Kelina Hospital Marks 250th Non-Invasive Prostate Surgery in 4 Years
Kelina Hospital has commemorated its 15th anniversary with a record of 250 prostate surgeries performed in the span of 4 years using the advanced and non-invasive Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) procedure to reduce kidney damage, kidney failures and other life-threatening complications.
The Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) procedure is used for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Announcing the feat at a press conference in Lagos, the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Celsus Undie also disclosed that the hospital has also achieved a milestone of 5,000 surgical operations without a single mortality inside the operating room since its inception in 2008.
He said the month of May 2023, also marked a major milestone in the last 4 years of their operation as they have successfully carried out 250 HoLEP surgeries for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that can obstruct urine, cause damage to the kidney, and other life-threatening complications.
Undie explained that benign prostatic hyperplasia also known as enlarged prostate is an age-associated condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged, and not cancerous.
The enlarged prostate may block or slow the passage of urine from the urethra, thereby causing damage to the kidney, kidney failure, bladder stones or other complications.
He explained that about 20 per cent of men would develop benign prostatic hyperplasia in their 50s while increasing to 70 per cent by the time they reach 70 years of age.
Undie stated that HoLEP is the most common surgery done in the facility.
He also disclosed that the type of prostates seen in Nigeria is big that transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is not the best procedure for them.
According to him, TURP cannot remove enough prostate, and the patients may need to return to the theatre again in the future and also have to be on a catheter for longer times after the procedure.
TURP is a surgical procedure that involves cutting away a section of the prostate, while HoLEP is a minimally invasive treatment that uses a laser to remove tissue that is blocking urine flow through the prostate.
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He said the American Urological Association and the European Association of Urology both recommend HoLEP as the best for prostates that are more than 80 to 100 grams in size.
The renowned Urologist noted that performing 250 HoLEP surgeries for patients with prostate problems without giving blood to more than a handful of them was a big deal.
“One of those prostates measured 550 grams in size. Nothing apart from HoLEP or open surgery can handle that. But we did it safely with HoLEP.”
Undie said that most of these surgeries do not require blood transfusion, unlike conventional surgeries which might require several pints of blood for the same procedure.
He noted that it was wrong for Nigerians to travel overseas for surgeries that could be done locally as it was a waste of foreign exchange and a disservice to Nigerian specialists,
He noted that aside from urological and general surgery procedures, which are the hospital’s main focus, Undie said they receive patients for laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gall stones and knee replacement surgery (Orthopaedics) among others.
On the hospital’s success, he said it had performed over 5,000 surgical operations in 15 years without a single patient dying in its theatre since inception. “It is a big deal. In 2012, the Federal Government of Nigeria recognised our efforts by awarding us a Pioneer Status in Minimally Invasive Surgery. In 2015, we started aiming for infection-free surgery through the use of Plasma Sterilisation for our endoscopes.”
Undie who operates from two facilities in Lagos and Abuja said in 2012, they performed the first laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in Nigeria.
“In 2011, we were also on record as the first hospital in Nigeria to perform Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and Laser Lithotripsy for Kidney stones. We also receive patients for laparoscopic cholecystectomy for Gall stones, knee replacement surgery (Orthopaedics), laparoscopic hysterectomy for uterine fibroids (Gynaecology), Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.”
He traced some of their challenges in including lack of access to foreign exchange, poor electricity and depreciation of the naira among others. Undie appealed to the Federal Government to prioritise health, education and security to deepen socio-economic development in the country.
“Some of the equipment that has helped us achieve these milestones includes the 120 Watts laser, which was the first of that type of equipment in Africa and the 150 Watts laser, which was probably the first in Nigeria since January 2022, and is still the only one in Lagos State. The 2 Lithoclast Master machines we have for kidney stones are the only 2 in Nigeria.
