Another option to treat BPH

Urologist uses water jet to relieve enlarged prostates

As a man’s prostate grows, it can impact his urinary tract, causing a variety of troubles when he tries to empty his bladder. Medications and surgery are options to treat the condition, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.

An Upstate urologist offers an alternative treatment.

Hanan Goldberg, MD, offers aquablation therapy, a procedure that requires no incisions. Using robotic tools inserted through the urethra and an ultrasound probe in the rectum, Goldberg maneuvers a tiny water jet to remove excess prostate tissue. This widens the channel, improving the flow of urine.

“The water actually makes the tissue disappear. It is all removed completely because the water jet is so strong,” Goldberg says.

The patient is under anesthesia for the procedure and stays overnight in the hospital afterward. A catheter, or tube, for urination usually remains in place for up to three days during recovery.

Aquablation was approved in 2018 by the Food and Drug Administration. Urologists have studied how it compares with surgical options. Goldberg says aquablation is as effective as the traditional surgery, called transurethral resection of the prostate, and with fewer side effects.

He says the rate of erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence after aquablation is zero. The procedure can work on any size prostate, and almost any man who can safely undergo anesthesia would be a candidate.

Aquablation may not be a permanent fix for an enlarged prostate. Goldberg notes that prostate tissue grows back over time.

For details or an appointment, contact Upstate Urology at 315-464-1500. u