Aquablation therapy (AquaBeam) is a surgical procedure for men with

lower urinary tract symptoms Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) refer to a group of clinical symptoms involving the bladder, urinary sphincter, urethra and, in men, the prostate. The term is more commonly applied to men—over 40% of older men are afected—but lower urin ...

resulting from

benign prostatic hyperplasia Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called prostate enlargement, is a noncancerous increase in size of the prostate gland. Symptoms may include frequent urination, trouble starting to urinate, weak stream, inability to urinate, or loss o ...

(BPH). It is in the early stages of study. It is not categorized as minimally invasive as general anesthesia is required. The procedure was developed b
PROCEPT BioRobotics
and combines real-time visualization through a

cystoscope Cystoscopy is endoscopy of the urinary bladder via the urethra. It is carried out with a cystoscope. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The cystoscope has lenses like a telescope or microscope ...

and a bi-plane

ultrasound Ultrasound is sound waves with frequency, frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing range, hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hea ...

, while using a high-velocity sterile saline heat-free waterjet and autonomous

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...

to remove prostate tissue. A

systematic review A systematic review is a Literature review, scholarly synthesis of the evidence on a clearly presented topic using critical methods to identify, define and assess research on the topic. A systematic review extracts and interprets data from publ ...

from 2019 found that for men with

, aquablation is probably as effective as

transurethral resection of the prostate Transurethral resection of the prostate (commonly known as a TURP, plural TURPs, and rarely as a transurethral prostatic resection, TUPR) is a urological operation. It is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As the name indicates, ...

in improving urinary symptoms and may lead to a similar quality of life. The evidence from this review with a 12-month follow-up is very uncertain if aquablation leads to similar rates of serious

side effect In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequence ...

s or a similar need for retreatment when compared to

. Aquablation may lead to fewer ejaculatory problems, but no difference in erectile function. These findings were based on a single study with 184 men with a prostate size less or equal to 80 mL funded by the company that manufactures the device.

References

{{reflist Medical treatments Minimally-invasive surgery