CNBNews

Jefferson Health – New Jersey is now offering a new treatment option for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH, a common condition resulting from an enlarged prostate. As men age, their prostate naturally enlarges, but when this condition causes urinary issues or sexual dysfunction, it is diagnosed as BPH. This non-cancerous condition is common, especially in older men, and there are a variety of treatments to relieve or address this issue.

One of the newest treatment options for men with BPH is Aquablation® Therapy, which has been performed at Jefferson Washington Township Hospital by Thomas Mueller, MD, a board- certified urologist. Minimally invasive Aquablation  -- performed in a hospital operating room -- offers symptom relief with fewer side effects than traditional treatment options, Dr. Mueller says. It uses real-time imaging, robotics, and heat-free waterjet ablation to precisely and efficiently remove the prostate tissue enlargement. Traditionally, surgery or lasers are used to remove some of the prostate tissue, but this use of heat brings inherent risks. Aquablation Therapy uses room temperature water, not heat, to remove the excess tissue and provide symptom relief.

“There are about 14 million men in the U.S. being treated for BPH, but less than three percent choose surgical intervention,” Dr. Mueller said. “I believe Aquablation might change that; it is an excellent option with a quick recovery time.”

One of Dr. Mueller’s recent Aquablation patients, an 88-year-old South Jersey man, had a massively enlarged prostate that was causing him discomfort and trouble urinating: “Now he is pain-free and urinating like a young man.”

This procedure is performed with the patient receiving either spinal or general anesthesia. Using multi-dimensional imaging, a physician establishes a precise treatment plan based on the unique anatomy of the patient. The procedure takes less than an hour to perform and usually requires an overnight hospital stay. This BPH treatment option provides many benefits over traditional procedures:

• Robotic execution of the treatment plan is precise and quick, meaning that there are few risks of too much or too little tissue being removed.
• The lack of heat means that there is a significantly reduced risk of nerve damage that can lead to erectile dysfunction and other long-term side effects.
• Most side effects are mild and short-lived, meaning that you can be back to your normal lifestyle quickly and without limitations.