📖 Our Prostate Centre
The Prostate Embolization Centre at Cochin AP-HP specialises in prostate artery embolization (PAE) — a minimally invasive alternative to surgery (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). PAE reduces prostate volume by selectively blocking its blood supply via a catheter inserted through the femoral artery, under local anaesthesia, as an outpatient procedure.
Key advantages over TURP: no general anaesthesia, no urinary catheter, no retrograde ejaculation, and same-day discharge. Efficacy: 80–85% improvement in IPSS score. Fully reimbursed by French national health insurance. No patient fees.
| Criterion | PAE (Cochin) | TURP (surgery) |
|---|---|---|
| Anaesthesia | Local ✓ | General/spinal |
| Ejaculation preserved | Yes ✓ | No (60–90% retrograde) |
| Hospital stay | Outpatient ✓ | 2–4 days |
| Recovery | 48h ✓ | 3–6 weeks |
| IPSS improvement | 80–85% | 90–95% (gold std) |
| Reimbursement | 100% ✓ | 100% ✓ |