By Maryanne Matthews

A new prostate surgery method is improving care for patients and families in Northwestern Ontario. Dr. Hazem Elmansy, a urologist at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, is one of few urologists in the world able to perform the specialized surgery, and the only one in Ontario.

The modern procedure is called holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and is used to treat men with urinary outflow obstruction caused by an enlarged prostate. Compared to the traditional method, this procedure is less invasive and more precise, which means patients are discharged sooner, have a much shorter recovery time and the chance or requiring further surgery is very low.

“Since beginning to offer the surgery in October, we’ve had really great success in treating otherwise difficult cases,” says Dr. Elmansy. “There is a high need for this type of surgery and being able to perform it here in Thunder Bay is of great benefit to patients across Northwestern Ontario. So far, patient satisfaction has been exceptional.”

The HoLEP technique is very specialized and difficult to learn, but Dr. Elmansy is hoping to increase the number of capable urologists by starting a fellowship program. He’s hoping to work with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to train more doctors, thus increasing the number of patients who can benefit from the procedure.

For more information about HoLEP, patients and health care providers can contact Dr. Elmansy directly: http://www.tbrhsc.net/tbrhsc/medical-staff-directory/. For more information about services and surgeries offered at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, visit www.tbhrsc.net.

Maryanne Matthews is a Communications Officer at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.