Urinary symptoms
Enlarged prostate / BPH
Frequency, urgency, nighttime urination, weak flow, difficulty starting, straining, or incomplete emptying.
Three symptom pathways
A practical guide to urinary symptoms, knee osteoarthritis symptoms, and uterine fibroid symptoms—including warning signs.
SoCal Interventional evaluates three distinct symptom pathways: urinary symptoms that may relate to an enlarged prostate, knee pain that may relate to osteoarthritis, and bleeding or pressure symptoms that may relate to uterine fibroids.
Symptoms do not determine procedure candidacy. Similar symptoms can have different causes. The right diagnosis and a comparison of reasonable treatments come before PAE, GAE, or UFE.
Choose the relevant pathway
These procedures treat different conditions and are not interchangeable. Start with the symptoms that brought you here.
Frequency, urgency, nighttime urination, weak flow, difficulty starting, straining, or incomplete emptying.
Activity-related pain, stiffness after rest, swelling, reduced motion, instability, or difficulty with stairs and walking.
Heavy or prolonged periods, anemia, pelvic pressure, urinary frequency, constipation, pain, or abdominal enlargement.
Pathway 1 · Urinary symptoms
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate. Because the prostate surrounds part of the urethra, enlargement can contribute to lower urinary tract symptoms—but prostate size does not always match symptom severity.
PAE pathway
Pathway 2 · Knee symptoms
Osteoarthritis involves changes in cartilage, bone, and the joint lining. Symptoms often begin gradually, and imaging findings do not always match the amount or source of pain.
GAE pathway
Pathway 3 · Bleeding, pressure, and pelvic symptoms
Fibroids are noncancerous growths arising from uterine muscle. Their number, size, and location help determine whether they plausibly explain symptoms and which treatments deserve consideration.
UFE pathway
Do not wait for an online appointment
These examples are not exhaustive. Call 911 or seek emergency care for severe symptoms, fainting, chest pain, breathing difficulty, signs of stroke, or another medical emergency.
Diagnosis first
The same disciplined process applies to all three pathways even though the specialists and tests differ.
Clarify onset, triggers, severity, progression, and the effect on sleep, work, mobility, and daily life.
Use history, examination, and appropriate testing to distinguish the suspected condition from other diagnoses.
Review medication, therapy, procedures, imaging, specialist care, response, side effects, and remaining goals.
Compare expected benefit, uncertainty, recovery, risks, durability, alternatives, and the possibility of later treatment.
Where interventional radiology may fit
A consultation is intended to determine whether a procedure belongs in the discussion, not to guarantee that one will be recommended.
A catheter-based treatment that reduces selected prostate blood flow. Symptom improvement is variable, and some urologic operations provide stronger objective urinary outcomes.
An evolving symptom-management procedure intended to reduce selected abnormal blood flow near an inflamed knee lining. It does not cure arthritis, and controlled evidence is mixed.
A uterus-preserving treatment that reduces fibroid blood flow. Recovery, fertility goals, ovarian effects, and the possibility of later treatment require individual discussion.
Patient information and guidance
Official patient information about BPH symptoms, complications, diagnosis, and treatment.
Official information about osteoarthritis symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
Patient guidance about fibroid symptoms, evaluation, complications, and treatment choices.
Patient guidance about embolization, recovery, risks, fertility questions, and possible reintervention.
SoCal Interventional provides consultations in Van Nuys and Irvine for people who want to understand whether PAE, GAE, UFE, or another treatment path should be considered.
Medical content reviewed July 2026. This page provides general education and is not a diagnosis or individual treatment recommendation.