Rochester General Hospital (RGH) is the first hospital in the region to offer Aquablation therapy, a minimally-invasive treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate. One in two men ages 51 to 60 have BPH, and the incidence increases every decade of life. RGH completed the first Aquablation therapy procedures at the hospital Thursday, September 28.
“Rochester Regional is proud to be among the first in the Finger Lakes, Western and Central New York to offer a solution for men with BPH that provides significant, long-lasting symptom relief with lower risk of sexual dysfunction or incontinence,” said Dr. Louis Eichel, Division Chief of Urology at Rochester General Hospital. “Aquablation therapy is the next step to furthering our commitment to robotic surgery and men’s health. This new tool is the latest move by Rochester Regional to step up our game as we modernize and transform health care.”
Aquablation therapy uses the AquaBeam Robotic System, the first FDA-cleared, surgical robot utilizing automated tissue resection for the treatment of LUTS due to BPH. Using precise imaging, surgeons create a personalized treatment plan tailored to each patient’s anatomy. Once the map is complete, the robotically controlled, heat-free waterjet ablates the prostate tissue, avoiding critical structures to preserve sexual function and continence.
The procedure is performed while the patient is under anesthesia in an operating room, and typically takes about 45 minutes – almost half as long as traditional surgical options.
BPH, or an enlarged prostate, is a non-cancerous condition where the prostate has grown to be larger than normal. If left untreated, BPH can cause significant health problems, including irreversible bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones and incontinence. Several current BPH surgical treatments often force men to tradeoff between symptom relief and side effects like incontinence or erectile dysfunction.
For more information on Urology Services at Rochester Regional Health, visit http://rochesterregional.org/services/urology. For more information on Aquablation therapy, visit http://aquablation.com.
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