Aquablation Therapy
Aquablation Therapy Overview
Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Division of Urology is proud to offer Aquablation therapy for men experiencing benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH can cause urinary symptoms including difficulty urinating, frequent urination, or waking up at night to have to urinate. Since existing treatments may impact sexual function and performance, many men affected by BPH are hesitant to seek treatment.
Aquablation is the only real-time, ultrasound-guided, robotic-assisted, heat-free waterjet for the treatment of BPH. In appropriately selected men, Aquablation therapy has lower side effects, decreased risk of sexual dysfunction, and shorter recovery times compared to other approaches. Our team of expert urologists offers this advanced, minimally invasive treatment to provide the men of South Floria with relief and empower them to regain confidence.
What Is Aquablation?
Aquablation therapy is a resective, minimally invasive, robotic procedure, which means that the prostate tissue causing symptoms is surgically removed without an incision. The prostate is reached through the urethra, allowing for increased comfort and shorter recovery times. At Mount Sinai, our surgeons have extensive experience with minimally invasive surgery, ensuring that our patients receive comprehensive and precise care.
Our surgeons utilize the HYDROS Robotic System, which represents the next evolution in the delivery of Aquablation therapy. Leveraging insights from over 50,000 procedures, HYDROS features FirstAssist AI treatment planning, advanced image guidance, robotic resection, and a streamlined workflow. HYDROS, partnered with our expert physicians, delivers a more accurate and consistent treatment plan for better clinical outcomes.
What to Expect
Before Surgery
Prior to surgery, your Mount Sinai urologist will conduct a comprehensive evaluation, including a physical exam, a review of your medical history, and a discussion of the procedure. Additionally, our physicians plan and personalize your procedure for your specific anatomy, as prostate size varies.
With the assistance of next-generation ultrasound imaging and digital cystoscopy, our expert surgeons can create a detailed guide to plan the procedure, outlining the critical anatomy and suggesting an optimal treatment plan for each patient. The tissue within the marked area of the prostate may be removed, while the tissue outside of it will remain untouched.
This real-time visualization allows Mount Sinai’s surgeons to map which parts of your prostate to remove and which parts to avoid. This enables them to avoid removing areas that could cause complications like erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction, and incontinence.
During Surgery
Once our team of experts create a surgical map, a robotic-assisted, heat-free waterjet follows the defined treatment plan and resects the obstructive tissue. This advanced technology, paired with our surgeon’s extraordinary technique, helps ensure precise, consistent, and predictable removal of the tissue.
Aquablation therapy is an inpatient procedure, and patients will undergo anesthesia — which they are consulted for with our anesthesiologist — for its duration. The procedure typically takes 60 minutes and may involve an overnight stay at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
After Surgery
As with most benign prostatic hyperplasia procedures, you will wake up with a catheter following Aquablation therapy, which allows you to urinate while your urethra heals. With Aquablation therapy, most patients are permitted to leave the medical center without a catheter, allowing them to return to daily life easily.
Once you’re home, you may notice for several weeks a mild burning sensation and urinary urgency, a sudden and intense need to urinate that is difficult to hold off. This can be managed with mild pain medication.
Patients can resume their normal activities once approved by their Mount Sinai physician.
Considering Side Effects
At Mount Sinai, we understand the concern with potential side effects when considering surgery. In fact, this apprehension is exceedingly prevalent; a recent survey shows that 85% of men are worried that surgery will cause incontinence, and four out of five men are concerned that surgery will have a permanent impact on their sexual function.4
However, our teams work to ensure the implementation of the most beneficial techniques for our patients. In clinical studies, men who received Aquablation therapy had a very low rate of irreversible complications, such as incontinence, ejaculatory dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction.3
Additionally, after undergoing this minimally invasive procedure:
- 100% of patients were free from erectile dysfunction3
- 89% of men with BPH preserve ejaculatory function with Aquablation therapy1-4
- >99% of men with BPH did not have incontinence after Aquablation therapy1-4
Determining If Aquablation Is for You
Since Aquablation is a specific technique, our urologists at Mount Sinai will conduct a comprehensive, in-depth evaluation and conversation to ensure you are a viable candidate.
