Robotic assisted prostatectomy offers a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery in the management of men with prostate cancer.
Advantages
- Access to the prostate is achieved via several small incisions rather than a large lower abdominal incision
- Shorter duration of hospital stay – average length of stay is one night in hospital
- Less post operative pain
- Quicker return to normal activities
- Less blood loss and significantly lower risk of blood transfusion
- Precise reconstruction and nerve sparing due to the highly magnified 3D imaging provided by the robotic camera system
- Equivalent cancer outcomes compared with the open technique
What to expect
- When performed by an experienced surgeon in a high volume centre, radical prostatectomy is associated with an excellent chance of cure
- Although most patients will experience temporary loss of urine control, 95% of patients are satisfied with their urinary function in the longer term. Less than 2% will require additional surgical procedures to manage problematic incontinence
- For men with normal pre-operative sexual function, about 70% will regain erections following surgery adequate for intercourse