| TUNA Procedure Offered |
Posted: May 10, 1999 |
A New Non-Surgical Treatment for Prostate Problems Introduced by Little Company of Mary Hospital (5/10/99)
Torrance, CA � Little Company of Mary Hospital is the only hospital in the South Bay to offer a new procedure to help men overcome prostate problems. The treatment is called Transurethral Needle Ablation (TUNA), and it can help thousands of men who suffer from prostate enlargement, also known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).
TUNA offers relief without surgery. What makes TUNA such an attractive alternative is that it virtually eliminates post-operative complications, such as impotence and incontinence. Patients receive local anesthesia and mild sedation, but no hospital stay is required.
Urologist James Mollenkamp has performed this procedure more than a dozen times and believes the results are comparable to surgery.
"Since TUNA is a minimally-invasive procedure, it can be performed in less than an hour. Most men return to their normal lives within one day of treatment," said Mollenkamp.
Because the TUNA procedure takes place in one day and requires no hospital stay, the cost is 35 percent to 50 percent less than a full surgical prostate procedure.
TUNA has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and hundreds of doctors around the country have used it successfully.
Enlarged prostate is common among men 50 years and older. Studies show that 50 percent of men in their 50's suffer from this problem, and that 80 percent of men 85 years and older have the condition. |
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