The benefits of the Aquablation procedure include the following:
- Low rates of irreversible complications. Aquablation therapy has very low rates of incontinence, ejaculatory dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction because it gives surgeons a view of the entire prostate so they can map areas accordingly. Additionally, the use of a heat-free waterjet to remove prostate tissue allows for further protection of critical prostate function.
- It should be noted that surgeons may use a minimal amount of cautery following an Aquablation therapy procedure to control bleeding.
- Confidence in the procedure. Aquablation therapy is the only procedure that resects prostate tissue with a robotically controlled waterjet, designed to minimize human error.
- Long-term relief. In clinical studies, Aquablation therapy has been shown to provide long-term relief at five years.
- Exceptional results. When compared against transurethral resection of the prostate, Aquablation therapy demonstrated:
- Similar symptom relief
- Lower complication rate
- Fewer retreatments
- Exceptional efficacy. Aquablation therapy patients on average experienced:1-3
- 16-point improvement in International Prostate Symptom Score
- 3.3-point improvement in quality of life
- 2x improvement in urinary flow rate
- Gilling PJ, et al. Can J Urol.
- Bhojani N, et al. J Urol. 2023.
- Elterman D, et al. BMJ Surg Interv Health Technol.
- Data on file, PROCEPT BioRobotics.
- Oumedjbeur K, et al. Can J Urol.
All surgical treatments have inherent and associated side effects, some of which may lead to serious outcomes and may require intervention. Individual’s outcomes may depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to patient characteristics, disease characteristics and/or surgeon behavior. The most common side effects are mild and transient and may include mild pain or difficulty when urinating, discomfort in the pelvis or penis, 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 but are not limited to: anesthesia risk; sexual dysfunction, including ejaculatory or erectile dysfunction; injury to the urethra, such as false passage or stricture, or to the rectum, including rectal incontinence/perforation; bladder or prostate capsule perforation; infection, including the potential transmission of blood borne pathogens; bleeding; incontinence; embolism; electric shock/burn; transurethral resection (TUR) syndrome; bladder neck contracture; and bruising. No claim is made that the AquaBeam Robotic System will cure any medical condition, or entirely eliminate the diseased entity. Repeated treatment or alternative therapies may sometimes be required.
For more information about potential side effects and risks associated with Aquablation therapy, speak with your urologist or surgeon.
Rx Only
Aquablation therapy is performed by urologists. Patients should talk to their doctor to determine if Aquablation therapy is right for them. Patients and doctors should review the potential benefits and limitations of treatment together.
Our Physicians
George Wayne, MD
- Urology
- Mount Sinai Primary & Specialty Care Coral Gables
- 305.441.0910
- Mount Sinai Primary & Specialty Care Miami Shores
- 305.441.0910
Billy H Cordon-Galiano, MD
Director, Urologic Reconstruction, Trauma, and Prosthetics
- Men’s Health
- Urology
- Robotic Surgery
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.674.2499
- Mount Sinai Primary & Specialty Care Skylake
- 305.919.1970
- Mount Sinai Medical Center, Kenneth C. Griffin Center, Hialeah – Emergency Center and Primary & Specialty Care | Mount Sinai Eldercare
- 786.584.5555
- Mount Sinai Primary & Specialty Care Midtown
- 786.598.4560
Michaela Sljivich, MD
- Men’s Health
- Urology
- Urologic Prosthetics
- Urologic Reconstruction
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.674.2499
- Mount Sinai Medical Center, Kenneth C. Griffin Center, Hialeah – Emergency Center and Primary & Specialty Care | Mount Sinai Eldercare
- 786.584.5555
- Mount Sinai Primary & Specialty Care Coral Gables
- 305.441.0910
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.674.2499
- Mount Sinai Emergency Center, Physician Offices, Cancer Center and Diagnostic Center Aventura
- 305.692.1080