Aquablation® Therapy
A Surgical Treatment for BPH (Enlarged Prostate)
Aquablation® therapy is a new type of surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate. At Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, we are proud to be among only a few facilities in New Jersey to offer this advanced, minimally invasive treatment.
What Is Aquablation therapy?
Aquablation® therapy uses the power of water delivered with robotic precision to provide long-lasting BPH relief.
Aquablation therapy is a resective procedure, which means that the prostate tissue causing symptoms is surgically removed. No incision is made in the abdomen, as the prostate is reached through the urethra.
Aquablation therapy is performed in the hospital and is done under anesthesia. This innovative urologic surgery typically takes less than an hour and requires an overnight stay.
What to Expect During an Aquablation Procedure?
There are two key steps to the Aquablation procedure: creating a surgical map and removing the prostate tissue.
Step 1. Creating a Surgical Map
Every prostate is unique in size and shape. Aquablation therapy enables our surgeons to customize your procedure to your specific anatomy.
Aquablation therapy is the only BPH surgical procedure that integrates ultrasound imaging with the standard camera (called a cystoscope). This gives our surgeons the ability to see the entire prostate in real time, which allows them to map which parts of the prostate they want to remove and which parts they want to avoid.
Specifically, this mapping enables our surgeons to avoid removing the parts of the prostate that cause irreversible complications like erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction and incontinence.
Step 2. Removing the Prostate Tissue
Once our surgeons have created a surgical map, a robotically-controlled, heat-free waterjet removes the prostate tissue that was outlined on the map. This robotic technology minimizes human error in removing prostate tissue, and ensures the prostate tissue is removed precisely, consistently and predictably.
When required, our surgeons may choose to use a minimal amount of cautery following an Aquablation procedure to control bleeding.
What Are the Side Effects of Aquablation Therapy?
The primary reason men who suffer from BPH delay surgery is because they are concerned about side effects. In fact, a recent survey shows that 85 percent of men are concerned that surgery will cause incontinence, and 4 out of 5 men are concerned that surgery will have a permanent impact on their sexual function.
In clinical studies, men who had Aquablation therapy for the treatment of BPH had a very low rate of irreversible complications — incontinence, ejaculatory dysfunction, erectile dysfunction.
What to Expect During Your Recovery
As with most BPH procedures, you will wake up with a catheter. Patients typically stay overnight in the hospital. We may send you home with a catheter for a few days or may keep you an additional night in the hospital if you are unable to urinate on your own or empty your bladder at the time of discharge.
Once you are home, you may experience mild burning during urination for a couple of weeks. This can be managed with mild pain medication.
Is Aquablation Right for You?
Talk to a doctor about whether Aquablation is the right treatment for you. Make an appointment to speak with one of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset’s urologists, who are experts in this innovative procedure.
Aquablation® is a registered trademark of PROCEPT BioRobotics.