Many men, for whom TherMatrx microwave thermotherapy treatment has been suggested to relieve the annoying symptoms caused by their benign prostate enlargement, want to know whether or not such treatment, once done, would make them unable to have any other treatment, or use any drug, or undergo any surgery in the future. The answer is absolutely not.
Fortunately, for the great majority of patients who undergo microwave thermotherapy, no further treatment is needed. This modern non-surgical treatment performed in the office, requires no hospitalization or general anesthesia, involves no cutting or removal of tissue and no blood loss. It is most definitely not a “one-way road.”
The internal and external anatomy of the genitals and prostate remain intact so there is no interference in the patient’s sex life. After treatment, there is a steady and gradual improvement in the patient’s urinary pattern.
The familiar symptoms of a slow, split stream requiring straining or pushing, urgency resulting in a rush to the toilet with occasional embarrassing urinary incontinence, frequency, hesitancy, interrupted stream, dribbling toward the end of urination, a feeling of incomplete emptying and getting up at night to urinate are the symptoms most often listed by the patient suffering with this troublesome condition.
Not every patient has each and every one of these symptoms all the time. Some symptoms may be present and some not. Some may be present only occasionally, some less than half the time, some about half the time, some more than half the time and some every time the patient urinates.
The severity of the symptoms is measured by calculating the Prostate Symptom Score, obtained by determining how “often” each symptom occurs and assigning a value for the frequency of occurrence of each symptom. The sum total of all the values gives the total score. A normal score is zero, meaning that the patient never has any of the symptoms. The worst possible score is 35 meaning that the patient has every symptom every time he urinates and gets up at least five times a night to urinate.
A total score of from one to nine is indicative of mild symptoms of prostatism, 10 to 19 indicates moderately severe symptoms and 20 or more indicates severe symptoms.
Even patients not in good enough condition to undergo anesthesia or prostate surgery can easily tolerate the TherMatrx treatment. Since the treatment is not surgical and the results are so beneficial, many patients have happily commented that, “It’s like having an operation but without the operation.”
Whatever the patient may need in the years ahead, whether of a medical or a surgical nature for whatever condition he may develop, there is no concern whatsoever that having first undergone a TherMatrx treatment will interfere with whatever proper, appropriate and timely care may be required by his condition at some time in the future.
Have a question? Call Dr. Okun at 718-241-6767
