and GG are performed by Interventional Radiologists but are otherwise totally different procedures.

    Best of luck.

    • daniel1960
      daniel1960 lunarrainbow

      Posted

      Hi 

      I have never heard of the Gat-Goren Procedure. It is quite interesting. Do they do the procedure in the US? Do you have to go to Israel to do it? How much does it cost?

      Thanks

      Dan

    • lunarrainbow
      lunarrainbow daniel1960

      Posted

      Yes, you have to go to Israel or thereabouts.  I went to Tel Aviv for my operation in 2011, but now patients go to a hospital in Crete, and the doctors fly from Israel to meet you there.  It's not done anywhere else, though there are similar procedures that are sometimes done.  There is an occasional discussion on this very technical topic on the HW forum I mentioned; I need to refer you to that forum for more information.

      As for price, I don't know.  The price has gone up since I had it, and there are exchange rate issues.  You can contact the clinic for the most recent price.  It will be between US $20K and $30K.  I realize that this puts it out of the reach of most guys, especially since insurance won't cover it.  I'm not proseletyzing for it; I'm merely recounting my experiences as an option for some men. 

      The HW forum and the clinic web site have covered the theory behind the procedure, so I won't go into that here except to say that the prostate itself is not directly targeted.  Which sounds strange, I know.

      Best of luck whichever route you take.

       

    • daniel1960
      daniel1960 lunarrainbow

      Posted

      Sorry to sound dumb. Can you please direct me to the HW forum? I don't know what HW stands for.

      Thanks

      Dan

  • lunarrainbow
    lunarrainbow daniel1960

    Posted

    Dan, I don't want to intrude on this forum by starting a long discussion about Gat-Goren. I'm content just to mention that it exists, and anyone so inclined can begin to research it.  It's an experimental treatment, not accepted by mainstream medicine, so many guys will not feel comfortable with it.  I've been directing folks to the HW forum. (Just Google "Healing Well" and "Gat-Goren".)  "A word to the wise..." and all that.
  • Holodoc
    Holodoc daniel1960

    Posted

    Hi Daniel

    I live near Toronto too and was going to do the green light, in fact I was booked for January 9. However now I have discovered UROLIFT I am thinking seriously about it. I have reviewed the 2-3 multi centre studies and they look good. Of course the results are only as good as the 2-3 years it's been around.  I agree $10,000 is a lot, and I am still researching this cost. I was surprised to see the post from San antonio saying it was only $2500! Big difference. If anyone else has an idea as to their cost it would be helpful to me if we could get an idea of the USA costs.  

    To me if you you want the least invasive procedure this is it, aside from the cost. There is no tissue destruction. Of course any prostate will continue to grow after any procedure.

    • derek76
      derek76 Holodoc

      Posted

      After Urolift yours would be growing from its present size rather than a much lesser size after PVP.

      I had PVP with the original equipment in 2005 on my 75 gram prostate. By 2013 it had regrown to 125 grams when I had thulium laser .

      The surgeon who did my Thulium Laser procedure described PVP as a commercial treatment not a cure.  

    • Holodoc
      Holodoc derek76

      Posted

      True enough. The trade off is no tissue destruction and preservation of ejaculation vs. varying amounts of tissue destruction with vaporization procedures, and retrograde eiaculation and other possible side effects.  With a slow growth I should be good for at least 5 years I figure.
    • RonTexan
      RonTexan Holodoc

      Posted

      Hi, just want to qualify what I posted months ago about $2500 urolift paid out of pocket. I know that was a fact as it was told to me in the Doctor's office.

      That was before urolift was approved by medicare, medicaide and supplemental insurance. I understand from other posters that the procedure has been approved for reimbursement now and I suspect that the cash figure will be a different number but I would check it out.   

    • Jezzaman
      Jezzaman derek76

      Posted

      Hi Derek

      Can  you elaborate a little more on the Thulium Laser procedure please

      And why you think the Surgeon referred to PVP As a commercial treatment?

      Thanks

      Jez

    • derek76
      derek76 Jezzaman

      Posted

      The surgeon did Thulium laser and lectured on it and as far as I was concerned that was what we discussed right up to when I went into the operating theatre (May 2013)

       This year I had a flow test as I am not happy with my flow. When I said Thulium laser to the nurse she said it says Holmium laser in your notes

      So what happened? Was there a problem with the equipment he intended to use did he change his mind at the last moment?

      I did not ask him if it was commercially good for the surgeon or the company making the equipment. I assume that it is for the equipment maker as the use once laser rods are expensive. Some big prostates in the early PVP days needed two rods.

