Patients who have difficulty urinating due to an enlarged prostate can now get treatment and go home the same day thanks to a new “green light” laser treatment used by urologists at Chilliwack General Hospital.
The GreenLight XPS™ by American Medical Systems is a specialized medical laser that is used to treat patients who are experiencing difficulty urinating because an enlarged prostate gland narrows the urethra and makes it difficult for the urine to pass.
Laser therapy has been in use for the treatment of an enlarged prostate for some time, but one of the major drawbacks has been that this procedure takes longer than traditional non-laser treatment. The new generation of green light lasers allows the procedure to be performed as quickly as the traditional treatment, without requiring a hospital stay. The laser is used to vaporize the prostate gland, thereby opening up the urethra and allowing it to pass urine more normally.
Chilliwack General Hospital was the first hospital in the province to use the new XPS system for the GreenLight Laser, which is twice as fast as the older technology.
“My patients can now go home the same day; whereas before they needed one or two days of recovery in the hospital. Also, the risk of bleeding with this technology is quite minimal,” says Dr. Saul Goodman, urologist at Chilliwack General Hospital.
The GreenLight laser equipment cost approximately $150,000 and was acquired through funds provided by the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation.
“The foundation welcomed the opportunity to partner with the Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary and Service League to fund this state-of-the-art equipment, which allows patients to be treated in a minimally invasive way and return to normal activities in a more timely manner,” said Vicki Raw, Executive Director, Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation.