Dr. Sterling and Dr. Friel discuss Aquablation for BPH

In this video, Matthew E. Sterling, MD, and Brian Friel, MD, discuss the Aquablation procedure for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Sterling and Friel are urologists with MidLantic Urology.

Transcription:

Could you provide an overview of the Aquablation procedure?

Sterling: Essentially, I try to describe it almost like an image-guided TURP, in a way. We use ultrasound for real-time imaging, and the scope utilizes a robotic arm to ablate prostate tissue with a really powerful water jet. Everyone understands a TURP, and so I try to describe it as image guided, so we're telling the robot exactly where to ablate tissue. It's not using any heat, which again, is different than a TURP. And then the robotic arm vaporizes basically what we tell it to vaporize. And so I try to explain it that way. It seems to make sense. I do have to use pictures, because it can get a little confusing with all the different options, but that's kind of how I describe it.

Friel: I agree, and I think people will resonate with doing something under imaging guidance vs I often explain that TURP, which I use in the correct patient, but the limitation of that is you're shaving out prostate tissue in a layer at a time, and you stop when you think you're deep enough, whereas with an Aquablation, you map all that out ahead of time. You know exactly how deep you're going to go, what tissue is going to be resected, and also, probably equally as important, what tissue is going to be spared. That's where the differences, as far as outcomes, I think, is important.

This transcription was edited for clarity.