Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital is offering Aquablation therapy for patients who suffer from BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as an enlarged prostate. It is only the second hospital in the Houston Methodist system and in the region to offer this procedure. Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center was the first.

 

The treatment differs from other options because it uses water instead of heat to remove tissue.

 

“It is basically using high-pressure water to destroy the unwanted tissue, and because we aren’t using heat, we don’t damage the nerves of the prostate,” says Dr. Chris Kannady, a urologist at Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital.

 

It's an incision-less procedure that uses an image-guided robotic arm. The arm holds a water jet and camera to help precisely remove excess prostate tissue.

 

"Since we enter through a natural orifice, the urethra, there are no incisions during this procedure," Kannady explains. "And the use of image-guided robotics means tissue is removed with great precision."

 

Aquablation therapy removes excess tissue without affecting a patient’s ability to urinate or engage in sex.

 

"Aquablation is a remarkably effective procedure," says Kannady. "When we take a look at men five years post-surgery, 95% of them still don’t need re-treatment. It's a very durable treatment option for men with BPH with the lowest risk of sexual side effects compared with traditional prostate surgeries."

 

The best candidates for this procedure are men who are generally 55 to 75, in good health, have few comorbidities, and can be without blood thinners. Many insurance companies are now covering the procedure.