Background: Prostatic artery embolization (PAE) has been performed for a few years, but there is no report on PAE using the PErFecTED technique outside from the team that initiated this approach.
Objective: This single-center retrospective open label study reports our experience and clinical results on patients suffering from symptomatic BPH, who underwent PAE aiming at using the PErFecTED technique.
Materials and methods: We treated 32 consecutive patients, mean age 65 (52-84 years old) between December 2013 and January 2015. Patients were referred for PAE after failure of medical treatment and refusal or contra-indication to surgery. They were treated using the PErFecTED technique, when feasible, with 300-500 µm calibrated microspheres (two-night hospital stay or outpatient procedure). Follow-up was performed at 3, 6, and 12 months.
Results: We had a 100% immediate technical success of embolization (68% of feasibility of the PErFecTED technique) with no immediate complications. After a mean follow-up of 7.7 months, we observed a 78% rate of clinical success. Mean IPSS decreased from 15.3 to 4.2 (p = .03), mean QoL from 5.4 to 2 (p = .03), mean Qmax increased from 9.2 to 19.2 (p = .25), mean prostatic volume decreased from 91 to 62 (p = .009) mL. There was no retrograde ejaculation and no major complication.
Conclusion: PAE using the PErFecTED technique is a safe and efficient technique to treat bothersome LUTS related to BPH. It is of interest to note that the PErFecTED technique cannot be performed in some cases for anatomical reasons.