UroLift (prostatic urethral lift)

How UroLift works

A delivery tool is passed along the urethra and positioned at the level of the prostate. Typically 4-6 small metal tabs on a suture are deployed, anchoring the prostate lateral lobes to the capsule and opening the urinary channel. The procedure can be performed under light anaesthesia and often as a day-stay. No tissue is removed, so there is no specimen for pathology.

Who UroLift suits

• Men with a small-to-medium prostate, typically under 80 cc.
• Men in the original FDA label without a significant median lobe (newer indications now allow selected median-lobe anatomy).
• Men for whom preservation of antegrade ejaculation is particularly important.

UroLift vs HoLEP

• Mechanism. UroLift holds the prostate open; HoLEP removes the obstructing tissue.
• Size range. UroLift is limited to small-to-medium glands; HoLEP is size-agnostic.^{4, 5}
• Ejaculation. Usually preserved with UroLift; usually not with HoLEP.¹⁵
• Symptom relief. HoLEP produces a larger improvement in flow rate and IPSS in published comparisons, and maintains that advantage long-term.
• Durability. Retreatment rates with UroLift rise over 5-10 years, with perhaps one in five men proceeding to another BPH operation by 5 years.