Though men tend to be reluctant patients, when something unusual is going on “down there,” it’s important for them to seek treatment.

The acronym BPH likely means nothing to the average male aged 40 or younger, but those three letters become significantly more important as a man ages. Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH), or an enlarged prostate, is present in the majority of men over age 40. The most common symptom of BPH is frequent urination, more often occurring at night. As the prostate enlarges, it puts pressure on the urethra. Like a garden hose with a kink, the urine can’t flow properly through the urethra, making the bladder muscles work harder to push the urine through.

The symptoms : Over time, the man’s bladder may begin to contract even when only a small amount of urine is present. The pressure on the urethra may also cause him to linger in front of the urinal waiting to go, and when it finally starts, he may find it takes a lot longer to empty his bladder.

According Dr. Kevin Mcvary, SIU urologist, medications such as prostate-shrinking pills can help those with bothersome BPH symptoms. However, Dr. McVary says that improvement is often temporary and symptoms will recur.

The next step: surgery. One of the more common surgeries involves shrinking the prostate tissue by blasting it with a laser or electricity while the patient is under general anesthesia.

Vapor therapy is a new, minimally invasive type of therapy now offered at SIU in a phase 2 clinical trial. Unlike the traditional surgeries for BPH, vapor therapy is an in-office procedure done with the patient under local anesthesia.

Here’s how it works: A camera scope is passed up the urethra and a tiny needle goes into the prostate. It delivers a drop of vapor (steam), rather than using laser or electricity to ablate the tissue. “Its heat destroys a large volume of prostate cells quickly, without creating a big mass effect,” Dr. McVary says. “It’s so fast that the patients can’t feel it. It may prove to be a big improvement over other therapies.”

Men who are interested in learning more about treatment of BPH can contact SIU’s Division of Urology at 217-545-8000.

Read our latest edition of aspects magazine to learn more about the ways SIU is helping men toward optimum health.

Watch videos of SIU urologists discussing men’s health topics here.