How Robotic Surgery Improves Prostatectomy Outcomes

No one loves the idea of surgery, but it can be a necessary step to preserve your health and even save your life. The good news is that surgical complications and outcomes have improved greatly in recent years, thanks to the increasing use of robotic-assisted technologies.

This holds true in the world of prostate surgery. Each year in the United States, about 90,000 prostatectomies are performed, and more than 90% are done with robotic-assisted systems.

Board-certified urologist Robert J. Cornell has been an early adopter of robotic-assisted prostatectomies using the industry-leading daVinci® surgical system. Here, we review some of the benefits of this approach to prostate cancer.

Improved post-surgical outcomes

Surgery always carries certain risks, especially open surgeries with large incisions made to provide easier access for instruments and hands.

With our cutting-edge daVinci surgical system, we only need to make a few small incisions — typically five — in your lower abdomen to accommodate a camera and specialized instruments that we control from outside your body. This approach allows us to make key post-operative improvements for prostatectomies:

• Less collateral tissue damage
• Less blood loss
• Reduced risk for infection
• Less postoperative pain
• Shorter hospital stay

In other words, a robotic-assisted prostatectomy can greatly improve your surgical experience and reduce post-surgical complications.

Improved function after a robotic-assisted prostatectomy

Certain functional complications after a prostatectomy give many men pause — namely, post-prostatectomy incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

With our daVinci robotic-assisted technology, Dr. Cornell can reduce the risks for these post-prostatectomy complications for several reasons:

Better surgical accuracy

The robotic arms, which are under Dr. Cornell’s control the entire time, provide more precision and accuracy than human hands are capable of, allowing Dr. Cornell to remove only what’s necessary. This means we’re better able to preserve tissue and function.

Better surgical view

The camera we insert into the surgical area provides Dr. Cornell with a high-definition and magnified view of the surgical site — a view that’s better than the human eye. This also improves accuracy during your prostatectomy.

Better postoperative potency 

With our daVinci system, Dr. Cornell is better able to spare nerves, which improves postoperative potency, also known as your sexual function. Of course, this depends upon the state of your pre-operative sexual health, too.

As you can see, a robotic-assisted prostatectomy offers key benefits that can make the entire experience more positive.

If you’d like to explore whether you’re a good candidate for a robotic-assisted prostatectomy, or if you have more questions about the procedure, contact our Houston office today to schedule a consultation.