OTTUMWA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER Introduces Aquablation Therapy for the Treatment of BPH
April 4, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information:
Raquel Alderman
954.494.9360
raquel.alderman@orhc.com
Ottumwa, IA, April 1st, 2025 - Ottumwa Regional Health Center announced today that it is the first in the state of Iowa to offer a new advanced robotic therapy for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Aquablation therapy is performed using a surgical robot that utilizes automated tissue resection. It combines real-time multi-dimensional imaging, automated robotics, and heat-free waterjet ablation for targeted, controlled, and immediate removal of prostate tissue.
BPH, or an enlarged prostate, is a non-cancerous condition where the prostate has grown to be larger than normal. 1 in 2 men ages 51 to 60 have BPH, and the incidence increases every decade of life. If left untreated, BPH can cause significant health problems including irreversible bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones, and incontinence.
By integrating both cystoscopic visualization and ultrasound imaging, surgeons create a personalized treatment plan tailored to each patient’s anatomy. Once the map is complete, the robotically controlled waterjet ablates the prostate tissue, avoiding critical structures to preserve sexual function and continence. Proven in numerous clinical studies, aquablation therapy offers predictable and reproducible outcomes independent of prostate anatomy, prostate size, or surgeon experience.
“We are proud to offer a solution for men with BPH that provides significant long-lasting symptom relief with lower risk to their sexual function or continence,” said Michael Covert, interim CEO, “This therapy is the next step to furthering our commitment to robotic surgery and men’s health.”
Current surgical treatments for BPH often present a difficult choice for men: achieving significant symptom relief usually comes with the risk of severe and permanent side effects such as incontinence, erectile dysfunction, or ejaculatory dysfunction. Conversely, treatments that minimize these side effects typically offer only limited symptom relief. This trade-off limits patients to choose between effective symptom management and preserving their quality of life. With the introduction of aquablation therapy, men now have an additional option that provides substantial symptom relief while minimizing the risk of these debilitating side effects. This new therapy significantly enhances the treatment landscape, offering a solution that balances efficacy and safety, thereby improving overall patient outcomes and quality of life.
For more information about options for BPH or to make an appointment with a provider, visit OttumwaRegionalHealth.com or call 641.505.1375.
About Ottumwa Regional Health Center (ORHC)
For more than 125 years, Ottumwa Regional Health Center has served the community of Ottumwa, Wapello County and the citizens of Southeast Iowa. We are a regional health center providing a wide range of health services, including emergency medicine, critical care services, medical/surgical, acute rehabilitation, obstetrics, and pediatrics, as well as specialty services such as cardiac catheterization, diagnostic and therapeutic radiological services, wound care, pain clinic, sleep lab, pathology, and more. ORHC’s mission is making communities healthier and it is dedicated to being a place where people choose to come for healthcare, physicians want to practice, and employees want to work.