SVHS first to offer new prostate therapy

St. Vincent Hot Springs will become the first hospital in southwest Arkansas to offer Aquablation therapy, a new, minimally invasive, robotic-assisted procedure for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia, commonly referred to as an enlarged prostate.

“Aquablation therapy is another step forward in our commitment to providing the most advanced treatments to our patients across southwest Arkansas,” CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs President Dr. Douglas Ross said in a news release.

“As many as half of men over age 51 can suffer from an enlarged prostate and we’re honored to be the first to offer this minimally invasive, robotic-assisted option to bring them another avenue for relief without compromise.”

Symptoms of LUTS include a weak stream, nighttime urination, significant urge to urinate, urinary frequency, incomplete emptying of the bladder, difficulty starting a stream and starting/ stopping of a stream.

Aquablation therapy is performed by the AquaBeam Robotic System, the first FDAcleared, surgical robot utilizing automated tissue resection for the treatment of LUTS due to BPH. It utilizes the power of water delivered with robotic precision to provide long-lasting symptom relief with low rates of irreversible complications, the release said.

“This new therapy gives our patients a real, viable option when it comes to treatment of LUTS,” CHI St. Vincent Urologist Dr. Nathan Littlejohn said in the release. “Instead of trading symptom relief for undesirable side effects, this gives them a choice that offers much-needed relief along with a lower risk of complications.”

Other surgical treatments for BPH include a trade-off between symptom relief and side effects, limiting patients to choose between either a high degree of symptom relief with high rates of irreversible complications (such as incontinence, erectile dysfunction, or ejaculatory dysfunction) or low degree of symptom relief with low rates of irreversible complications. If left untreated, BPH can cause significant health problems, including irreversible bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones and incontinence, the release said.