Mercy Health

05/20/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/20/2022 14:17

Mercy Health and The Urology Group are First in Cincinnati to Offer Minimally Invasive Aquablation Therapy for Relief from Enlarged Prostate Symptoms

The Urology Group's Aaron Bey, MD, and Mercy Health - Anderson Hospital announced today that they are the first doctor and hospital in Greater Cincinnati to offer Aquablation therapy for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or enlarged prostate.

Dr. Bey is a urologist who specializes in robotic surgery and also serves as the chief of surgery at Anderson Hospital. Dr. Bey completed his first three Aquablation cases on May 17 at Anderson Hospital, which invested $430,000 to bring the technology to Cincinnati. Aquablation is a new minimally invasive, robotic-assisted treatment option for BPH, a non-cancerous condition that affects half of men ages 51 to 60.

BPH symptoms include:

  • Frequent or urgent need to urinate, including increased nighttime urination
  • Difficulty starting urination
  • Weak urine stream or a stream that stops and starts
  • Dribbling after urination
  • Inability to empty the bladder completely

The incidence of BPH increases with every decade of life and left untreated, it can cause significant health problems, including irreversible bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones and incontinence.

"Today's available BPH surgical treatments can force men to decide between a high degree of symptom relief with significant risk of complications, or a lower degree of symptom relief with low rates of irreversible complications," Dr. Bey said. "Aquablation offers a new alternative to treat BPH, even those of large prostate size. It uses the power of water delivered with robotic precision to provide long-lasting symptom relief with low rates of irreversible complications."

"We are proud to be the first in Greater Cincinnati to offer a solution for men with BPH that provides lasting symptom relief without compromise," Anderson Hospital President Ken James said. "Aquablation therapy is the next step to furthering our commitment to robotic surgery and men's health."

Aquablation therapy is performed by the AquaBeam Robotic System, the first surgical robot the FDA has cleared to treat LUTS due to BPH. It combines imaging, automated robotic technology and heat-free waterjet technology for targeted, controlled and immediate removal of prostate tissue.

Aquablation therapy offers predictable and reproducible outcomes. In clinical studies, Aquablation therapy has shown to provide both best-in-class and durable symptom relief with low rates of irreversible complications