Technique relieves prostate condition.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

DETROIT _ A common enlarged prostate condition that forces men at midlife to make frequent bathroom trips can be treated with a laser that relieves symptoms immediately with virtually no side effects, says the urologist who developed the procedure.

Urologists have sought for decades to find a minimally invasive option that treats benign prostatic hyperplasia. More than 13 million American men are diagnosed annually with the condition, which causes symptoms such as the urge to urinate frequently, difficulty urinating, reduced flow rate, leaking, burning and discomfort while urinating.

Medicine to treat the condition costs as much as $10 a day and must be ...