Microwave device treats enlarged prostates faster, safer and effectively
as surgery
28 May 2005
San Antonio, Texas USA. Prostalund, Inc., a Swedish developer and
manufacturer of medical devices, today announced its unique CoreTherm
medical device that utilizes minimally invasive, temperature-controlled,
microwave thermotherapy to treat an enlarged prostate (BPH: benign prostatic
hyperplasia), which affects millions of men in the U.S.
CoreTherm effectively treats patients in 10-15 minutes, produces results
equivalent to surgery, and is safer than surgery with significantly fewer
serious adverse events. Because CoreTherm only requires a local anaesthetic
and is administered on an outpatient basis, it is especially beneficial for
patients at greater risk for a surgical procedure requiring general
anaesthesia.
CoreTherm received FDA approval in 2003 and has successfully treated
approximately 15,000 patients worldwide. It is now available to hospitals,
clinics, and physicians in the U.S. and Canadian markets.
"CoreTherm is the most advanced, effective treatment for BPH available
today. It provides patients with maximum positive results with minimal risk
or discomfort," stated Magnus Bolmsjö, founder and CEO of ProstaLund AB.
"Physicians like CoreTherm because it allows them treat a greater number of
patients in a shorter amount of time, thus making the biggest improvement to
their patient's conditions and quality of life."
About the problem (Benign prostate hyperplasia — enlarged prostate)
Virtually every other man over the age of 50 will over time be affected
by urination problems due to benign prostate hyperplasia, BPH. This
condition causes troublesome symptoms and anxiety that adversely affects
quality of life for millions of men around the world. Addressing the BPH
problem often becomes a choice between surgery, a minimally invasive
procedure or symptom-controlling medication.
In the past few years, a new type of minimally invasive methods to treat
BPH have become the treatment of choice for more and more patients. These
minimally invasive methods involve the use of microwave thermotherapy to
reduce the size of the prostate. Prostalund's CoreTherm method utilizes its
own innovative technologies to provide temperature feedback and control
during the procedure in order to produce better results.
About CoreTherm
CoreTherm's unique features and patented design make it the most advanced
minimally invasive procedure available today for the treatment of BPH. No
other minimally invasive, microwave thermotherapy devices have these
capabilities.
Best results equivalent to surgery: CoreTherm is the only minimally
invasive microwave thermotherapy device that consistently reduces patient
symptoms from severe to mild — similar to surgery. Other minimally invasive
procedures only reduce the symptoms from severe to moderate.
Safer than surgery/fewer serious adverse events: In a 12-month follow up
of a randomized multi-center study involving 146 patients, 17% of patients
undergoing TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate) experienced a
serious adverse event while only 2% of the CoreTherm patients experienced a
serious adverse event. This study is available upon request.
Accurate monitoring of intraprostatic temperature: By accurately
monitoring the temperature of the prostate during the procedure, physicians
can observe the condition of the patient's prostate and real-time effects of
the treatment in progress. Without this monitoring, patients are frequently
(up to 40%) under treated, which leads to less than optimal results or even
the need to be treated again in the future.
Adjustable Microwave Power/Temperature Control: CoreTherm allows the
physician to precisely adjust the temperature to treat each individual
patient's condition. This control is important because it reduces the
chances the prostate is either over treated or under treated.
Fastest treatment time: CoreTherm treats patients in 10-15 minutes, while
other microwave thermotherapy devices require 30-60 minutes of treatment.
Patients greatly appreciate this benefit. Surgery requires an overnight
hospital stay and administration of a general anesthetic.
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