Aquablation® Therapy by PROCEPT BioRobotics is image guided, heat free automated robotic therapy to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). It has been clinically proven to provide long term symptom relief with low rates of irreversible complications, as reported in BMJ Surgery, Interventions, & Health Technologies and the Canadian Journal of Urology. It provides long lasting relief, no matter how large your prostate may be.
Willis-Knighton Medical Center added this technology in July 2023 and was the location of the first Aquablation procedure in the State of Louisiana on July 17.
Symptoms
BPH is an enlarged prostate. It is not the same as prostate cancer. As your prostate grows larger than normal, it may constrict the urethra, making it difficult for you to urinate. It can apply pressure on your bladder, causing it to weaken. You will have difficulty emptying your bladder. Men frequently report poor sleep from waking up multiple times each night to go to the bathroom.
If BPH symptoms are not treated, bladder and kidney functions may be impacted over time. While you may take medications for this condition, using them for a long time can increase risk of heart failure and dementia. Traditional surgical procedures have brought with them negative side effects that affect sexual function.
Treatment
Your prostate has a few lobes, each of which can grow and cause blockage. It may be important for you to find out if you have an obstructive median lobe.
With Aquablation, your surgeon uses a robotically controlled, heat free waterjet to remove the unwanted prostate tissue. The precision technology helps to ensure that the prostate tissue is removed precisely, consistently and predictably.
Men often delay treatment because they are concerned about side effects. Research has indicated that 85% of men are concerned that surgery will cause incontinence and, four of five men are concerned that surgery will have a permanent impact on their sexual function.
Clinical studies showed that men who had Aquablation therapy had a very low rate of irreversible complications – incontinence, ejaculatory dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction.
Men who have the procedure will wake up with a catheter and typically will spend the night at the hospital. Most patient will leave the hospital without a catheter. However, your surgeon may send you home with a catheter or keep you an additional night if you are unable to pee on your own or empty your bladder at the time of discharge.
You may have mild burning for a couple of weeks when you urinate. This is managed with mild pain medication.
Benefits
- Return to a more normal urination schedule
- Eliminate that the discomfort of urgent need to urinate
- In research 10/10 men preserved continence, 10/10 men preserved erections, 9/10 men preserve ejaculation