Medical Breakthrough: Robotic Rostate Cancer Surgery

Urology San Antonio physician Naveen Kella, MD explains how new operating room technology allows a surgeon to remove a man's cancerous prostate with less blood loss and only dime-sized incisions.
The robotic prostatectomy is performed with tiny instruments that are inserted into the patient's body. The instruments are controlled by the urologist at a virtual reality type of control terminal a few feet away from the patient.
With the help of a tiny camera, the image that the surgeon sees while he is operating is magnified many times greater than what the surgeon would be able to see during conventional prostate cancer surgery.
In addition, as Dr. Kella explains, any movements that the surgeon makes with his hands are scaled down and replicated inside the small space of the pelvic cavity. This allows the doctor to make tiny sutures with great precision. Moreover, the robot system filters out any hand tremors, ensuring the surgeon always has a steady hand.
These advantages turn what was traditionally a major operation that required a few days in the hospital and several months of recovery into a more manageable procedure with only one day in the hospital and a few weeks of recovery.
To see more videos about robotic surgery including what you can expect before and after the operation, visit Urology San Antonio's YouTube channel.

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Education

Tags:

• prostate cancer
• urology
• surgery
• robotic
• prostatectomy
• minimally invasive
• san antonio
• naveen kella
• dr kella
• recovery
• incision
• blood loss