Occasionally here Aquablation has been mentioned. I was just reading about it and the reports say it is as effective as HoLEP and there are no reports of retro. Wondering if anyone here has had this procedure and if so how did it work out?
It is effective, doesn't cause RE but requires a very long recovery. My URO said that it's longer than any other BPH procedure and for the majority of men a procedure with a much quicker recovery will do the trick
I wonder why the recovery would be longer? The actual procedure time is typically less than ten minutes. Further, no heat is used, but clearly the prostate is traumatized.
I have had it this summer
There is a lot of misinformation on this site. For example, the procedure certainly does NOT just take ten minutes. My recovery was very quick. The main issue is potential bleeding, but I was ok.
I have no RE and things look good.
The only issue was that the surgeon was too cautious, so I was left with a small bit of tissue fouling the urethra. This was removed during a subsequent cystoscopy
I think I have posted my experience somewhere on this site. But it seems to lose stuff
M
Mike, Did you have this done in the UK? I am in the US, and am looking into this procedure. How long does your Dr think the procedure will last? Did you pay out of pocket? Thanks
Hi Mike:
When I said the procedure was typically less than 10 minutes, I was talking about actual "cutting" time. Apparently, with aquablation there is a relatively large amount of setup time since the procedure is robotically accomplished. I got my information from a study entitled "Waterjet ablation offers minimally invasive option for BPH" by Ali Kasraeian. Here is what he writes:
"From the surgeon’s perspective, a major advantage of this procedure in my opinion is the short learning curve and reproducibility of technique from one case to another. During each procedure, the urologic surgeon follows the same planning steps. Once satisfied with the individualized treatment plan, the robot will execute the precise Aquablation in approximately 5 minutes or less regardless of prostate size or shape. Patients’ concerns regarding an autonomous robot can be easily calmed, as the urologic surgeon monitors every aspect of the procedure and is able to instantly stop the procedure at any time by simply lifting his or her foot off the activation pedal."
After I posted last night, I got to thinking about the bleeding that you mentioned. I don't know or understand how the "bleeders" are sealed off in aquablation if heat is not used.
It would be great if we could read your post. I have a great deal of difficulty searching for posts on this site.
Hi
Yes I had it done it the UK. At the moment there is really only one guy doing it, so I did pay for it. I believe however that it is going to be (or maybe now is) available free on our National Health Service. Doc says it is essentially the same as TURP or Laser in terms of longevity; that means maybe up to 10 years.
Mike
NICE has produced a report that takes a look at Aquablation versus TURp. To avoid a link being blocked just search on* Interventional procedure overview of transurethral waterjet ablation for lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia. *
The report shows that by all measures Aquablation provides a significant improvement over and above that of TURP without running the significant risks TURP has been associated with.
Beginning to look like a front runner in the significant interventional options.
I recently started a discussion about this as I didnt see this discussion already existed. This forum has no search facility that I can find.
I would be interested to hear from anyone who is unhappy with their aquablation as I am only reading about success stories.
I am on the 12th day of my recovery. I stopped peeing blood on the 9th day. No more burning since the 6th day. No cath since the 2nd day. A strong stream since the 2nd day. I AM NORMAL AGAIN after decades with BPH. No RE (yet). I'm getting up no more than once a night. My aquablation is thus far a total success! Could this be a typical outcome?
If it is, I want everyone to know.
To me the laser procedures are still first choice for life back to normal on day two and for me twice a good result. GL lasted or nine years and my Thulium/Holmium was done in 2013 and no later problems
I found several links dated September 2018 that were not that one. What date was your one ? Publish he link it may get through as it is not a commercial link.
Everybody needs to pick their favorite. Certainly, if you dont mind the higher risk of RE with laser based procedures, and you have a great surgeon, no argument here. My doc does TURP, HoLEP, Rezum and Aquablation. Its great having an unbiased adviser like him. This decision was not easy!
Each time I had a Uro who then specialised in the procedure I was having given older procedures for the new ones. UK surgeons tend to specialize .
Not everyone is fine day 2 after GL. Some people are fine day 2 after TURP too, but most aren't. My URO told me to expect to need pads or depends for at least 2 and up to 4 weeks after GL and that RE odds were 50/50 so I waited for Rezum. Yes - some will mirror your experience and be all but fine in a couple of days with no RE - but some also wear diapers for a month and have RE for life.
I think that your Uro was putting you off a procedure he didn't want you to have. That is certainly not the case with people I know and meet. Why can we UK patients have better results than Americans ? RE odds are very likely 50/50 or less due to many factors. It always amazes me when I hear of people wearing pads for weeks. I had no worries travelling home by train on day two and day three I was happy being out and about as normal and being surprised at not having thought toilet all afternoon.
I read somewhere that at least in some cases of Aquablation the surgeon fires up a laser or plasma button electrode at the end to cauterize the bleeders. I'd think you'd have to.
Sounds like a good idea.
Slightly off topic but for those who've had it or found out, what (if any) insurance companies cover it and if you paid out of pocket, what was the cost? I checked recently and Aetna POS II still considers it experimental.
As far as RE goes, I would think that is highly dependent on the ablation map the surgeon programs during the planning stage. If he programs it to ablate a lot of apical tissue around the verumontanum then the robot is going to give you RE. It just ablates exactly what the surgeon programs it to ablate. If I were having Aquablation done, I might ask that I get to sign off on the ablation template once he programs it. Of course that might be hard to do if I'd already been induced. The fact that it generates little heat and doesn't send electrical current near nerve bundles helps.
Possibly. But, everyone bleeds pretty heavily for the first 24 to 48 hours after an aquablation. I would think such a need would be determined in the recovery unit after no reduction in bleeding is realized.
A lot of surgeries are done on the body sans cauterization. I'm not sure how much of an issue this really is.
Empire BCBS authorized mine after Procept worked on them. Theyre the mfr of Aquabeam. They have a dept that works the insurers to get this covered.