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

Hi everyone, Yes, PAE is demanding, it takes very good IR's to perform them. There are many excellent IR's in the US and overseas. So seek out one who has either done many PAE procedures or one that has done many UFE procedures (female procedure, for fibroids).

There is a new technology just hitting the market for IR's who do PAE. I think it is called Magellan but may be wrong. It allows IR's to see much better, guide much more effectively, and use even smaller catheters for the procedure. I know Dr Steve Smith in Chicago area is looking at getting one for his 7 hospital and clinic practice. You all might want to inquire about this. My belief is that while the device is not a requirement, it makes four much more precise/accurate work and does so more quickly than without it. I might be able to send a few pics if I can get app-rival and also figure out how to add them to this blog post. The new device may be called Sensei,......

Who was your Doctor ? And how long do you hold yourself during the day

before having to go,

Jack

I'm in the process of appealing.  I do know that it is often covered for hematuria (urine in blood).  It seems that most carriers deny for BPH.  It is ridiculous and I think it will be covered in the near future.  It's an uphill battle at present.  good luck!

Hello Greg, I had mine done with Dr Isaacson on Jan 26th and BCBS of TN gave us a prior approval, and have already paid the hospital portion of the bill. Dr Isaacson said this is the first time a private carrier like this has agreed to cover it. So hopefully things are changing.

I did have quite a lot of documentation from My regular doc, plus 2 urologists thst had recommended turp type surgery, and I submitted all of that prior to having the procedure. 

Hope thst helps.

To all readers:  

I received a call from Northwestern University because of prior interest in their clinical trial for PAE.  It is still open.  The great news is that the trial is now funded so if you have private insurance, no worries because it is covered.  The cost would normally be $15000.  That includes the procedure, two MRIs, and examinations.  You would have to pay outside expenses such as getting there and lodging.  There is no overnight stay for the PAE itself.  The trial has a nice model. No PAE vs TURP where you are randomly chosed for one.  If you are interested, private message me for the contact information.  I reviewed many clinical trials earlier and this one was up at the top.

Hi Greg-

I had the PAE done in mid February (by Dr. Bagla at VIV in Woodbridge VA).  No big problems since.  I did have about 10 days of prostate area discomfort afterward (not real pain), but no noticable bleeding.  No infectionss or sexual problems. Now getting up a lot less at night (down to 1-2x) and less urgency during the day.  That took about a week.  Overall, pretty happy with the result.

Insurance (provided by my wife's Federal job) covered their share of the first bill with no argument.  Just got the paperwork.  The insurance allowed about $12K (of 21K billed) and paid most of that (my costs will be about 4K plus hotel and travel).  Don't know yet whether there will be a separate bill from VIV.  The medical records from my urologist, submitted to insurance to justify doing the procedure, pretty much just showed bad prostate hypertrophy, and associated symptoms.  So maybe it is getting easier to get this operation paid for.   

Hi KMD, That is encouraging to know...It seems like it should be a covered event.  I will keep pushing for it.. thanks for letting me know... Greg

I am wondering if this trial is still open. I am very interested. Next month scheduled for TURP. Nothing beside TURP was mentioned to me. I am 51 and have problem with BPH.

Don't get the TURP!

I second ss3234's comment.  My previous urologist was all for doing a TURP and I got the distinct impression is was easy money for him. I read up on the side effects (risks of permanent incontinence and impotence) and decided it wasn't for me.  I have a good friend who had green laser treatment and it was six months before he regained continence.

I eventually found PAE and it has cured my symptoms with no side effects.  The only problem I had was the day after the procedure I had a temperature and shakes for about an hour as my body got rid of the dying cells.  No pain, no bleeding, just relief.

Roseland, I third it. I am a fairly passionate advocate of PAE after it cured my BPH symptoms with no side effects. I also had the hood fortune to be in the lucky 30% of PAE patients who report improved sexual function. 

Why am I so passionate? No, I don't get a spotters fee but like Roseland I was reccomended TURP by a urologist. Once I researched the procedure I was horrified. Cutting and bleeding, significant recovery time and a significant chance of permanent incontinence and impotence. I wouldn't wish  that on my worst enemy. I'm just trying to help guys not make the worst decision of their life. 

When I get negative responses from some I'm tempted to say....Stuff it....let them get butchered, and shut my account down. But then I think that if I can help one person get their life back it's worth it. A lot of guys here helped me a lot before I had my PAE. I feel an obligation to help others because of that. 

Great news John!  I'm interested in knowing whether you had an enlarged median lobe before the procedure.

Hi John, Glad this worked out for you. I've had 2 GL lasers and a turp in the last 4 years and have been on avodart for the last 4 months or so.  Although I have no symptoms and am emptying completely at this time, I'm on the avodart to keep my prostate from growing. Back in Nov. it was measured with an ultrasound at 203g. I have the PAE on my radar as a way other than avodart to stop it from growing.

How long were you on the Avodart? Did the avodart shrink yur prostate? If your prostate was  greater than 150g., was this prior to the PAE? And do you have plans to measure it in the future to keep track of the size?

Thanks.

Bob,

Good questions about Avodart. I was on this for about 5 years and frankly I don’t know if I had any benefit from it.  I had had this discussion with my urologist whom also could not quantify its effects.

My prostate did not shrink but maybe growth was slowed somewhat. I never felt the Avodart improved my condition.

Major side effect I experienced from Avodart was reduced libido.

I was also on rapaflow, which had immediate effects and certainly helped.

Avodart is a slow working medication making it difficult judge its effects.

I have not had my prostate measured post PAE. I will do this soon.

Hi John, Thanks for the reply. What I have read about avodart is that it reduces the prostate about 25% over 6 months then maintains that size. The problem being it only works as long as you take it. If your prostate was 150g+ after the avodart, it must have been 200g+ like mine. Prior to my turp 11months ago, mine was 300g. The scary part is that this was after two GL laser procedures in 18 mos. in which about 100g was supposedly removed. My uro seemed fairly blase about the size just saying my prostate grew like a weed. That's when I asked him to give me an rx for an ultrasound to measure it at 6 month intervals. I had the first one in Nov. (203g.) I'll have the next one in May. 

I'd be very interested to hear the reduction in your prostate following the PAE. I have read of 25% to 30% reductions in 6 months.

I never realized a prostate could grow that big and keep growing, so I decided to get a baseline number and continue to monitor the size, even though my bph symptoms are taken care of.

John65366 I flew from Texas to Virgina last week and we met with Dr. Bagala. He is a very informed and experienced doctor. I am wondering how you are doing NOW? i am still scared of this but need it. My prostate volume is 130cc. Have never cathetered but afraid I am heading there. Did you have any retrograde ejaculation issues as a few people are now reporting that and I was surprized by that report.