Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Treated Entirely by Unilateral Prostate Artery Embolization

Abstract

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is a minimally invasive, safe, and effective treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. PAE can often be technically challenging due to atherosclerosis and tortuous anatomy, leading to failure of catheterizing one side of prostatic supply, resulting in unilateral PAE, which markedly reduces clinical success. Major anastomosis between both prostatic halves can be exploited for embolizing the entire prostate from a unilateral approach when one side cannot be catheterized. If this anastomosis is extensive enough, clinical success is assumed to be equivalent to bilateral PAE. There is a limited number of published cases in this regard; our case report shows how to detect and exploit this anastomosis.

Keywords

• benign prostatic hyperplasia
• lower urinary tract symptoms
• proximal embolization first then embolize distal (perfected)
• prostate
• prostate artery embolization