Prostate Cancer Treatment - Da Vinci Robotic Surgery

Until recently, men facing prostate cancer surgery usually had little choice as to the types of surgical procedures available. Traditionally, the only option has been major abdominal surgery, called open prostatectomy, which involves large incisions and post-operative side effects. Using this procedure, the entire cancerous prostate gland is removed but there are the risks of excessive blood loss during surgery, post-operative infections, long hospital stays, and considerable pain. Following open prostatectomy, patients have limited activity, and may lose bladder control and sexual function due to severance of the delicate plexus of nerves around the prostate gland.

Over the last two decades there has been revolutionary improvement in medical surgical technology. The most famous robotic prostatectomy system available today is the da Vinci Surgical System, manufactured by Intuitive Surgical. It is gaining popularity as a less traumatic and minimally invasive alternative for treating and removing prostate cancer. The da Vinci Surgical System enables surgeons to overcome many of the shortcomings of both open prostatectomy and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Minimally invasive surgical procedure, called robotic prostatectomy, uses finely controlled robotic instruments to perform the surgery safely while enhancing patient recovery and outcome. Sitting at the da Vinci surgical console, Dr. Samadi controls the device which consists of high-resolution cameras and micro-surgical instruments. Powered by state-of-the-art robotic technology, the surgeon’s hand movements are scaled, filtered and seamlessly translated into precise movement of the EndoWrist Instruments.

Unlike laparoscopic surgery, da Vinci Surgical System for robotic prostatectomy instruments can turn in all directions with 90 degrees of articulation and 7 degrees of freedom. The da Vinci system provides the surgeon with improved visualization, dexterity, and precision compared with open or laparoscopic surgery, while enabling operation through 1-2 cm incisions. This allows Dr. Samadi to perform fine computer-controlled movements and to perform a more precise and minimally invasive surgical procedure, which protect his patient’s delicate prostate nerves controlling bladder and sexual function. The da Vinci robot achieves the same or better results than using a surgeon’s own hands in open or laparoscopic surgery.

Click here to read more about State of the Art Surgery: da Vinci Robotic Prostatectomy

Back to Top

Based on his clinical experiences, Dr. Samadi concludes that the da Vinci robotic prostatectomy overcomes the limitations of open and laparoscopic surgery.

Computer 3-D Visualization - The robotic prostatectomy system gives surgeons the feeling that their hands are immersed in the patient’s body, even though they are performing the surgery remotely. All movements of the surgeon’s hands are micro-scaled by the da Vinci robot. As a result, the surgeon feels completely connected to surgery. The da Vinci robotic system provides a much brighter and sharper image than the human eye, or any other 3-D laparoscopic prostatectomy endoscope. The system incorporates a proprietary camera that allows the surgeon to easily zoom, rotate, or change the image visualization. The resulting 3-D image is bright and clear, with no flicker as with other laparoscopic systems. Robotic hand simulation and 3-D visualization make the da Vinci robotic system more advanced than other minimally invasive surgical procedures currently available.

Precise Robotic-Assisted Prostate Surgery - Using the da Vinci System, the surgeon can use “motion scaling,” a feature that translates small hand movements outside the patient’s body into precise movements inside the body. The surgeon controls the robotic prostatectomy robotic arms from the da Vinci console using natural hand and wrist movements. Motion scaling is designed to allow greater precision than is normally achievable in open and laparoscopic prostatectomy surgery. Indeed, conventional laparoscopic instruments provide surgeons less flexibility, dexterity and range of motion. Proprietary instruments called EndoWrist and enhanced range-of-motion of robotic arms enable surgeons to reach difficult places and to operate safely in the confined space of the closed chest, abdomen, or pelvis. Laparoscopic instruments in use today do not replicate hand movements and cannot perform precise movement and manipulations, such as reaching behind tissues, suturing, and dissection. The system also filters out unpredictable movements and tremors inherent in human hands.

Using Robotic-Assisted Prostate Surgery – During a procedure, the Patient side cart is positioned next to the operating table with the da Vinci robotic arms arranged to provide entry points into the human body and prostate. EndoWrist instruments, and the da Vinci Insite Vision System, are mounted onto the robot’s electromechanical arms representing the surgeon’s left and right hands. They provide the functionality to perform complex tissue manipulation through the entry points, or ports. EndoWrist instruments include forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels and other surgical tools. If the surgeon needs to change an Endowrist instrument, as is common during a robotic prostatectomy procedure, the instrument is withdrawn from the surgical system using controls at the console. Typically, an operating room nurse standing near the patient physically removes the EndoWrist instruments and replaces them with new instruments.

Surgeon Console - The surgeon performs the robotic prostatectomy while sitting comfortably at the console, manipulating the hand controls and viewing the operation live through the da Vinci Insite Vision System. This is more comfortable for the surgeon and reduces operating fatigue, a known hindrance in open surgery. The robotic-assisted prostate surgery is completed with the removal of the da Vinci instruments and closure of the small incisions in the abdomen with sutures.

Dr. Samadi’s patient testimonials and media coverage attest to his robotic prostatectomy expertise. He has performed over 3,600 robotic prostatectomy procedures.

The majority of Dr. Samadi’s da Vinci robotic prostatectomy patients are discharged within 24 hours of their surgery. For most patients, Dr. Samadi’s use of the da Vinci Surgical System for robotic prostatectomy provides superior benefits over traditional open or laparoscopic prostatectomy, including*:

• Quicker return to normal activity
• Shorter hospitalization (most patients go home the next day)
• Reduced risk of incontinence and impotence
• Less blood loss and fewer transfusions
• Reduced pain

Read more about Dr. Samadi's prostate cancer treatment philosophy

*As with any surgical procedure, the benefits of a da Vinci Surgical System cannot be guaranteed as surgery is both patient and procedure specific.

Back to Top

Summary of Da Vinci Robotic Prostatectomy Benefits:

Time in OR

Complication Rates

Additional Information about da Vinci Surgical System:

The da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical), is the first totally "intuitive" laparoscopic surgical robot in existence. As of today, the FDA has cleared the da Vinci Surgical System for use in performing many surgical procedures including general laparoscopic surgery, thoracoscopic (chest) surgery, laparoscopic radical prostatectomies and thoracoscopically-assisted cardiotomy procedures. Additionally, the da Vinci Surgical System is presently involved in a cardiac clinical trial in the United States for totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Learn More About da Vinci Robotic Surgery:

Robotic Surgery FAQs
da Vinci Robotic Surgery System
SMART Surgery Technique
Prostate Cancer Treatment Trifecta
Prostatectomy Statistics

Back to Top

Bookmark Using:
	Facebook		Twitter		Link In		Email		Google Buzz		Yahoo

Share on Facebook

Call to Make an Appointment With Dr. David Samadi:

1-855-DRSAMADI or 1-212-241-8779

Click the contact link to learn how Dr. Samadi can help treat your prostate cancer and give you back your quality of life.