How Many Years Does Prostate Artery Embolization Last?

Prostatic artery embolization, or PAE, is a new, FDA-approved treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, or an enlarged prostrate. It offers relief from Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS), without medications or invasive surgery. As a result, it’s an increasingly popular treatment for men who aren’t eligible for surgery, who prefer to avoid an operation, or who haven’t found relief from other treatment options. But how many years does prostate artery embolization last? Keep reading to find out.

What is PAE?

PAE is a minimally invasive procedure performed via cather, and inserted through a small puncture in your groin. Next, the catheter is guided toward the artery that supplies blood to your prostate. Once in place, we deposit tiny particles to plug the artery and block blood flow to the most impacted areas of your prostate. Following your procedure, your prostate will shrink over the course of several months. And, by the time six months have passed, it should have shrunk by up to 40% in size, resulting in significant relief from symptoms such as difficulty passing urine.

Because the procedure is minimally invasive, you won’t need general anesthesia. Instead, we’ll provide IV medications to keep you calm and comfortable. This allows you to go home on the same day as your procedure. And it means you can avoid an overnight hospital stay.

How many years does prostate artery embolization last?

As we just explained, it can take up to six months for you to experience the full benefits of a PAE procedure. (Although improvements should be noticeable within one to two months of the procedure.) Now, at that six month mark, approximately 80% of patients will have achieved satisfactory relief. But, once achieved, how long will the relief last?  

Well, here’s the story. PAE is a relatively new treatment option for an enlarged prostate. As such, we don’t have enough long term data to conclusively answer how long PAE results last. What we do know, however, is that current studies show PAE procedure results last for a minimum of 3-4 years. And, as we conduct further studies, we may find that they last even longer than that.

Ready to find relief from urinary frequency, night-time waking, and the other unwanted effects of an enlarged prostate? We’re here to help! Click here to request an appointment with the Texas Prostate Institute, and find out for yourself how many years does prostate artery embolization last!