Cookeville Regional Medical Center Offers Advanced Aquablation® Therapy for Enlarged Prostate (BPH)

Cookeville Regional Medical Center (CRMC) is proud to announce the offering of Aquablation® therapy delivered by the HYDROS™ Robotic System, a cutting-edge, minimally invasive treatment for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate.

Dr. Jason Easterday, Dr. Hunter Lambert, and Dr. Rick Smith, three urologists at Upper Cumberland Urology and Associates at Cookeville Regional, have a waiting list of thirteen candidates who are asking to receive this specific system.

“I am incredibly excited to begin offering Aquablation therapy at Cookeville Regional Medical Center this summer. This image-guided, robotic treatment allows us to precisely remove prostate tissue causing urinary obstruction while preserving critical structures. It offers long-lasting relief from BPH symptoms, reduces dependence on medication, and helps protect bladder function. It’s a meaningful advancement in how we care for men in our community,” said Dr. Easterday.

BPH affects nearly half of men over the age of 50, causing troubling urinary symptoms that impact quality of life. Aquablation therapy is the only real-time, ultrasound-guided, robotic-assisted, heat-free waterjet procedure for BPH. This advanced technology allows for precise, personalized treatment that removes prostate tissue while minimizing the risk of complications often associated with traditional procedures.

PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation shared that clinical studies have shown that Aquablation therapy delivers excellent outcomes with significantly lower rates of irreversible complications compared to traditional surgeries like TURP:

• 100% of patients were free from erectile dysfunction (Elterman D, et al. BMJ Surg Interv Health Technol.)
• 89% preserved ejaculatory function
• >99% did not experience incontinence (Gilling PJ, et al. Can J Urol.2022; Bhojani N, et al. J Urol. 2023; Elterman D, et al. BMJ Surg Interv Health Technol. 2021; Data on file, PROCEPT BioRobotics.; Oumedjbeur K, et al. Can J Urol.)

This breakthrough is especially important given that:

• 83% of men with BPH are unwilling to sacrifice sexual function for symptom relief
• 3 in 4 believe surgery requires a tradeoff between symptom relief and side effects
• 1 in 2 didn’t realize the importance of sexual function until after surgery (Data on file, PROCEPT BioRobotics)

Aquablation therapy is a hospital-based, resective procedure performed under anesthesia. It involves two key steps:

1. Surgical Planning: CRMC urologists use real-time ultrasound imaging and digital cystoscopy to create a detailed map of each patient’s prostate. This ensures that critical areas responsible for sexual and urinary function are avoided.
2. Tissue Removal: A robotic-controlled waterjet then precisely removes the excess tissue, following the surgeon’s plan. No incision is made in the abdomen, and most patients return home within 24 hours—often without a catheter.

Patients considering treatment for BPH are encouraged to speak with their doctor about Aquablation therapy. It may be the right option for a patient if they are seeking:

• Long-term symptom relief
• Low risk of sexual or urinary complications
• A robotic-assisted, precise approach with minimal human error

Buffy Key, CEO of Cookeville Regional Medical Center, said, “Aquablation therapy represents a major step forward in men’s health, and is the future of urology. Cookeville Regional is committed to offering our patients high-quality procedures and technologies, like Aquablation. Being a community-owned medical center is a blessing as it allows us to hear our patients’ and physicians’ needs and bring that before a local board for approval. Cookeville Regional delivers healthcare and does what is best for the people in the Upper Cumberland region, and sometimes quickly because we are community-owned.”