Aquablation Program celebrates one year anniversary

Last June, Cooley Dickinson Hospital launched a program for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH; also called prostate gland enlargement). Aquablation therapy is an advance, minimally invasive treatment that uses a heat-free waterjet controlled by robotic technology. Nearly one year later, aquablation therapy, a same-day surgical procedure, is meeting the needs for men who are living with BPH.

In an interview last June with The Republican’s Better Health, Donald Sonn, MD, a urologist on staff at the hospital and a physician at the Urology Group of Western New England, said the procedure has been used throughout the country in larger medical facilities, and he is excited to bring the technology to Cooley Dickinson Hospital. “This is a huge movement forward in treating enlarged prostates.”

BPH is a non-cancerous disorder that commonly occurs in men ages 50 and older, where the prostate and surrounding tissue expands. An enlarged prostate gland can cause urinary problems, which affect the bladder, prostate and urethra.

Aquablation therapy at Cooley Dickinson Hospital combines real-time ultrasound imaging to precisely map the contour of the prostate and a high-pressure water jet to remove the obstructing prostate tissue within the treatment map. The procedure is done through the urethra with no incisions and can be used in patients with large prostates. The procedure has been shown to have lower rates of urinary incontinence and decreased risks of sexual side effects compared to other treatment options.

Noted Urologist Cory Harris, MD, within the past year, “we have treated over 70 patients with this modality with excellent results.”

Dr. Sonn and Dr. Harris perform the procedure at the Kittredge Surgery Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.