Prostate artery embolization (PAE)
Shrinking the prostate by closing its supply.
Prostate artery embolisation treats an enlarged prostate by reducing its blood supply through a pinhole in the wrist or groin. Urinary flow improves over weeks, without an incision or an instrument passed through the urinary passage.
What patients call it
Prostate treatment without surgery
At a glance
- What it does
- Shrinking the prostate by closing its supply.
- Used for
- Enlarged prostate (BPH) · Weak urine flow and night-time waking · Catheter dependence from BPH
- How it is done
- An enlarged prostate presses on the urethra and rules the day by the hour. → A microcatheter is navigated into the prostatic arteries from a single wrist or groin puncture. → Tiny particles are released, reducing blood supply to the gland.
- Recovery
- Procedure: Day 0 -Wrist or groin puncture; particles released. Same day or overnight stay. · Day 1: Discharged and light activity.
Used for
- — Enlarged prostate (BPH)
- — Weak urine flow and night-time waking
- — Catheter dependence from BPH
Symptoms & Causes
Symptoms
- — Frequent urination
- — Weak stream
- — Nocturia
Common Causes
- — Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Diagnosis & Treatment
How it is diagnosed
- — PSA test
- — Ultrasound
- — Uroflowmetry
The Procedure
- — Prostate artery embolization
Recovery & Benefits
- Procedure: Day 0 -Wrist or groin puncture; particles released. Same day or overnight stay.
- Day 1: Discharged and light activity.
- 1 Week: Return to work / routine activity.
- 1-3 Months: Symptoms improve; follow-up imaging and normal life.
Procedure sequence
- 01
An enlarged prostate presses on the urethra and rules the day by the hour.
- 02
A microcatheter is navigated into the prostatic arteries from a single wrist or groin puncture.
- 03
Tiny particles are released, reducing blood supply to the gland.
- 04
Over weeks the gland softens and shrinks, and the stream improves.
- 05
Sexual function is preserved. No catheter through the urethra, no resection.
Questions patients ask
Does prostate embolisation affect sexual function?+
Unlike some surgical options, it carries a low risk of retrograde ejaculation and does not typically affect erectile function.