Robotic Surgery – Urology

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form inside the prostate. While prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, the good news is that with increased awareness and screening, more men are diagnosed early. As a result, most cancers are found at an early stage when the cancer is most treatable.

When prostate cancer is believed to be confined within the prostate gland, there are a range of treatment options available. These may include:

• surgery to remove the prostate (known as radical prostatectomy)
• radiation (external beam or radioactive seed implants)
• watchful waiting
• cryosurgery
• hormonal therapy

Treatment options depend on a number of factors, including the stage of the disease, the patient’s age, his health or personal preference. After discussing treatment options with your doctor, if you decide to undergo surgery to remove the cancerous prostate, you may be a candidate for a new breakthrough surgical technology called the da Vinci Surgical System. A new category in minimally invasive surgery, this robotic-assisted surgery involves state-of-the-art technology which enables surgeons to perform this delicate operation with superior vision, precision, dexterity and control.

Through a few tiny incisions, your surgeon controls the highly precise instruments attached to robotic arms during the entire operation. Your surgeon can reach tissues from many angles to remove the prostate containing the cancer cells. The goal of this surgery is to remove the cancer entirely while preserving important nerves and blood vessels that control urinary and sexual function.

Traditionally, prostatectomy has been performed through open surgery involving a large open incision to obtain access to the prostate. This type of surgery results in a lengthy recovery period and may cause significant pain. Performing a prostatectomy with da Vinci offers the following potential benefits compared to open surgery:

• Excellent cancer control
• Faster return of erectile (sexual) function
• Faster return of bladder control (urinary continence)
• Less blood loss
• Less need for a blood transfusion
• Less pain
• Lower risk of complications
• Lower risk of wound infection
• Shorter hospital stay
• Fewer days with catheter
• Faster recovery and return to normal activities

Kidney Cancer

Each year over 208,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer worldwide. Kidney cancer is relatively resistant to noninvasive treatments like radiation and chemotherapy. As a result, the gold standard treatment for localized kidney cancer is surgery. Kidney surgery is traditionally performed using an open approach, which requires a large abdominal incision. Another approach, conventional laparoscopy, is less invasive but limits the doctor’s precision, visualization and control compared to open surgery.

Da Vinci Surgery uses the best techniques of open surgery and applies them to a robotic-assisted, minimally invasive approach. The precision, vision and control of the da Vinci Surgical System allows your surgeon to provide a precise, minimally invasive treatment for kidney cancer. If your tumor is localized and small, the recommended treatment of choice is a partial nephrectomy; removing just the tumor and not the entire kidney. And, preserving your kidney can help prevent future kidney disease.

If you have been diagnosed with kidney cancer, you may be a candidate for da Vinci Surgery using state-of-the-art technology to help your doctor perform a more precise operation compared to conventional surgery. It offers numerous potential benefits over open surgery including:

• Excellent cancer control
• Shorter hospital stay
• Less blood loss
• Less pain
• Precise tumor removal
• Excellent chance of preserving the kidney where indicated
• Lower risk of operative complications
• Faster recovery and return to normal activities

Urinary Obstruction

Surgery to treat a urinary obstruction, known as pyeloplasty, removes a blockage in the urinary system. After your surgeon removes the blockage, he will reattach the healthy part of the kidney to the healthy part of the ureter – the narrow tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder.

If your doctor has recommended pyeloplasty for your condition, you may be a candidate for da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery. The da Vinci system provides a minimally invasive approach using state-of-the-art technology that helps your surgeon perform a more precise operation compared to conventional surgery.

Robotic-assisted pyeloplasty offers several potential benefits over open surgery including:

• Significantly less pain
• Less blood loss
• Fewer transfusions
• Less risk of infection
• Less scarring
• Shorter hospital stay
• Faster recovery and return to normal activities