Prostate Artery Embolization has been in practice for over 7 years. Jafar Golzarian, M.D. and the team at University of Minnesota Medical Center were the first team in the U.S. to perform this procedure in 2012 with excellent results.

Prostate Artery Embolization (PAE) is an outpatient, interventional radiology procedure done under moderate sedation requiring a catheter, a small, thin tube, to be placed into a femoral (groin) or radial (arm) artery. The catheter is threaded through the artery on both sides of the enlarged prostate gland. Once in place, the prostate arteries are blocked to reduce blood flow to the prostate. This allows the prostate to shrink and the symptoms to lessen or stop entirely.

Traditional treatments for BPH include both medication and surgical options, both of which are associated with some unwanted side effects; including decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and postoperative pain. PAE offers a treatment option that is effective and has a very low risk of side effects, when compared with either medication or surgical options. Ideal candidates for PAE are men over 50 years who have had moderate to severe BPH symptoms for at least six months.