FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Washington Regional announced that it is the first health system in northwest Arkansas to offer Aquablation therapy for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or enlarged prostate.
BPH is when the prostate has grown to be larger than normal and is a non-cancerous condition. Washington Regional says half of men ages 51 to 60 have BPH, and the development increases every decade of life.
If left untreated, BPH can lead to significant health problems like permanent bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones, and incontinence. Surgical treatments do offer symptom relief but can leave unwanted complications such as loss of bladder control and sexual dysfunction, according to health officials.
Washington Regional says Aquablation therapy is a minimally invasive treatment that uses robotic precision and water power to provide long-lasting symptom relief with low rates of complications.
Aquablation therapy uses a stream of water to remove prostate tissue and allows urologists to map the prostate during the procedure using both a camera and real-time ultrasound mapping. Washington Regional says this allows a defined amount of prostate tissue to be removed and has led to great outcomes.
“We are proud to be among the first in Arkansas to offer this option for men with BPH,” said Mark Jackson, MD, Chair of the Urology Department at Washington Regional Medical Center. “This system can also drastically cut down on surgical time, which means less time under an anesthetic for the patient.”
To learn more about candidacy for Aquablation therapy, click here.