Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate, is a condition that affects nearly 50 percent of men over age 60 and up to 90 percent over age 80. Building upon advanced urologic care provided through Yale New Haven Health and Yale School of Medicine (YSM), Greenwich Hospital recently performed its first Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) procedure, expanding the state-of-the-art procedure to patients in Fairfield and Westchester counties.
HoLEP is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a high-powered holmium laser to remove excess prostate tissue that causes urinary obstruction, offering a long-lasting solution with fewer complications and shorter recovery times compared to traditional surgical options.
The surgery at Greenwich Hospital was conducted by Christopher Bednarz, MD, urologic surgeon, Greenwich Hospital, and assistant professor of Urology, YSM.
“This is a game-changer for patients in our community,” said Michael Karellas, MD, director, Western Region, Department of Urology, Yale New Haven Health; chief of Urology, Greenwich Hospital; and assistant professor of Urology, YSM. “HoLEP allows for a more complete removal of problematic prostate tissue, reduces the risk of retreatment and significantly improves quality of life.”
The expansion to Greenwich was spearheaded by the Yale Medicine Urology team and its director Daniel Kellner, MD, associate professor of Urology, YSM. Yale Urology performed the first HoLEP procedure in Connecticut in 2019.
Collectively, Dr. Kellner and his team have performed over 1,800 HoLEP procedures, making Yale Urology one of the busiest HoLEP teams in the US.
“Introducing HoLEP in Greenwich is a testament to the strength of our integrated urology program,” said Isaac Y. Kim, MD, PhD, chief of Urology, YNHHS, and chair of Urology, YSM, “We’re proud to see this level of innovation expanding across our health system.”
