About Robotic Prostatectomy
Robotic prostatectomy is the latest in minimally invasive surgery, offering the most recent advances in robotics and computer technology for a patient with prostate cancer. The main benefits include a shorter hospital stay, keyhole incisions resulting in less blood loss, little pain, low risk of infection, quick healing, small scars, and minimal risk of becoming impotent or incontinent.
The surgery is performed entirely by the surgeon, who sits at a console in the operating room and views the surgery on an enhanced 3D High Definition monitor. The surgeon uses joysticks that track movements, which are then translated in real-time to the scaled movements of a robotic device that enables the operation to take place. The ends of the robotic arms are fitted with miniature surgical instruments that are capable of moving in any direction. The EndoWrist instruments can be directed with extreme accuracy and precision.
The da Vinci Surgical System allows surgeons to operate for longer periods of time with less fatigue and virtually no hand tremor. It provides delicate handling of the prostate tissue permitting extremely accurate cutting of nerve tissue. Five small quarter sized incisions are made into the patient’s abdomen, three on one side of the navel and two on the other side. The fine robotic arms equipped with tiny surgical instruments enter through these ports and do the surgery. There is no computer programming of surgical instructions.
As an added benefit, this system completely removes any cancer cells that are at the surrounding edge of the prostate. The elimination of any malignant cells at the surgical margins is critical to patient recovery. After the incision sites have healed, patients report a return of their sexual drive and their ability to attain an erection during sexual intercourse. They are also able to regain control of their bladder and report no problems with urination.
Patients report minimal discomfort after robotic surgery as opposed to traditional open surgery which involves large traumatic incisions to the patient, requires a longer healing time with the possibility of infection at the surgical site and considerable scarring. With the da Vinci system, the small one-centimeter keyhole incisions allow for enhanced surgical maneuvers that would be impossible manually.
Read more about this topic: David B. Samadi