Mount Sinai is the First Academic Center in Northeast Region to Teach Robotically Guided Aquablation Therapy for Treatment of Enlarged Prostate

The Mount Sinai Hospital is the first academic center in the Northeast region to teach Aquablation® therapy—a robotically guided advanced new therapy and minimally invasive procedure used to treat enlarged prostates, a common condition technically known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The teaching program is being led by Steven A. Kaplan, MD, Professor of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of the Men’s Wellness Program, Mount Sinai Health System.

More than 50 percent of all U.S. men age 60 years and over suffer from enlarged prostates, as do more than 90 percent of men age 85 and over. An enlarged prostate is a noncancerous condition but one that produces symptoms, including frequent urination, an inability to empty the bladder, the need to urinate during the night and loss of bladder control.

Aquablation therapy is performed by the AquaBeam® Surgical Robotic System, the first FDA-cleared, automated surgical robot for the treatment of BPH. It combines three key elements to remove tissue safely, efficiently and precisely: real-time, multidimensional imaging for improved decision-making and surgical planning; robotic execution for precision; and the power of a water jet—that is heat-free, thus avoiding thermal injuries.

“My patients have seen incredible success with this new procedure and it has significant advantages of conserving anatomical structures associated with both urine control and sexual function while also alleviating symptoms from enlarged prostates,” said Dr. Kaplan. “Mount Sinai is excited to not only offer this minimally invasive procedure to our patients with BPH but also to teach this revolutionary procedure to other surgeons around the country.”

The Aquablation therapy involves utilizing a cystoscope, a thin tube with a camera that is used to view the urethra and inside of the bladder, under anesthesia. That technology is integrated with an ultrasound to provide a three-dimensional view of the prostate. This information, provided in real time via computer software, allows for a surgeon to determine an optimal tissue removal plan, including visualizing and targeting enlarged and obstructive prostate tissue and determining with exact precision the position of urethral sphincters and ejaculation ducts critical to maintaining sexual function. Under this robotic procedure, water jets then sweep across the prostate, ablating bad tissue while avoiding the key anatomical structures.  

Training sessions for will be conducted by Dr. Kaplan at The Mount Sinai Hospital through digital formats and in person sessions.

“Mount Sinai is extremely proud to be the first teaching Center in the Northeast training other surgeons how to perform this cutting edge procedure that will help so many men suffering from BPH,” said Dr. Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Chair of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System and the Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Professor of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.  

The Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System has one of the most robust robotic surgery programs in the country, with Dr. Tewari having performed more than 7,000 surgeries. Genomic testing and advanced imaging are routine for patients with prostate cancer, providing personalized and precise treatment protocols. Dr. Tewari and his team have performed thousands of MRI-guided fusion biopsies, have a very large cohort of active surveillance patients, and have been innovators in developing novel surgical techniques to optimize sexual function recovery and urinary continence.

Mount Sinai’s Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancer at The Tisch Cancer Institute, under the leadership of Dr. Tewari, offers the most up-to-date diagnosis, management, and treatment approaches for prostate cancer. The team of world-renowned experts includes urologic, radiation, and medical oncologists, as well as impotence specialists, pathologists, radiologists, and oncology nurses. To learn more about the Center click here.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai is a national and international source of unrivaled education, translational research and discovery, and collaborative clinical leadership ensuring that we deliver the highest quality care—from prevention to treatment of the most serious and complex human diseases. The Health System includes more than 7,200 physicians and features a robust and continually expanding network of multispecialty services, including more than 400 ambulatory practice locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” of the Top 20 Best Hospitals in the country and the Icahn School of Medicine as one of the Top 20 Best Medical Schools in country. Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are consistently ranked regionally by specialty and our physicians in the top 1% of all physicians nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.