What is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)?
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called an enlarged prostate or benign prostate enlargement (BPE), is a common medical condition in older men. BPH can cause lower urinary tract symptoms, which include frequent or urgent need to urinate, more often at night, weak urine stream, or a stream that stops and starts. The incidence of BPH has been estimated to increase from 50% (5 out of 10 cases) among men between the ages of 50 and 60 years, to 90% (9 out of 10 cases) for men older than 80 years of age.
What is the Aquablation procedure?
This is a minimally invasive treatment option that combines the traditional surgical techniques of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) with non-thermal waterjet tissue ablation (a heat-free waterjet to remove prostate tissue). Most patients undergoing Aquablation do not require medication following treatment, although some may still require bladder medications
What are the benefits of Aquablation treatment?
- Rapid urine flow improvement
- Quicker return to normal activities compared to TURP
- Less than 1% reported cases of erectile dysfunction
- Greater than 90% chance of maintaining ejaculatory function
- Short catheterisation time (to be determined at the time of surgery)
- Long-lasting symptom relief with minimal to no sexual side effects
What are the risks of the Aquablation procedure?
All surgical treatments have inherent and associated side effects. The most common side effects are mild and temporary difficulty when urinating, discomfort in the pelvis, blood in the urine, inability to empty the bladder or a frequent and/or urgent need to urinate, and bladder or urinary tract infection.
Other risks include ejaculatory dysfunction and a low risk of injury to the urethra (water pipe) or rectum (back passage), where the medical equipment was used to gain access to the prostate during treatment.
What happens on the day?
You will have a urinary catheter placed after your procedure for your safety and comfort, and your urologist will decide when this can be removed.
Antibiotics will be given directly into your vein in operating room. You will be advised whether to continue to take prostate medication after the operation before you leave the hospital.
When can I go home?
After your procedure, you will be reviewed by a member of the urology team who will discuss the operation any specific requirements for you at home and a plan for your aftercare.
You will be discharged home within 48 hours of your procedure.
It is normal to have some mild pain or discomfort after the procedure and we advise you to take regular painkillers such as paracetamol, following the dosage instructions, to help keep it under control. You may also want to consider laxatives if you are prone to constipation to avoid straining. You may experience some difficulty initially in passing urine and although this will normally correct itself
Experts You Can Trust
Reviewed by Trusted Experts
Every page of health content on our website is medically reviewed by our team of expert doctors before publication. Our medical review team brings specialist expertise to our editorial process, helping ensure our content is medically accurate, reflects current clinical knowledge and is presented in a clear, accessible way.