By the time they hit their 60th birthdays, half of all men will have a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or bph. It's a natural enlargement of the prostate gland that happens as you age. Treatment can be as simple as daily medication or as invasive as open surgery. Now doctors at mayo clinic are using a new laser technique to relieve symptoms for many men.

Almost every day, Richard Dooley hops on the four-wheeler to enjoy the outdoors, "I just love getting out in the woods." Richard is 74, and like most men his age, he began to notice symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, or bph. He says the main one was, "when you got to go, you got to go," frequent urination.
"it wasn't that bad, but i wanted to do something about it before it got bad."

So he went to mayo clinic for treatment. Dr. Amy Krambeck says Dooley had what is probably the most innovative procedure available called holmium laser inucleation or holep. Dr. Krambeck says other laser techniques also remove excess tissue, but not as much as holep, so there's a chance it could grow back. This newer procedure removes almost all of the prostate tissue, so results may last longer. "When you remove more tissue you're setting the patient up for long term success. So even if they have regrowth of the prostate, the odds are they're not going to have enough regrowth to have blockage again."

The procedure seems to be just as effective as standard surgery, but without big incisions and with less bleeding. Here's how it works: With the patient under general anesthesia, Dr. Krambeck inserts a scope to the urethra, prostate and bladder. Using the holmium laser, she removes and then extracts prostate tissue, relieving symptoms. Richard is now symptom free, and can ride his 4-wheeler without making any frequent stops.