Prostate artery embolization
Prostate artery embolization, evaluated in Johns Creek or Cumming
Prostate artery embolization, or PAE, is a treatment for an enlarged prostate performed by an interventional radiologist at Advanced Urology’s Alpharetta or Decatur locations. The visit that decides whether PAE is a fit — and whether another enlarged prostate treatment is a better match — happens with our urologists in Johns Creek or Cumming.
What PAE is, in plain words
Prostate artery embolization is a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, the non-cancer enlargement that can narrow the urine channel and cause a weak urine stream, trouble urinating, or more night-time trips. An interventional radiologist places a small catheter into an artery in the upper thigh or the wrist, guides it to the arteries that supply the prostate, and releases tiny beads, called microspheres, that reduce blood flow to the gland. As the prostate shrinks over time, pressure on the urethra can ease.
PAE is an outpatient procedure, and a path for men who have not gotten enough relief from BPH medicine and who would prefer to avoid an operation on the prostate itself. Their official description is at advancedurology.com/procedures/prostate-artery-embolization. We do not add outcome promises, recovery rankings, or candidacy rules beyond that description.
Where the evaluation happens, and where the procedure is done
The procedure is performed at Advanced Urology’s Alpharetta or Decatur locations, not at Johns Creek or Cumming. It is not performed at the Johns Creek Clinic & Surgery Center or at the Cumming Clinic. A visit at either of those two offices is still the right place to start: we review your symptoms, any PSA values, the size of the gland, and whether PAE, UroLift, TURP, HoLEP, ThuLEP, medicines, or another path is the better match.
If PAE is the plan, we schedule it at Alpharetta or Decatur after that evaluation and tell you how to arrive. We will not imply that the embolization happens “next door” or in the Johns Creek operating rooms. For the procedure itself, use the official page at advancedurology.com/procedures/prostate-artery-embolization alongside the instructions we give you at the visit.
How PAE sits next to UroLift and other enlarged prostate treatment
PAE is one tool among several. UroLift uses implants to hold tissue away from the urethra and is done as an outpatient procedure at our Johns Creek surgery center. TURP, HoLEP, and ThuLEP remove blocking tissue and are also scheduled at Johns Creek. Aquablation, when it is discussed, is a hospital procedure. Medicines remain the starting point for many men. Which path fits depends on the size of the gland, how well the bladder empties, other health issues, and the trade-offs you want to talk through — including sexual function and recovery time — without a promise that any one option is the right one for every prostate.
Our enlarged prostate treatment page and enlarged prostate care page keep those options in one view. This page stays on PAE: what it is, who performs it, and why the first conversation is still here.
What to bring to a PAE evaluation visit
Bring a medicine list, prior PSA values, and any prostate ultrasound, MRI, or cystoscopy reports you already have. If a flow study or a bladder scan was done elsewhere, those help us avoid repeating a measurement without a reason. The visit itself may still include a flow test and an ultrasound, because we need a current picture before we recommend embolization or a different procedure.
If you suddenly cannot urinate, have fever with pelvic pain, or have pain you cannot control, go to a hospital emergency department rather than waiting for a PAE consult. Those signs are not settled by booking an evaluation visit.
An official video on PAE for men who have questions about prostate surgery
An official Advanced Urology video on this topic.
Playing: Enlarged Prostate but Dread Surgery? What to Know About PAE | Advanced Urology
The urologist you see in Johns Creek or Cumming is the person who reviews whether PAE, UroLift, a tissue-removing procedure, or a medicine change is the next step. Interventional radiologists at Alpharetta or Decatur perform the embolization itself when that is the plan.
Questions we are often asked
Is PAE performed at the Johns Creek or Cumming office?
No, prostate artery embolization is performed by an interventional radiologist at Advanced Urology’s Alpharetta or Decatur locations, not at Johns Creek or Cumming. The visit that decides whether PAE is a fit is here, at Johns Creek or Cumming. If we move ahead, the procedure date is set at Alpharetta or Decatur, not in our two clinics.
Who actually does the embolization?
An interventional radiologist performs the catheter procedure. The urologist you see in Johns Creek or Cumming remains the person who reviews your symptoms, compares PAE with UroLift and other enlarged prostate treatment, and follows you afterward. You are not handed off without a plan for who to call with questions.
Does choosing PAE mean I will not need a UroLift or a TURP later?
Not automatically. PAE is one path, chosen when it fits the gland and your priorities, and it does not mean another procedure will never be discussed later. We will be plain about that before a date is set at Alpharetta or Decatur. If a different enlarged prostate treatment is the better first step, we will say so.
Can the PAE evaluation visit be in Cumming?
Yes, a Cumming visit can include the history, a flow study, and a bladder ultrasound, and can end with a recommendation for PAE or for a different treatment. When PAE is the plan, the embolization itself is still scheduled at Alpharetta or Decatur. UroLift or a tissue-removing procedure, if those are chosen instead, would be scheduled at Johns Creek.
Where do I read the official description of the procedure?
The official Advanced Urology description of prostate artery embolization, including how the catheter and microspheres are used, is at advancedurology.com/procedures/prostate-artery-embolization. This page is about where the evaluation happens and where the procedure is — and is not — performed. Read both before you come in if you like to arrive with the procedure steps already in view.
Is an enlarged prostate with a weak stream an emergency while I wait for a PAE visit?
A complete inability to urinate is an emergency and belongs in a hospital, not on a PAE waiting list. Fever with pelvic pain is the same. A weak urine stream or more night-time trips, without those warning signs, can wait for the evaluation visit we set in Johns Creek or Cumming.
Whenever a visit would help, the Johns Creek and Cumming teams are a phone call or a booked appointment away.