New Aquablation Therapy Helps Patients Preserve Sexual Function While Treating Enlarged Prostates of All Sizes

Cutting-edge Aquablation therapy now available at Lee Health

(Fort Myers, Fla. – June 21, 2023) --- Lee Health is now able to offer an advanced treatment called Aquablation therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) that can preserve a patient’s sexual function and offer a faster, smoother recovery.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or an enlarged prostate, is the number one reason men visit the urologist and an estimated one in two men who are 51 to 60 years old have it.

An enlarged prostate can cause symptoms, such as blocking the flow of urine out of the bladder. It can also cause bladder, urinary tract or kidney problems. Eventually, it could lead to urinary retention, chronic urinary tract infections, bladder stones and, in severe cases, kidney damage.    

Aquablation therapy is a minimally invasive treatment option that uses the AquaBeam Robotic System, which allows urologists to treat any sized prostate while preserving sexual function. It does this by combining real-time, multidimensional imaging, automated robotics and heat-free waterjet ablation.

It is the only procedure that uses a heat-free waterjet controlled by robotic technology. It combines cystoscopic with ultrasound imaging, giving the surgeon the ability to see the entire prostate in real time. As a result, it is consistent and precise with a very low rate of irreversible complications, including incontinence, ejaculatory dysfunction and erectile dysfunction.

Other surgeries like a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) may cause long-term sexual complications and ejaculation problems whereas Aquablation therapy preserves sexual function, offers a shorter recovery time and provides long-lasting relief with low rates of complications.

 “We are very excited to add the Aquablation technique to our program so the Southwest Florida community can receive the most advanced treatment available for this condition and get back to living their full lives,” said chief medical officer for Lee Health Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser. “Aquablation therapy will be a game changer and we are pleased to be able to offer this quality of care and treatment.”

The procedure takes about an hour and requires the patient to be under anesthesia. An overnight stay is often required. However, depending on the size of the prostate, the patient may be allowed to go home on the same day of treatment.

Aquablation therapy is currently available at Cape Coral Hospital and will soon be offered at Gulf Coast Medical Center.

The addition of the AquaBeam Robotic System brings Lee Health’s robust robotics program up to 19 total robots. The program is comprised of the ExcelsiusGPS®, a first of its kind for robotic surgery in Southwest Florida for minimally invasive spine and brain procedures; threeROSA orthopedic robots for knee and hip replacements; two ION robotic-assisted bronchoscopy platforms that can detect lung cancer quicker than traditional methods; an Anovo Surgical System for gynecological procedures; two da Vinci SPs that have a single port, and 10 da Vinci Xi Surgical Systems, which are designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive surgeries, such as colorectal surgeries and unique surgeries in the areas of gynecology, urology, ear nose and throat and general surgery.

To learn more, please visit https://www.leehealth.org/our-services/general-surgery/robotic-surgery.