Aquablation Therapy: Surgical Treatment for BPH (enlarged prostate)
A minimally invasive, one-of-a-kind treatment helping men suffering from LUTS due to BPH.
Aquablation Therapy Surgical Treatment for BPH (enlarged prostate)
Aquablation therapy is a new type of surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Dr. Pan is proud to be among the first in the Bay Area to offer this advanced, minimally invasive treatment.
Dr. Pan is excited to offer Aquablation therapy because he believes in helping men suffering from BPH to get their lives back and feel like themselves again.
Dr. Pan knows choosing a treatment option can be overwhelming, as it often forces men to compromise in some way. This could mean not responding well to medication, or choosing a treatment that only provides limited relief, that may have a long recovery time, or that may even cause issues with sexual function.
Aquablation therapy is a one-of-a-kind procedure that aims to minimize this compromise.
What is Aquablation Therapy?
Aquablation therapy uses the power of water delivered with robotic precision to provide long-lasting BPH relief without compromise. It is precise, consistent, and predictable, and provides long-term relief no matter how large your prostate.
How does Aquablation Therapy work?
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 a hospital and is done under anesthesia. The procedure typically takes less than an hour and involves an overnight stay.
There are two key steps to the Aquablation procedure:
Step 1. Creating a Surgical Map
Every prostate is unique in size and shape. Aquablation therapy enables Dr. Pan to customize your procedure to your specific anatomy.
How? Aquablation therapy is the only BPH surgical procedure that integrates ultrasound imaging with the standard camera (called a cystoscope). This gives Dr. Pan the ability to see the entire prostate in real-time, which allows him to map which parts of your prostate he wants to remove and which parts he wants to avoid.
Specifically, this mapping enables Dr. Pan to avoid removing the parts of the prostate that may result in erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction, and incontinence.
Step 2. Removing the Prostate Tissue
Once Dr. Pan has 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, Dr. Pan may choose to use a minimal amount of cautery following an Aquablation procedure to control bleeding.
What are the side effects of Aquablation therapy?
We know that the primary reason men are delaying surgery is because they are concerned about side effects. In fact, a recent survey shows that 85% 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 had a very low rate of postoperative incontinence, ejaculatory dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction.
Is Aquablation therapy right for you?
Aquablation therapy is a different kind of surgical procedure. There are several reasons it may be right for you, but make sure to discuss with Dr. Pan to see if you’re a candidate.