Has anyone out there had a "Prostate Artery Embolization??

Everyone on this forum who needs help should fsamiliarize themselves with PAE. It IS NOT a Urologist procedure, so do not bother asking your Urologist for his or her opinion.I went to 4 Urologists for Urology procedure guidance and found them to be lazy because they had invested their energies in one approach or another and did not want to spend the time, effort, and lost income downtime trying to retool. So they kept on pushing outdated methods.

PAE, Prostate Artery Embolization, is done by IR's, Interventional Radiologists. This profession does incredible things you've never heard of. In the case of PAE, they non-invasively (i.e. Outpatient, no surgery) go through veins to the prostate. They then inject some fiber slivers. The goal is to reduce the flow of blood to the prostate to help it shrink. I suspect and believe that you can do this procedure and if it doesn't work you can still go through one of the other harsher procedures.

PAE is new to the US, but it was perfected I believe in Spain. I suggest you type into your search bar of choice "PAE IR".

PAE may work for some and not others because the prostate has many veins so it may be harder to figure out which one/to restrict blood flow. Regardless, either go to anIR who has done many of these procedures, or go to the best IR you can find who has done hundreds (minimum) of other procedures, like UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolixation, the female challenge).

It might have been Spain or Portugal where PAE was pioneered. Regardless, there are MANY top IR's in the US. It may be out of pocket right now and not yet sanctioned by the FDA, but it is being done in the US by top doctors. Just search as I suggested and consider putting in a major city near you and see what comes up. I live in Chicago and know several top IR's capable of doing it.

I haven't had PAE but am very familiar with it because I have several top Interventional Radiologist friends. My information could be wrong but I believe the following is fairly accurate:

1) Since it is non-invasive, the risk of complications is low

2) The prostate is a complex body part, with many veins. I believe the art of PAE is for the doctor to successfully figure out which vein/s to insert fiber slivers into so that the prostate has much less feeding it. 

3) Someone mentioned they had PAE and saw no results after some months. That could be the doctor did not get to the right vein/s, or it could be too soon to tell, i.e. It may take 3-4 months for the change to be fully realized. 

4) I suspect and believe you can go back in for another attempt at PAE if the first one was not successful, with little or no complications because again, this is a non-invasive procedure.

5) The guy in Spain or Portugal is the worlds pro. He has probably done at least 100.

6) I know 2 excellent IR's in Chicago who will do the procedure, however it is not covered by insurance, and I think they have done none or just a few to date. However they have done hundreds+++ of other procedures just like it, for women with fibroids, for very sick patients who cannot go through surgery to address infections, for people with chronic back pain, etc. You can search for them because they were written up as 2 of the top 50 doctors in Chicago in 2012 by Chicago Magazine. Both are IR pros.

Hi, here is my experience on PAE at UNC. Dr Isaacson is excellent. My PAE was done last Tuesday through wrist, processure is painless. Right after surgery, I peed without any problem. Unfortunately, I didn't take anti-inflammation steriod and I had issue with pee three days later. Had to put on Catheter on Friday. 5 days later, now the catheter is out and I can do any sports without problems. No problem going to bathroom now morning and night. Maybe slightly improvement.  I will keep posting hereon  how my condition is moving along. Thanks for this forum, it is here I got very useful informiaton and made decision to perform this sergury, hope the feedback can help more people. I paid out of my pocket around 6500 with insurance, hopelly covers the CT scan.

Hi ChuckP and everybody,

I am a 56 years old Italian man, actually living in Europe. During the 90s and in 2013 I lived for a total of 5 years in the US, so I know the US health system. The reasons PAE is not popular in the US and in many other countries are the following: first, urologists are desperatedly and viciously opposing it, because it is performed by a radiologist, with only the (necessary) assistance of a urologist. Urologists are losing and will lose millions, and they are refusing to cooperate. In France it is even worse than in the US, since it is authorized only in one hospital in Paris. Other French radiologists cannot perform it because of urologist sabotage. The second reason is that PAE is not easy to perform, expecially in the passage from one side to the other side of the prostatic sphere. Some radiologists are unable to send the microspheres to the other side, so they reduce only one half or one lobe of the prostate. I had it in Milan in November 2015 with Prof. Rampoldi, who follows the Carnevale tecnique, and it has been perfectly successful. Before, I woke up every 2,5 hours, now, after 4 months, every 4,5. Discomfort and urgency only during the day after. PAE, if performed by an experienced radiologist, is the future. I resent the fact that thousand of men are having Turps while there is PAE available, because of the silence and the sabotage of urologists.