Introduction
Robotic surgery is the way of the future for prostate treatment, but what are the advantages? How does it differ from standard open surgery? Can you still have a radical prostatectomy if you choose robotic surgery? Here’s what we learned after speaking with Dr. Uday Patel, co-director of the Breast & Prostate Cancer Treatment Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and chairman of New Jersey Urology’s Division of Research and Technology.
A patient diagnosed with prostate cancer is in the prime of his life and wants an operation that is minimally invasive, requires a short period of recovery, and will leave him with complete control over his urinary and sexual function.
Robotic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that uses robotics to help surgeons perform delicate operations. The patient is placed in the operating room, where he lies on his side with his back and legs elevated. A medical device called a da Vinci Surgical System attaches to his skin using several small incisions made by a scalpel blade. This device enables you to control movement of robotic arms and instruments through your own body’s muscles, which gives you greater control over where they go during surgery than in traditional open surgeries involving large incisions made outside of the body (e.g., laparoscopic surgeries).
Robotic surgery has several advantages over traditional open procedures:
- It requires less time for recovery since patients can leave immediately after they’ve been given local anaesthesia instead of having days-long hospital stays required after traditional surgeries
“The robotic approach has several advantages over conventional surgery,” said Dr. Uday Patel, co-director of the Breast & Prostate Cancer Treatment Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and chairman of New Jersey Urology’s Division of Research and Technology.
The robotic approach has several advantages over conventional surgery, according to Dr. Uday Patel, co-director of the Breast & Prostate Cancer Treatment Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and chairman of New Jersey Urology’s Division of Research and Technology.
“The robotic approach has several advantages over conventional surgery,” said Dr. Uday Patel, co-director of the Breast & Prostate Cancer Treatment Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and chairman of New Jersey Urology’s Division of Research and Technology
“Patients have decreased blood loss, shorter hospital stays, less pain and quicker recovery time.”
In a study published in the Journal of Urology, patients who had robotic prostatectomy had less blood loss, shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times compared to those who had open surgery. This can be attributed to the fact that the robotic procedure uses suction machines that remove all of the cancerous tissue at once.
The results also showed that patients who underwent robotic surgery were able to walk out of the hospital sooner than those who underwent open surgery.
He also noted that because the instruments are thinner than human hands and wrists, the surgeon is able to get into smaller places in the body than with a traditional open surgery.
The technology is also less invasive than traditional open surgery, which means it can be used to treat prostate cancer.
In addition to the robotic arm, surgeons at Mayo Clinic use a device called an intraoperative camera system that allows them to see through their patient’s skin and into the body during surgery. This helps them avoid damage caused by cutting tissue with traditional surgical tools like scissors or knives.
Robotic surgery has been used in several clinical trials for treating prostate cancer since 2011, including one led by Dr. Richard Fessler at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore that found that robotic prostatectomy was associated with better patient outcomes compared with open radical prostatectomy (ORP).
For example, longer instruments can be used to cut away the prostate gland from near its abdominal connection, which may prevent nerve damage in some men.
For example, longer instruments can be used to cut away the prostate gland from near its abdominal connection, which may prevent nerve damage in some men. In addition, robotic surgery is minimally invasive and may be better for some men because it uses fewer incisions (cuts) than open surgery does.
Robotic surgery also has a shorter recovery period and less blood loss than open prostatectomy procedures.
According to Dr. Patel, “the capacity to observe what you’re doing inside the body enhances and provides you a greater vision.”
The ability to see what you’re doing inside the body magnifies and gives you a better view. Dr. Patel remarked, “The surgeon has a better vision of the inside of the body.” said Dr. Patel. “They can see and manipulate tools inside the body.”
This means that even if there are complications during surgery, such as clots or bleeding during an open procedure (which is more common in robotic surgery), surgeons don’t have to worry about these things happening because they can zoom in on specific areas of interest using ultrasound technology and other imaging tools available today with robotic surgery systems like da Vinci Surgical Atraumatic Advances (DVA), da Vinci Xi Surgical System, Odyseal® Robotic Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery system and others
Robotic surgery may be the right choice for men needing treatment for prostate cancer.
Robotic surgery may be the right choice for men needing treatment for prostate cancer. Robotic surgery is minimally invasive, and it can be less painful than traditional open surgery. It also allows for a shorter recovery time, which makes it easier to return to work or other activities after the procedure.
Conclusion:
Doctors and patients have been using robotic surgery for more than 60 years to treat prostate cancer. The procedure removes 100% of the tumour while leaving healthy tissue undamaged. It’s not a replacement for traditional surgery, but it can help reduce scarring and nerve damage in some men who’ve had open surgery and need additional treatment options.