The aim of insertion of prostatic urethral lift implants for lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia is to secure the prostatic lobes in retracted positions such that the lumen of the urethra is increased. The procedure is designed to cause less tissue injury than surgical resection or thermal ablation, and it is claimed to reduce the risk of complications such as sexual dysfunction and incontinence.
The procedure is undertaken transurethrally with the patient under local or general anaesthesia. A pre-loaded delivery device is passed through a rigid sheath under cystoscopic visualisation. The delivery device is used to compress one lateral lobe of the prostate in an anterolateral direction towards the prostatic capsule. A needle is then advanced through the lobe and capsule, and a monofilament implant with 2 end pieces is deployed. One end of the implant is anchored in the urethra and the other on the outer surface of the prostatic capsule, retracting the prostatic lobe away from the urethral lumen. Multiple implants are usually inserted during the same procedure.