Prostate Surgery Center

by Brandon Cornett

The da Vinci robot has been in the news a lot lately. And while the name may bring science fiction to mind, the da Vinci robotic system is pure science without the fiction.

The da Vinci robot is actually designed to help surgeons perform prostate surgery — specifically a robotic prostate surgery, as the procedure has become known.

But what is da Vinci robotic prostate surgery? How does it work? What are the pros and cons? These are the types of questions we have tried to answer throughout this website. But there is no better place to start than with a good review of prostate surgery and the da Vinci robotic system.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer affects nearly 250,000 men in the United States each year. In fact, the prostate exam has practically become a rite of passage for men 40 years or older. Because of these significant numbers of cancer cases, prostate treatment (including surgery) has played an important role in many men’s lives.

The da Vinci Solution to Surgery

In recent years, a new form of prostate surgery has emerged to address some of the problems with laparoscopic prostate procedures (which have traditionally been viewed as difficult to perform). This emerging procedure is known as robotic prostate surgery, and it makes use of a tool called the da Vinci robot. With the da Vinci® Surgical System, a 3-D camera gives surgeons a better view inside their patients. Incredibly, the surgeon actually performs most of the prostate surgery by operating the robotic arms from a nearby console.

Benefits to the Surgeon

With the increased visibility it provides, da Vinci robotic system satisfies a lot of prostate surgeons. In a Forbes.com article dated July 27, 2005, Dr. David Samadi had this to say about the da Vinci robot: “With regular laparoscopy you only have one camera, which gives you a two-dimensional view. You lose one dimension — depth perception. The 3-D view with the robot is absolutely beautiful.”

Benefits to the Patient

Doctors aren’t the only ones who benefit from robotic prostate surgery. This procedure provides some advantages for patients as well. For one thing, the incisions are smaller than they would be if the patient underwent an “open” surgery.

In most cases, these smaller incisions expedite the patient’s discharge from the hospital. With da Vinci surgeries, patients can usually go home the day after surgery and resume normal activity within a week to 10 days — much more favorable than the 6-week average for open surgery.

What to Ask Your Surgeon About Robotic Surgery

If you are considering robotic prostate surgery over traditional open surgery, you should make the following questions part of your doctor-screening process:

* How long have you been performing prostate surgery in general?

* How long have you been using the da Vinci robot?

* What is your overall success rate with robotic surgery?

* How many of these surgeries do you perform each year?

Researching Robotic Prostate Surgery

This article is not intended to make the da Vinci approach robotic prostate prostate surgery seem like a magical solution. All surgeries have risks and benefits, pros and cons, etc., and robotic prostate surgery is no different. This article (and this website in general) is intended to provide a good base of knowledge upon which you may conduct further research.

© 2007, Prostate Surgery Center. All rights reserved. Duplication is prohibited.