Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A new, pioneering procedure has been used to treat a record number of prostate patients in one day.
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust was able to break its record due to the use of robot-assisted waterjet technology, which is used to treat men with an enlarged prostate.
Most of the men treated were able to go home after just a few hours, raising hopes that the new treatment will help curb NHS waiting lists.
An enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, is a common noncancerous condition in older men.
This may cause problems with urination, which may result in sleep disturbances.
Patients may have to wait months for care.
Frimley said 12 men with enlarged prostates were treated in one day using ablation therapy, a record for the NHS in England.
Eleven of the treated men were able to go home the same day they were treated, also known as “day cases”.
Nigel Howlett, 68, from Farnham, Surrey, received the treatment on October 18, the record-breaking day.
He suffered from symptoms of an enlarged prostate and was on the waiting list for treatment for 18 months.
“I’ve been living with this for a long time, including a lot of sleep deprivation and then not drinking enough fluids to prevent the need to urinate,” Mr Howlett said.
“It may not be one of the most important procedures for the NHS but it has hugely affected my quality of life.”
He said he “felt fine” after the procedure and was allowed to go home the same day.
Mr Howlett said: “I hope this will make a big difference to my symptoms in the future.
“This day was a great idea to help patients like me who have waited so long.”
One in three men over the age of 50 will have symptoms of an enlarged prostate, including a frequent need to go to the toilet, greater urgency and difficulty emptying the bladder.
This increases to about 70 percent to 80 percent of men over the age of 75.
Last year, King shared that he was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate.
Most men with urinary symptoms will not require an operation, lifestyle changes such as drinking less alcohol or fizzy drinks, bladder training and eating more fiber are recommended at first.
Medications such as diuretics and alpha blockers may also help, which relax the muscles in the gland making it easier to urinate, or a urinary catheter may also help if a patient is unable to urinate.
There are also several surgeries and procedures if these steps do not work.
The most common surgery for an enlarged prostate is transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), a procedure that involves cutting out a portion of the prostate.
Men who have TURP are not usually treated as day cases.
Aquablation therapy uses heat-free high-pressure waterjets and real-time imaging to destroy excess prostate tissue to shrink it.
It can provide relief from symptoms and is also associated with fewer side effects, and many patients can be treated and sent home within a day.
Frimley Health was the first NHS trust in England to introduce a robotic ablation therapy procedure and led early trials to help develop the technology.
Since its launch, the Trust has carried out the highest number of NHS ablation therapy procedures in the country – with over 500 patients treated in the last five years.
Neil Barber, consultant urological surgeon and clinical lead for urology at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We typically perform a maximum of three ablation procedures per week on a half-day operating list. However, increasing demand from both local patients and those referred from further afield is increasing the waiting list.
“We wanted to use this technology to see what we could achieve to help patients waiting for treatment and demonstrate that the efficiency of treatment with aquablation can really impact the waiting list.
“The biggest advantage of aquablation therapy is its efficiency and predictability, meaning we can treat higher volumes and get better results.
“Thanks to the incredible hard work of our surgical team, the day was a huge success.
“We were able to perform a record number of procedures in over 90 per cent of cases a day and it shows what we can achieve for our patients in the future with the right support.”