      If you get breakdown on costs of surgery in most procedures the surgeon is getting quite a small portion.

      .

    • derek76
      derek76

      Posted

      Just did a bit of additional research that may answer the Holmium or Thulium laser question and it seems that the The RevoLix DUO combines a 120 watt Thulium wavelength with a 20 watt holmium making it the perfect laser for Urological use. The Thulium wavelength provides fast vaproization of soft tissue while maintaining excellent hemostasis. The Holmium 20 watt allows the same device to be used for breaking stones. The reusable fibers used by the RevoLix laser mean that procedure costs can be brought right down, making the RevoLix a cost effective solution.
  • waveydavey
    waveydavey daniel1960

    Posted

    I find the discussion interesting and informative. I had a TURP four years ago. While experiencing a modest improvement for some months my prostate continued growing to the point where my urologist calls it "huge". Never was given a numerical value but in fruit terms it's an"orange". Over the last couple of years I've had a series of uti's (actually experiencing one at the moment) and at least four episodes of significant blood in the urine. On one occasion the clots restricted my ability to urinate. The hospital asst. in charge of getting a catheter past my "orange" that nite probably never heard pain expressed so emphatically. I now avoid any physical activity that may cause me to bear down on that area of my anatomy. Recently I cancelled a family visit to the US for fear of an incident based on an existing pre condition that my insurance would not cover.

    I live in Montreal. While being one of Canada's largest cities we are still behind the US and Europe in terms of technological advances. In light of my  recent complications my urologist has referred me to another urologist who is a "green light" specialist. Until I read the comments in this forum I felt positive about the referral. Now I have major doubts about the efficacy of the green light procedure. I'm not aware of other options locally and out of province, private or international clinics are not an option from a cost standpoint.

    I guess you could say I'm between a rock and a hard place. I am thankful for the information gleaned here. If anyone has information that might update the discussion I would be grateful. Perhaps a Quebec member has information relevant to Montreal.

    In any event thanks for taking the time to tell your stories.

    Dave

    • John-T
      John-T waveydavey

      Posted

      Hi Dave

      I`m John and I also live in Montreal and have a huge prostate and waiting to be operated on while I wear a catheter now for one month, I went to 3 different urologist in Montreal, Dr. Desbiens (a great looking lady pregnant and due in one month or so, specializing in old method TURP) (not a choice for me), then I say another urologist expert in green light laser surgery Dr. Zorn (with that method if your prostate is too big they can`t use it) and the third urologist probably the best one Dr. Elhilali which specializes in HOLEP, I decide to go with him but the wait is about 2 months for the operation. Let me know if you need more info

      thanks

      John

    • waveydavey
      waveydavey John-T

      Posted

      Hi John,

      Thanks for your info. I'm familiar with the names you mentioned . In fact I have an appt. with Zorn next week. I have also heard very good things about Elhilali. In addition I met with Dr. Louis Martin Boucher at the Montreal General who is involved in a PAE trial there. Perhaps I'll try to see Elhilali as well. Let me know how you get on with your treatment and I'll do the same.

      Good luck. If you have a contact number for Elhilali could you send it on? Thanks,

      Dave

    • John-T
      John-T waveydavey

      Posted

      Hi Dave,

      Thanks for getting back, yes dr. Zorn is a good young doctor that knows his stuff, not sure if you already had your appointment but when I went to see him he had another 52 patient to see that day, he told me to call the Saint-Luc hospital and take an appointment in Systo for systoscopy and they gave me an appointment for the 26 of april, next ones will be in May or even June so not sure how long of wait with this doctor, with green light it`s a matter of prostate size as far as I know but HOLEP with dr. Elhilali is your best bet since it`s the best treatment out there and a great doctor, I heard a lot of story about green light and people needing another operation a few years after.

      Here`s the number: 514-843-1608

      Keep me posted

      John

    • nktoronto
      nktoronto waveydavey

      Posted

      Hi, I live in Toronto, Canada. Was your TURP with Laser or not? Do you know if HOLEP is done in Canada?
    • nktoronto
      nktoronto John-T

      Posted

      Hi John-T,

       I live in Toronto and am trying to find out which urologist does HOLEP here? How can I find out? I am afraid if I ask my Urologist, he might get  offended that I am going to someone else.

      My URO said he will do Laser TURP on me and its called RESOLV and its done with laser vaporising tissues on touch. I can't find any details on this.

      Not sure if I can get surgery done in Quebec, while I live in Ontario. Do you know?

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