News
New laser device a first for brisbane
Dec 22, 2020
Brisbane men who need surgery for an enlarged prostate can now undergo a minimally-invasive procedure using a special laser at Greenslopes Private Hospital.
Greenslopes’ new high powered (140W) Holmium Laser is the only one in Brisbane, and can be used to perform Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) for patients suffering from an enlarged prostate (known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH).
Dr Ano Navaratnam is fellowship trained in HoLEP through the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and said he was thrilled to be able to offer this treatment to men in Brisbane for the first time.
“HoLEP was first performed in New Zealand 20 years ago and has been available in all other capital cities in Australia except Brisbane. This is potentially a real game changer for patients in Brisbane and offers a great option for men with large prostates that they haven’t had access to before,” Dr Navaratnam said.
“HoLEP is a minimally-invasive operation to remove prostate tissue which is blocking the flow of urine out of the bladder.
“Using this technique, there are no incisions, there’s less bleeding and transfusion risk because we’re using a laser and it’s a very durable operation. The re-treatment rates at 10 years are less than 4% compared to 15-20% for other endoscopic procedures,” he said.
Dr Navaratnam said Greenslopes Private Hospital continues to be a pioneer in the field of urology.
“Fifteen years ago it was the first private hospital in Queensland to buy the da Vinci robot to treat prostate cancer, and now it’s the first to offer the high powered Holmium Laser to enable us to do HoLEP. It just shows Greenslopes continues to invest in technology that enables the best care for patients,” he said.
Dr Navaratnam said another advantage for patients is HoLEP usually requires only an overnight catheter and stay in hospital which is much shorter than other procedures for enlarged prostates.
Dr Navaratnam is a consultant urologist with Brisbane Urology Clinic and operates regularly at Greenslopes Private Hospital