Recovering from Prostatic Artery Embolisation: What to Expect

What is Prostatic Artery Embolisation?

Prostatic Artery Embolisation (PAE) is an innovative, minimally invasive procedure used to help improve lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) caused by benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) – a condition resulting in the enlargement of the prostate.

Following sedation, a tiny tube is inserted into the femoral artery via the groin area and guided into the prostate arteries using X-rays. This tube can also be inserted via the radial artery in the wrist, which allows for quicker mobilisation post-procedure and discharge from the hospital.

It is then used to deliver tiny particles which embolise (block) the arteries, reducing blood flow to the prostate and causing it to decrease in size in the days, weeks, and months following the procedure. You may feel some minor burning sensations during treatment, but this is normal and rarely too painful. The entire procedure generally lasts 2-3 hours.

Recovering from Prostatic Artery Embolisation: What to Expect

After the Procedure

Following the procedure, you will need to remain in the hospital for up to two hours for a radial procedure and six hours for a femoral procedure.

Before you can be discharged you’ll need to be able to urinate, and do so under your own strength by using a urinal. This is to ensure the effects of the anesthesia have worn off and there were no complications from the procedure. 

At Home

Because PAE is not a surgical treatment, you won’t find immediate relief from symptoms (this is one of the few times where a minimally invasive option is not as beneficial as surgery) and you may still feel discomfort or a burning sensation during urination for upto 10 days. This is completely normal and expected, and is actually a good sign.

You’ll need to refrain from strenuous activities for about a week. This includes heavy lifting and sexual intercourse. Most men can engage in light exercise such as walking, but anything more than this should be avoided. 

Other than this, though, you’ll be able to get back to usual activities the day after your procedure, such as work (depending on the nature of your work, of course).

It’s important to monitor your overall health while recovering, which can take up to 10 days. You should take any medication as prescribed, drink plenty of water and fluids and consume a healthy diet.

You may find the urge to urinate is more frequent following the procedure, and that there is a greater sense of urgency - again these are normal responses to PAE.

What to Look For

As with many medical procedures, you’ll need to keep an eye on things to prevent any unnecessary complications from arising. The following are some common signs that you need to seek medical advice:

General Health

• Consistent fever that lasts more than a day,
• Abdominal pain or cramping that pain medication doesn’t relieve,
• Severe nausea and vomiting,
• Bleeding at the incision site,
• Changes to the groin area.

If you have any of these symptoms you should call your local GP or specialist. Contact emergency services if you are having these symptoms combined with an inability to urinate, or if you can only manage a dribble or urine.

Wound Care

When it comes to wound care, look for the following:

• Pain at the incision site,
• Redness around the wound,
• Drainage from the site,
• Calf tenderness or pain,
• Tingling or numbness in the leg or foot,
• Swelling of the ankle or foot,
• Increased bruising near the incision,
•  Colour change of your leg.

If you experience or notice any of these symptoms, contact your GP or specialist and let them know.

Bleeding

Bleeding from the wound is serious and needs to be dealt with immediately. If you notice a small amount of blood or drainage from the site, take the following steps:

• Lie down flat. If possible, call your GP or specialist immediately. If this is not possible, continue with the following steps and then call them.
• Apply firm pressure to the site for around 20 minutes. Use a clean, dry cloth or tissue. 
• After 20 minutes the bleeding should have stopped and the wound site be dry.
• If you cannot stop the bleeding, or the bleeding gets worse, apply hard pressure and call emergency services immediately.

Follow Up Appointments

After a month you’ll have a follow up appointment with your specialist to check on your progress. In many cases this can be done with a phone call or Zoom meeting, but it’s not uncommon to have an in-person meeting either. 

Full relief of symptoms of BPH can take up to 6 months, but you’ll find that you are feeling better after a few weeks, depending on how severe your symptoms were to begin with.

Tips for Post-Procedure 

While PAE does have a success rate of over 95%, it is still important that you make any possible changes you can to help improve your prostate health and ensure you keep symptoms at bay.

Most men will benefit from making changes in 3 key areas: diet, exercise and stress relief. Some common tips you can follow include:

• Cutting back on alcohol and caffeine, especially in the afternoon and evening.
• Reducing your intake of red meat.
• Increasing your intake of leafy greens.
• Exercising at least 3 times a week, for 30 minutes, at a level sufficient to build up a sweat.
• Quit smoking.
• Reduce your stress.

For a detailed list of things you can do to improve your symptoms you can visit our blog.