Robotic Prostatectomy

Radical Prostatectomy is surgery to remove the prostate gland and nearby tissue as well as any lymph nodes, if necessary.

Robotic-assisted prostate surgery is performed through a few small incisions about the size of a fingertip. Advanced robotic surgery provides the surgeon with better vision, control and precision so patients experience less blood loss, less pain, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery times than patients who have a traditional prostatectomy.

Small robotic instruments are used to remove the prostate and nearby tissues through several tiny incisions in the patient’s abdomen. Unlike a traditional radical prostatectomy, which involves an abdominal incision extending from the belly button to the pubic bone, robotic radical prostatectomy is much less invasive.

Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy provides the surgeon with enhanced views of the nerves, blood vessels and muscles surrounding the prostate to help prevent injuries to these delicate structures during surgery. Robotic surgery provides the surgeon with a far greater range of motion with the instruments used during surgery, and the surgery is performed without the surgeon’s hands having to enter the patient’s body cavity.

Risks of robotic radical prostatectomy include:

• Bleeding
• Infection at the surgical site
• Adjacent tissue/organ damage

The most common side effects of robotic radical prostatectomy are:

• The inability to control urine (urinary incontinence). This side effect often improves over time.
• Erectile dysfunction (impotence). The return of erectile function after this surgery depends on the patient’s age, degree of preoperative sexual function and whether the nerves were spared during surgery.