For men whose swollen prostate makes passing urine difficult, the usual answer has been surgery that cuts tissue away. Kauvery Hospital Radial Road in Chennai has now introduced a different route, Rezūm Water Vapor Therapy, which uses heat from water vapour to shrink the enlarged tissue instead of removing it.

Chennai, November 10, 2026: The hospital says the treatment for benign prostate enlargement is currently performed only at its Radial Road centre within the Kauvery network, by Dr Shivraj Barathkumar, clinical lead for uro-oncology. Rezūm originated in the United States.

Benign prostate enlargement can cause frequent urination, difficulty emptying the bladder and, in severe cases, urinary retention, where a person cannot pass urine at all. Standard surgical options such as Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) and laser enucleation remove the overgrown tissue. Rezūm is a form of Minimally Invasive Surgical Therapy (MIST) that destroys the tissue with heat and leaves the body to absorb it.

Dr Barathkumar described the method: “Instead of surgically removing prostate tissue, we use a smaller endoscopic instrument to insert a fine needle into the prostate and inject approximately 1 ml of hot saline heated to 103 degrees Celsius directly into the enlarged tissue. This causes thermal necrosis, following which the treated tissue gradually breaks down and is absorbed by the patient’s own body. The procedure involves minimal blood loss and takes significantly less time compared to conventional surgical approaches.”

The hospital puts the time difference in numbers. A conventional TURP may take about 60 to 90 minutes and laser procedures two to three hours, while the Rezūm treatment itself can be done in roughly three to five minutes. It also says patients need a smaller 14 French catheter afterwards, compared with the 22 to 24 French catheters that may be needed after conventional surgery, because extensive dilation of the urethra is not required. Unlike UroLift, another minimally invasive option, Rezūm does not leave a permanent implant, the hospital says. The treated tissue is absorbed over the following months, with urinary symptoms improving gradually. The hospital adds that the procedure preserves the internal sphincter, which it says can lower the risk of retrograde ejaculation linked to conventional prostate surgery, a point it highlights for younger men who want to preserve fertility.

The hospital illustrated the approach with one patient: an 80-year-old man with diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease, who had struggled to urinate for nearly a year before developing acute urinary retention and needing a catheter at another facility. Doctors he consulted considered him high-risk for TURP and HoLEP, a laser procedure. After clearance from cardiology and anaesthesia teams, he underwent cystoscopy and Rezūm. He was discharged within 36 hours, and his catheter was removed on the tenth day after the procedure. He was then able to pass urine without a catheter and is reported to be doing well at follow-up.

Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, co-founder and executive director of Kauvery Hospital, said: “Benign prostate enlargement is a common condition among ageing men, and for some patients, conventional surgery may pose additional risks due to age and underlying medical conditions. Rezūm offers a less invasive alternative, with minimal blood loss, shorter procedure time and quicker recovery. By making this technology available at Kauvery Hospital Radial Road, we hope to expand access to innovative urological treatments and help more patients regain their urinary comfort and quality of life.”