Newswise — CLEVELAND, Ohio—University Hospitals’ (UH) Irina Jaeger, MD, received the prestigious designation as a Center of Excellence for GreenLight™ Laser Therapy treatment – a minimally invasive outpatient procedure for men looking to treat their benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), not just the symptoms. Dr. Jaeger is a urologist at UH Richmond Medical Center and UH Brainard Medical Building in Lyndhurst.

GreenLight Therapy can help provide immediate relief from enlarged prostate symptoms such as frequent urination—especially at night, weak urine flow, urgency and incomplete bladder emptying. In addition, GreenLight Laser Therapy requires no incisions and typically has no overall deleterious impact on sexual function.

The Center of Excellence designation recognizes Dr. Jaeger’s high degree of experience with GreenLight Laser Therapy and commitment to delivering effective, long-lasting therapy to men suffering from BPH.

“We are honored to have Dr. Jaeger on our team as the first physician in Ohio and first woman in the country to be designated as a GreenLight Center of Excellence,” said Lee E. Ponsky, MD, Chair, UH Urology Institute. “When it comes to patient care, she sets a new standard. This is a meaningful recognition for us at UH, as we strive to provide the best possible treatment of urological conditions for patients in Northeast Ohio.”

BPH is a condition in which a man’s prostate enlarges and squeezes the urethra, causing frustrating symptoms such as frequent or urgent urination, a weak or interrupted urine stream, and the need to get up several times a night to urinate. It affects about 50 percent of men by age 60, and up to 90 percent of men by age 85.

GreenLight Laser Therapy uses laser energy to vaporize the enlarged tissue, creating an open channel for urine to pass through the urethra. In addition to typically experiencing immediate improvements in urine flow, many patients are pleased to know that GreenLight typically has no overall deleterious impact on sexual function. GreenLight Laser therapy is a long-term solution without the need for BPH medication.

“For years, the primary options for treating BPH were through behavior modifications, medications or invasive surgery,” emphasized Dr. Jaeger. “However, medications may not work for all patients and can potentially have undesirable side effects such as dizziness, sexual dysfunction and lower sex drive. With GreenLight Therapy, I’m able to provide relief of BPH for men who do not want to take medication or want to avoid invasive surgery and implants.” 

GreenLight Therapy is currently being used in many leading urology practices throughout the United States. To date, more than one million patients around the world have been successfully treated with GreenLight Therapy.

Dr. Jaeger is also the only woman physician in Ohio designated as a UroLift® Center of Excellence. The designation recognizes that Dr. Jaeger has achieved a high level of training and experience with the UroLift System and demonstrated a commitment to exemplary care for men suffering from symptoms associated with BPH. 

UroLift System is a novel, minimally invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH. The UroLift permanent implants, delivered during a minimally invasive transurethral outpatient procedure, relieve prostate obstruction and open the urethra directly without cutting, heating or removing prostate tissue. 

For more information about BPH, visit https://www.uhhospitals.org/TreatMyBPH.

Dr. Jaeger will be giving a health talk to give more details about BPH treatments on April 22, 2021; click here to register https://www.uhhospitals.org/BPHtalk.  

Interested patients can also schedule a consultation with Dr. Jaeger by calling 216-545-7046.

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About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 20 hospitals (including 5 joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located in Cleveland’s University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a high-volume national referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute, part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 28,000 physicians and employees. Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion is UH’s vision for benefitting its patients into the future, and the organization’s unwavering mission is To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook @UniversityHospitals and Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.