Cheltenham surgeons pioneer AI-guided water jet treatment for enlarged prostate
Surgeons in Cheltenham are using an AI-guided water jet to treat enlarged prostates, with low risks and life-changing results for patients.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Surgeons at Cheltenham General Hospital are using artificial intelligence to treat enlarged prostates with a robotic water jet, in a procedure known as aquablation. The hospital has become a centre of excellence for the technique in the South West, and early patients describe the results as life-changing.
Andy Ocock, from Cheltenham, had been living with a catheter for nearly a year because of his enlarged prostate, which severely restricted his daily life. When he was offered the new procedure, he did not hesitate. The traditional alternative, he said, involved coring the prostate like an apple, which sounded painful. The water jet, by contrast, seemed a much better option.
Aquablation works by using a high-powered water jet, up to 8,000 PSI, to cut away tissue from the enlarged prostate, relieving pressure on the bladder. The surgeon uses ultrasound images to set markers, and AI then suggests refinements before the surgeon approves the final plan. The robot carries out the cutting automatically, while the surgeon monitors and can stop or adjust the process at any time.
Consultant urologists at the hospital say the procedure is very precise, accurate to within a millimetre. One described it as "bizarre" to be hands-off during the operation, but emphasised that the robot follows the agreed plan and human control is always retained. The surgical team can treat more patients in a day than with older techniques.
The benefits go beyond speed. According to the medical literature cited by the team, the procedure carries a 0% chance of new erectile dysfunction, preserves ejaculation in up to 90% of patients, and the risk of stress incontinence is less than half a percent. These figures are significantly better than traditional tissue-removal procedures.
Andy's recovery was longer than average because of the size of his prostate, but he has noticed a steady improvement. Months later, he says the novelty of living a normal life has not worn off. He has had to relearn some bodily functions, but he is now able to do what he wants, when he wants, without hindrance.
The pioneering work at Cheltenham General is part of a broader shift towards minimally invasive, AI-assisted surgery. For men over 50 who are nervous about the side effects of conventional prostate surgery, this offers a new and safer option.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Aquablation is reported to have very low rates of erectile dysfunction and incontinence. | |
| Aquablation uses a high-powered water jet guided by AI to cut away prostate tissue. | |
| Cheltenham General is reported as a centre of excellence for aquablation in the South West. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel focused on the pioneering nature of the procedure, giving exclusive access to the operating theatre and following a patient's journey. It highlighted the contrast with traditional surgery, the precision of the AI-guided robot, and the very low risk of side effects, presenting the treatment as a major advance in urology.
- “The alternative, which I think is the classic procedure, the way that was described to me was that we're going to take your prostate and we're going to core it like an apple.”
- “It feels bizarre, to be honest. And of all the operations I do, this is the one where you still have all the stress and worry about the patient, but the actual doing with the water jet, I don't do that.”
- “I forgot what it's like to be able to live a normal life. I can just decide what I want to go and do and go and do it.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.