With the Greenlight Laser device LASER light energy is applied to the tissues. The laser energy is so powerful that wherever it “touches” the tissue, the water in the cells instantly vaporizes and destroys the cells. One can actually see the vapor bubbles appearing as the tissue disappears. In this fashion a cavity can be created in the prostate gland in order to improve urine flow from the bladder. This can help with prostate cancer treatment.
At the same time, hemoglobin (the main active ingredient in red blood cells) absorbs the laser energy well and therefore the laser tends to stop bleeding, making the procedure often almost bloodless. One problem that many other laser devices have is that the energy penetrates deeply into the tissues causing sloughing and a long lasting burning sensation. The Greenlight Laser only penetrates superficially and minimizes those problems.
The procedure is usually done on an outpatient basis, meaning you go home the same day. Depending on circumstances, the patient is sent home either without a catheter, or with a catheter for only a few days.
Who is eligible for the procedure?
The Greenlight Laser procedure is intended to be performed on those men who have persistent symptoms of an enlarged prostate in spite of treatment with medications, or for those who do not tolerate the medications well, or those who don’t want to use the medications.
It is Dr. Lotenfoe’s experience that men tend to live with symptoms for a long time in an effort to avoid surgery and possible complications such as loss of urinary control and erectile dysfunction. In recent studies the Greenlight Laser procedure has similar improvements and longevity of improvement as the Golden Standard TURP (scraping of the prostate), but with less side effects, less blood loss and shorter hospital stay. There was no discernible worsening in erectile function, and loss of urinary control (urinary incontinence) was less than 2 percent.
Why choose Dr. Lotenfoe?
Dr. Lotenfoe is a well trained, well experienced Urologist who has been a Diplomat of the American Board of Urology and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons for more than 15 years. He started doing the procedure many years ago when it was still relatively new with first generation equipment. In the mean time he has done several hundred procedures with the second generation HPS and third generation XPS models. Dr. Lotenfoe is so experienced with the procedure, and has shown the necessary skill that he has been designated as a proctor for the procedure by the manufacturer, meaning that he teaches other urologists to do the procedure.
If you have any questions or want more information about the procedure and to see if you are a candidate, we recommend that you schedule a consultation with Dr. Lotenfoe. We have offices conveniently located in Celebration, Winter Haven and Poinciana. To schedule a consultation, please call (407) 566-1105.